Say my name, say my name: why the 'correct' pronunciation is whatever I decide | Mona Chalabi

As a second generation immigrant, the way I pronounce my name is different to how my parents say it. But it's my choice, and I refuse to feel guilty about it

Like most people, I did not get to choose my name. It was my parents who decided that 'Mona' was a befitting title for their generic but sentimentally special latest offspring. I didn't get a say about the noun that I will carry around for the rest of my life. But I do get to choose the pronunciation.

I could pronounce my name 'MO-nah' to rhyme with such classy words as 'boner' and 'loner'. Or I could pronounce it 'Mu-na', which said aloud, rhymes with nothing that I can think of in the English language. That's because 'Mu-na' is the way that Arabic speakers (like my parents) would say my name. Now we get to the tricky waters which I, along with many second generation immigrants, must navigate - which phonetic version of my name should I present to the world?