Here we  view names with more than two syllables -- three tops -- with
suspicion. Lookit our great elected leaders: Bush, Clinton, Bush again,
Carter, Nixon, Johnson, . . . forgot someone in there -- fellow not too
bright . . . Kennedy, Eisenhower (great military leader so that long
name is okay), Taft, Cleveland, Lincoln, etc., etc.

Walk up to a fellow in America, stick out your hand and introduce
yourself with a name that is short, quick, decisive. Name like Green, or
Eisner, or, Jackson, or  Cohen. Never Elliott . . . next thing you know
that fellow will be waggling a finger in the air in front of you and
croaking "Ellliiooooot . . . Ellliiiooooot."

Not some long string of syllables that no one can remember unless they
are from your village and know that Shertwolfileruttpetocktor means
daughter of shertwol and utt, second marriage, with two cousins watching
and the dog wasn't feeling so good.

A long string of vowels, like a Polynesian name, sounds mushy and
unwilling to commit. The verbal equivalent of poi with some chunks of
roughage thrown in to break things up.

A man's name should be as easy to hear as it is to spell. No hidden
letters or tricky consonant combinations. Women are allowed pretentious
misspellings of their names, e.g., Deesire, Wendi. You never know how a
woman is going to have you spell even the simplest name.

We are a simple people - you've seen your television shows? - we like
our names simple.

--

Mike Rocket J Squirrel Elliott  < note superfluous ell and superfluous
tee -- causes no limit of misspelled official documents, like drivers
licenses.

====================
On 9/23/2005 4:06 AM Andrew Grebneff wrote:

>>  >Most of you guys have got it easy.  Try getting someone to spell
>> "Schwaia"
>>
>>> write the first time.  No matter how slowly I spell it, the American
>>> mind
>>
>>  >cannot grasp the idea of "aia".  It's quite funny.
>
>
> sh-why-uh (or sh-vye-uh)?
>
> I wonder how most Americans would butcher NZ's Polynesian names...
>
> Wangaloa
> Waikouaiti
> Waihao
> Eketahuna
> Takaka
> Tuatapere
> Otago
> Pikikiruna
> Pupu
> Tahunanui
> Kaiteriteri
> --
> Regards
> Andrew
>