I used to be very forgiving about people's difficulties with my names. Fies is incredibly hard for people to spell, and even people who are close to me and would be embarrassed by their mistake mispronounce it as Fize instead of Fees. No problemo: like water off a duck's back.
And a scary large part of the population can't spell "Elizabeth" correctly, though it's been in use for 3,000 years.
So Liz never really bothered me. It seemed like an easy concession to make. After all, I didn't choose the names.
But then I noticed my friends getting outraged for me. They'd stick up for my names, while I laughed. And after a while I thought: "Why DON'T I care? It IS my identity we're talking about."
So I changed my email signature to "Lis" and even made it my email name. Should be pretty easy for anyone who gives it a half second's thought...you know, just look at how I signed it...
But no...people still write Liz.
Is it hard to remember to spell my name with an "s"?
Or is this mistake truly the casual insult it appears to be? The thousand little pricks that bleed you dry...
3 comments:
You think you got it bad. My name is Denis -- pronounced Duh-nee -- but I won't even get into the pronunciation part. No one can spell it. The phone and utilities companies "correct" it to "Dennis" or "Denise" on a regular basis.
And then there was the time in middle school that someone changed the D to a P...
One of my pet peeves is incorrect spelling of names. My own family can't even spell Lynda write. As for my middle name, I have the same problem you do. A S where there is commonly a Z.
Sometimes, I just give up, nod and smile.
Oh Duh-nee, I feel your pain. Sigh.
Lynda, hahaha my extended family is the worst. Giving up, nodding, and smiling: Rules to live by!
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