HEE-nuff-Skee? American trying to find the correct pronunciation of his Polish last name.

Xenohorde1988 2 | 4

23 Sep 2013 / #1

Hi, I'm a 3rd or 4th Polish-American from Chicago IL. Although my city has one of the largest Polish populations outside of Poland itself I don't really know anyone who speaks fluent Polish seeing as though most of my friends are like myself (Polish-American) therefore limiting our Polish to mostly swear words and the term "Na zdrowie" when were getting **** faced. My last name is Hejnowski. So far I have had people who claim to be supposed fluent Polish speakers tell me that my name is pronounced HEE-nuff-Skee, Haj-nuff-skee, etc. I was just wondering if anyone on here knew of the correct pronunciation? Thanks.

rybnik 18 | 1444

23 Sep 2013 / #2

let me give it a go
hay-nuh-v-ski

Polson 5 | 1767

23 Sep 2013 / #3

That's an easy one. Hey-nuff-skee. It seems your 'people' were not sure about the first syllable (hee or haj). It's really 'hey', like...hey.

cinek 2 | 347

24 Sep 2013 / #4

anyone on here knew of the correct pronunciation?

Ivona does: ivona.com/us/?tk=HVia4TUBr2

Cinek

Paulina 15 | 4323

24 Sep 2013 / #5

Hey-nuff-skee.

Wouldn't that be "Hejnafski"?

It's Hejnowski, so it should be sth more like "Hey-noff-skee" or even better - "Hey-nov-skee" (with "o" pronounced like in English "off", "on" or "pot").

Polson 5 | 1767

24 Sep 2013 / #6

Wouldn't that be "Hejnafski"?

In English, 'nuff' and 'noff' really sound close, if not the same.
But you're Polish, and since Poles don't have that 'uh' sound, you tend to pronounce it 'ah', so that's why :P

Paulina 15 | 4323

24 Sep 2013 / #7

Um, okey... but... still... I'm sure "noff" is closer to Polish pronunciation than "nuff' even if only for the sole reason that we don't even have "uh" sound in Polish :) ;)

(and I can hear a difference between "nuff said" and "off" or "Smirnoff", for example)

Polson 5 | 1767

25 Sep 2013 / #8

Yes, there is a tiny difference between them too (I hope you didn't feel insulted btw :P), but the main problem was actually more about the first syllable (hej-). The rest was okay.

The guy is not Polish, he will always have an accent anyway ;)

Paulina 15 | 4323

25 Sep 2013 / #9

(I hope you didn't feel insulted btw :P)

I don't think so... Why would I?

The rest was okay.

Not okay enough for me ;)

The guy is not Polish, he will always have an accent anyway ;)

Probably, but it doesn't mean he's somehow unworthy of being given the correct pronunciation or sth :P ;) Besides, other people may be reading it too, people who want to learn Polish.