It’s not that hard to pronounce my name

"My name’s Kethan, it’s spelt like ‘Ethan’ with a K, but sounds like ‘Nathan’ with a K.”

I didn’t give a second thought to how I introduced myself at our first The Miami Student meeting in August. I’ve always given the same spiel of how my name looks like one name with an additional letter, but sounds like a different name with the same letter.

However, a few people looked shocked and told me afterwards that it was a “cool” way to explain my name.

I’ll take “cool,” but that’s not the word I would use to describe saying the same thing every first day of school since I was 5.

From kindergarten to now, I can count one time a teacher or professor got my name right on the first try: Professor Kara Riesing in Principles of Macroeconomics during my sophomore year at Miami University.

In every other instance, I listen for some botched pronunciation. The usual suspect is “K-Ethan,” but I’ve heard “Keith-Ann” and “Keth-In” frequently as well.

Truthfully, I don’t mind people getting my name wrong on the first attempt. It’s not exactly an easy one to nail without already knowing what it sounds like, and I’ve mispronounced people’s names before: How am I supposed to know how “Guinevere” sounds without hearing it before?

But it cannot possibly be that difficult to learn someone’s pronunciation after the third, fourth or fifth time.

After I give the spiel, I tend to forgive people less and less each time they mispronounce my name. If I tell someone how it’s pronounced multiple times and they continue to botch it, it’s no longer a mistake or an accident: It’s more disrespectful than anything else.

High school especially taught me that for some people, it’s not that they can’t say it right, but that they don’t care enough to fix it.

My sophomore year history teacher called me “K-Ethan” for the entire fall semester, but he never called my name in class, and I could put up with it once a day for roll call. On the first day of the spring semester, that same teacher switched things up and asked if “Kenneth” was in attendance. I realized he meant me, and I tried to correct him.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ll just call you Ken.”

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Indeed, the man called me Ken for the rest of the year. I generally forgive teachers for that, but I won’t lie: that one still confuses me.

The faculty dropped the ball a few times in high school. The announcer at my junior year National Honor Society induction goofed my name as “Keith-Ayn,” which was a new one. The next year, he announced names at another event, so I left a note in his office explaining how it’s pronounced beforehand.

The note worked, and I walked across the gymnasium as Kethan … “Bab oo.” The last name is a whole other story.

It’s usually easier to give a different name at places where they just need it for a second. The workers at Bagel & Deli call out for Nate when I’m there, and any Starbucks I’ve been to writes Nate or Nathan on my order.

Some days, I just let people call me the wrong name. If a professor keeps mispronouncing it three or four weeks into the semester, I accept that that’s what I’m going to get called for the next few months.

I don’t blame other people for it, but at the same time, there’s something to be said about people showing a minimal amount of respect by refusing to learn someone’s name.

Someone mispronouncing my name is a minor annoyance. Someone not taking the time to get it right is ignorant.

@thekethan04

babukc2@miamioh.edu

Kethan Babu is a junior journalism and finance double major. He is the sports editor of The Student.