"Uncommon, but you can call him Unk if that's easier." You keep it real and give them an out. It's a little dare to give them chance, and the ones that don't were never going to get it right anyway.

I always ask for their name and do my best to say it correctly as a way to honor who they are and where they are from. I figure if families can learn a whole new language, I can at least learn a new name!

Am I missing the big question? WHAT is his name?

Some phonemes are not going to carry over because everyone’s audio “software” tunes to learn the phonemes of their language, and if you have sounds not present in English, they don’t even hear them - and stress patterns also can be different (some people pronounce my name with a stress on the first syllable whereas it should be on the 2nd - that’s why I have 2 ‘a’s - I can live with that, but I don’t want to be called Stefan just because that’s easier)

as a teacher please say it how you want it to be said without worrying about if it’s to hard for americans to say. i want to learn the correct way to say it and often when i get kindergarteners they can’t tell us. your name is important i want to say it right.

I think you should provide the correct pronunciation because it’s the respect your son (& everyone) deserves. I say that as a person who WANTS to say everyone’s name correctly- I ask, practice, write it phonetically (for my brain), and do my honest best. BUT my brain or mouth sometimes can’t get it quite right- I’ve been told by language teachers that speaking other languages isn’t for everyone… 🤦‍♀️

I have a friend whose name is very difficult to pronounce for Americans, including me. To be real, I don’t believe it’s possible for most Americans to say it because our tongues just don’t do the right thing it would take years of practice. So i practice. Regularly. Rather know the correct way to see someone’s name. But sadly not everyone feels that way. When my friend shares his name, he generally says this is my true name and this is how Americans say it 💕

Give the correct pronunciation but also know that if you don’t grow up hearing certain phonemes as a child, you cannot distinguish them as an adult. Mispronunciation is not always about thoughtlessness or carelessness— sometimes it’s just that the person cannot distinguish all the nuance.

Let them struggle. A little effort never hurt anyone.

Pronounce it correctly