Klara started asking me where that “Clear-eh” person everybody mentions is. I’m trying to explain but I’m not very successful at this point.
And by the way, she already knows how to pronounce our quite complicated last name. She also knows “America”, “Montreal” and “Spain,” for obvious reasons, plus “Indian restaurant” and “Japanese dress.” And N is trying (and failing) to teach her “Putin” because he thinks it will be funny. I don’t see the humor, and apparently Klara doesn’t either.
It’s one of my favorite dishes. Oh, I miss poutine.
LikeLike
So do you pronounce “Klara” as “CLEAR-uh” (rhymes with “ear”),
or as “CLAIR-uh” (rhymes with “air”),
or as CLAR-uh” (rhymes with “car”)???
LikeLike
So answer the question already, Clarissa! : -)
LikeLike
I’m pretty sure it’s the third one. There was a post about it a while back. I’ve heard the second two pronunciations before–but never the first, which is why I find it weird that that’s how people are mispronouncing her name. If anything, I’d think they’d mispronounce it with the “air” sound, since that’s probably the most common pronunciation.
LikeLike
I’m pretty sure Klara is meant to rhyme with tiara, that’s the only other word I know that ends that way which might be why people have problems with it – when it comes to names lots of English speakers ‘hear’ through the spelling.
IME the ‘rhymes with’strategy is traditionally a pretty good way to get people more or less on the right phonetic page.
LikeLike
It’s not the second syllable that bothers me. It’s the first,which is not supposed to be a diphthong. It’s not supposed to be hard to pronounce a before r like in arm or are or alarm.
LikeLike
Rhymes with car.
LikeLike
A conservative literary critic and college professor
Clarissa's Blog 
Leave a comment