The "Elin" Social Experiment
What's in a name?
What is my name?
Elin. It is a typical Estonian or Finnish first name. Growing up in southern California, my name was pronounced like "a-Lean," with a soft "a" (more like an "e".) However, when we moved to Indiana, I was somehow magically transformed in "A-lynn," with a great deal of emphasis on the "a". So, in my 23rd year, my father encouraged me to reclaim my name when I moved to England (a place where no one knew me, let alone knew me as either "A-lynn" or "a-Lean.")
On the flight over, as I lay across four seats, desperately trying to get some sleep, all I could think about was how to pronounce my name. What was my name? I wasn't sure. Thankfully, most of the people around me were sleeping as I mumbled over variations of my name. Should it be "eh-lean"? Or "E-lean," with a stronger first syllable? To be honest, it was keeping me up and I was feeling only a little ridiculous for the identity crisis I was facing at 23.
It took a couple days of constant introductions to reveal the winner. In the UK, I am officially known as "eh-lean." People still struggle with it. Most think my name is "Eli", which I don't hate, but I usually just spell it out and people catch on. As my father predicted, the Americans are really the only ones who trip on it.
I really like my new name.
What is my name?
Elin. It is a typical Estonian or Finnish first name. Growing up in southern California, my name was pronounced like "a-Lean," with a soft "a" (more like an "e".) However, when we moved to Indiana, I was somehow magically transformed in "A-lynn," with a great deal of emphasis on the "a". So, in my 23rd year, my father encouraged me to reclaim my name when I moved to England (a place where no one knew me, let alone knew me as either "A-lynn" or "a-Lean.")
On the flight over, as I lay across four seats, desperately trying to get some sleep, all I could think about was how to pronounce my name. What was my name? I wasn't sure. Thankfully, most of the people around me were sleeping as I mumbled over variations of my name. Should it be "eh-lean"? Or "E-lean," with a stronger first syllable? To be honest, it was keeping me up and I was feeling only a little ridiculous for the identity crisis I was facing at 23.
It took a couple days of constant introductions to reveal the winner. In the UK, I am officially known as "eh-lean." People still struggle with it. Most think my name is "Eli", which I don't hate, but I usually just spell it out and people catch on. As my father predicted, the Americans are really the only ones who trip on it.
I really like my new name.
posted by Elin at 7:24 AM
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