Exploring Pronunciation and Name Spelling in Different Regional Languages

Dear Kavita/"Kavitha",

It's a very interesting and unique query. In fact, I too had this curiosity for a long time until I started accepting it and loving it as an example of the wonderful diversity of our beloved country.

You see, my wife's name too is spelled in this manner and continues to be; she was born in a Chennai hospital, and the name was recorded with an additional H in her birth certificate. Her family is North Indian, her father worked in a Central PSU, and was posted at Chennai at that time.

Now, I too feel that the extra H softens the T sound and brings it closer to the Hindi Ta sound. With MNCs in India and people going overseas frequently, I think TH is better than just T.

If you are not convinced, just imagine being called or your name being read by a white American/European as KaviTa with a T sound resembling T in Tom.

Isn't it better to be called with a Th sound as in Thomas?

Do revert back in case you still harbor objections/disagreement.

Warm regards.

Dear Kavita, People generally pronounce words in their own language correctly; however, they may have difficulty if the word comes from another language or dialect. As our member jitenra_patil has correctly pointed out, this is the reason for the emphasis on pronunciation in Voice-based BPOs as a "Native" - whether it be an American, British, or Australian process. It is important to note that many languages lack certain sounds, so a similar sounding alternative is often used. In fact, many languages do not have the symbols to represent certain sounds.

The word "Kavita" is a Hindi word and is well represented and written in the Hindi language. However, the "Ta" sound does not have an equivalent in English or many other languages. Some languages have very harsh or hard sounds, such as Russian or German, as you may have noticed in Hollywood movies where actors emphasize these harsher sounds to appear Russian or German. In contrast, Japanese sounds are very soft - "very" soft, to be precise. The Chinese/Mandarin language has a pronounced nasal twang, as often heard in Chinese Kung-fu movies.

I was amazed to learn while studying the Russian language that it does not have the "H" sound. Instead, they use the "X" alphabet, pronounced as "Kha." So, "Harish" would be pronounced as "KHarish" in Russian. In conclusion, it is important to be aware of such linguistic differences as HR professionals are expected to be very culture-sensitive, especially now that business knows no borders. Keep learning!

Dear Sir, You have given a good example, and I am convinced that I would prefer being called "kaviTHa" rather than "KaviTa," if it just softens the sound. Here in India, when someone writes "KavitHa," even North Indian people, it can be hurtful. I encountered this here on CITE when most people commented on my posts addressing me as "kavitHa"... Hope you understand. Otherwise, Shakespeare has rightly said, "What's in a Name." :)

Once more, I have gone through your post, and the example you have given regarding pronunciation/accent in China, Japan, etc., is really convincing.

That's what I wanted to know; whether it is just a region-based mispronunciation/accent or if there is something related to the regional languages and scripts.