Pan Zuk Gnojowy
2 Mar 2012
Language / The shame! I can't pronounce my Polish wife's name (Ola) [69]
Though names like Grzegorz and Małgorzata Szczepan etc. look or would seem harder, the OP has the problem (and I can relate!) that in his mind the sound must be, has to be /əʊ/. It may seem simpler, but it's fossilized and damn hard to get rid of. For instance, I have maddening difficulties trying to pronounce the word "firm" as it sounds in Polish, whereas Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz is an absolute doddle.
Though names like Grzegorz and Małgorzata Szczepan etc. look or would seem harder, the OP has the problem (and I can relate!) that in his mind the sound must be, has to be /əʊ/. It may seem simpler, but it's fossilized and damn hard to get rid of. For instance, I have maddening difficulties trying to pronounce the word "firm" as it sounds in Polish, whereas Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz is an absolute doddle.