Forever Mispronounced (and a story status at the bottom!) · 4:13pm May 3rd, 2012
Usually I just abuse my blog for advertisement, but I thought it might be fun if I just talk about every day life for once.
Maybe it's my punishment for using my real name in the community instead of a pseudonym. Maybe it's just the curse of having a German surname. All I know is that my last name has been mispronounced ever since I was a little kid.
Discovering readings of my stories on Youtube was probably one of the most flattering and uplifting experiences I've ever had. Out of morbid curiosity, I listened to the first few minutes of each of them and found, without fail, that my name was mangled in every one.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not mad or anything. It's actually pretty funny, watching narrators struggle to pronounce it. "Me-Hoss" is the most common one I get. My ancestors are probably looking down on me, LOLing:
"Hey. HEY! Archimedes, look! Josh's blood pressure just went up another five points! You owe me five bucks."
For anyone who's interested, it's pronounced "My-House" (Meihaus, ironically enough, derives from "Mein haus," which means "My house" in German). And now that I've made a big deal out of the pronunciation, I fully expect to be trolled to high-heaven in some brilliant and methodical manner. Do what makes you happy, I suppose! "It's pronounced Meihaus" is something of a catchphrase for me.
Well, I'm done rambling and ranting. Oh! Story update: Eight Legged Friends is almost ready for posting, pending reviews from Ponychan and The Training Grounds (I want it to be EqD ready before I post it here). I decided to bite the bullet and make it a multi-part fic, which will probably have a total of three chapters.
Hugs, kisses and wit, everyone! Ta-ta for now!
Oh well, I was close with 'May-House'.
Edit: alternative Monty Python punchline: "No, it's spelt like that but it's actually pronounced 'Throat-Wobbler Mangrove'".
I can understand the pain of having a last name that never get's pronounced correctly. My own last name is something of a mouthful and is a more than a bit of alphabet soup. It doesn't help that my last name only has one vowel in it. People who hear my last name can't spell it and those who see it spelled can't pronounce it.
Thank you German class for getting it right without looking too hard
97081
Probably because it would be read (pronounced) like that in my native language. 
Same as me.
Josh, consider yourself lucky anyway (for example for being able to hint people with your "My-House" analogy). If I were to publish something under my real name, most of English natives would break their tongues even trying to read it.
I've pronounced it right the entire time :D
I feel so accomplished now.
Ah, us who have Germanic surnames... Mine is worse, though: my first name is more convoluted than my surname
97081
Wonderful nod to the Pythons. Bravo, bravo.
I know that feel.
90% of the world cant pronounce my rather simple first name when reading it and 70% cant seem to learn it when spoken to them; I just go by 'J' now.
My middle name is even worst (I don't bother telling anyone it) and my names ends with a simple 'Kelly'- people always look so proud when they can spell/pronounce that part too...
you know, reading it's pronounced My-House just spurred a fountain of house-related jokes
on the other hoof, I always thought it was pronounced may-house
I knew it all along. I was born in Munich, raised in Munich, and live in Munich, so I'm chillin' here, watching people mispronounce stuff I say or post. Heh. It's really hilarious when you write or type something in a language someone's never seen (sadly).
I prefer Latin over German, though, because more people have seen German than Latin. Ex Deus, videntes conantur pronuntiare Latine est hilares.
I'm in the Navy. I've been exposed to all sorts of bizarre names. If I can manage pronouncing Spanish, Greek, Swedish, Tagalog, and Sudanese names with some effort, German should be a snap. "My House" Had it right the first time!
Damn, I thought it was "may-house".
97567
I'm in the Air Force and I can relate to being painfully exposed to many names from many backgrounds.
My name is so simple, "Snow" but I get called "Stone" more often then my actual name.
I can't understand why!
I knew how to pronounce it; I'm good with German. At least it's not like my last name, Usleton. (Pronounced like 'us' as in multiple people, then 'el-ton'. It's weird.) And it's not like my actual German friend, whose initials are A.S.S. I mean, really. Being from a small town about nine miles from Nürnburg, you'd think he'd get more credit for being an awesome guy. But no, he's stuck with that.
I pronounced in Mayhouse, so I wasn't too off.