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My name is James Paul Towns. I’m named after my uncle Jim Hatfield, and supposedly a local gambler named Jimmy Paul. My name seems (to me) easy to pronounce, but I found out in Japan that that’s actually not always so. Folks there had a lot of trouble with ‘Towns’. 1/
I always say everyone should try being a ‘foreigner’ (I hate that term: I’ve never heard someone I’d consider intelligent use it, unless they were referring to the band). Being an outsider for even a few days- not speaking the language, or being familiar with the customs- 2/
-will fill your soul with empathy for just how intimidating a strange culture can be. Seriously: try riding the Paris subway for a day when you don’t speak or read French. It’s goddamn TERRIFYING. 3/
But this thread is supposed to be about pronunciation:
Learning to pronounce someone’s name correctly is a sign of respect. Struggling with it is natural. Intentionally mangling it reflects not on the person you’re naming, but on your own laziness, xenophobia, and ignorance. 4/
Learning to pronounce someone’s name correctly is a sign of respect. Struggling with it is natural. Intentionally mangling it reflects not on the person you’re naming, but on your own laziness, xenophobia, and ignorance. 4/
Be someone who tries to bridge gaps (brave), instead of pointing them out (lazy). Learn things from people different from you (enlightening) instead of being afraid of ‘the other’ (tired). Mostly, embrace that to some degree we’re ALL different, and that makes us each unique— 5/
—and wonderful. —
