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Pronunciation help (Pawel) for sensitive social work issue


zygoticdeb  
18 Jun 2015 /  #1
Hi there

My husband is working with a family he has been told is Polish (really bad communication from the company unfortunately). He's been told the son's name is PavEL (accent on the EL) but I think it would be PAvel (accent on the PA) can anyone confirm? (Presume it should be spellt Paweł?)

The mother's name sounds like "Anoot" but he's not seen it written down, any help with this and is there a chance they're possibly Slovakian rather than Polish?
rozumiemnic  8 | 3875  
18 Jun 2015 /  #2
why doesnt he ask them? HOw is he 'working with them'?
OP zygoticdeb  
18 Jun 2015 /  #3
It's a tricky situation - social work where not all info is being passed on and interpreters not present - the mother has enough English for the times when my husband is there. He's just going with what he's been told but now that I've questioned how everyone is pronouncing Pavel he's not sure...
rozumiemnic  8 | 3875  
18 Jun 2015 /  #4
well if the mother has enough English to manage without an interpreter surely he can just ask?
No offence to your husband but surely an interpreter would be needed in the case of safeguarding ( if that is what it is?).
The thought of a SW making a report on a family who does not really speak the language would be v worrying.
OP zygoticdeb  
18 Jun 2015 /  #5
he's going to now. surprising if she's not corrected anyone already.

Always worried there's deliberate ignorance going on with some people, I have known in the past where someone deliberately mispronounces someone's name repeatedly as a dominance thing
rozumiemnic  8 | 3875  
18 Jun 2015 /  #6
yea I KNow what you mean about the deliberate ignorance thing, I had a 'friend' who used to do it to people to let them know they were inferior to her.
OP zygoticdeb  
18 Jun 2015 /  #7
whereas it's really just ignorance on their part!
jon357  73 | 23112  
18 Jun 2015 /  #8
It's PAwel. The final L is an £, meaning it's pronounced W.
Wulkan  - | 3136  
18 Jun 2015 /  #9
"Anoot"

Imposible, Polish female names tipically end with "a"
majkel  - | 60  
18 Jun 2015 /  #10
Possibly Danuta? You should read it as Danoot(a).
jon357  73 | 23112  
18 Jun 2015 /  #11
It does sound like Danuta. Not a name many under 50s have.
kpc21  1 | 746  
20 Jun 2015 /  #12
Possibly Danuta? You should read it as Danoot(a).

Definitely as Danoota and not as Danoot. The "a" should be clearly heard and it shouldn't sound like "a" in English (being for Poles in fact something between "a" and "e"), but rather like "a" in most other European languages. Like "ah!" or like "o" in "mother".The first "a" in the word (the second letter, after "D") too.

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