Say It Right

When I was younger people mispronounced my name all the time. See, I have a “t” at the end of my name. People see the m, the a, the r, the g, the o and are like cool we got this – mar-goooooh wtf is that?! Is that a “T?” Who put that there? What does it mean. They lose the ability to read or speak. Might as well be a foreign language. They go into some vertigo like mispronunciation tailspin and just can’t get out.

And then I get all sorts of weird variations of my name. Margaret. Mar-GOT. Maggie. It’s even been spelled “Mangro“ in print and “Maggot” in emails. I’ve even been called “Fargaret” but that’s a story for another time. That little fing “t” has been both the defining point and the bane of my existence. Is it that hard to just get that it’s silent? Sound it out. Go ahead. Mmmmm aaaaarrrrr gggggoooo and silencio avec la “t.” Beautiful. I know there’s a French or German spelling whatever blah blah blah. I’m neither. So don’t give me that excuse.

In middle school I used to write “Margot (the t is silent)” on my name tags so that people would pronounce it right. And yet the problem persisted. All the way through high school. College. Even present day. I still get called Margaret at work. And I really truly do not know how you get Margaret out of Margot. They’re completely different. Please help me understand where you find “aret” in “Margot.” Help me help you.

Why does it matter? Well it’s my damn name. Say it right. And if I correct you, remember it. Also pay more attention. If you hear my name in a meeting but then mispronounce it when you speak it that’s gone make me angry. Or maybe you think there are two people? One named Margot and one named Margaret and maybe one more named Coockoopoopyface. Who knows? And they all mysteriously have the same work email and are on all of the meeting invites you’re on and are referenced by others with proper pronunciation. I don’t know. Help me understand so I can fix you.

It’s ok not to know how to say someone’s name. There are lots of names. Big ones. Small ones. Complex ones. Simple ones. Ones we’ve never heard before. We aren’t going to get them all right on the first try. But what’s not ok is just saying a name the wrong way and continuing to say it wrong and just not giving an f that you’re doing so.

I am Margot. The “t” is silent. I’ve told you now. Say it right.