Why does Colin Powell pronounce his name Colon and not Callin’?
Have you ever heard him pronounce his name ?
Maybe everyone else is getting it wrong.
If I recall correctly, his family didn’t pronounce it that way originally. When he joined the army, some people there began pronouncing it that way because there had been an inportant army person named Colin who pronounced it with a long o, and soon Colin Powell just adopted that pronounciation.
I’ve heard him say his own name. It was on some sort of public service announcement (for the Census?). He did pronounce it “colon”.
“I must leave this planet, if only for an hour.” – Antoine de St. Exupéry
Are you a turtle?
Wendell Wagner is exactly correct. The story is in his autobiography.
Besides, technically, it is correct to use a long vowel sound when the vowel is followed by a single consonant and another syllable. Not that names always follow pronounciation rules… 
Doug (whose name doesn’t)
I’ve noticed that some men named Colin pronounce it “Collin”, rhyming with “pollen”, which strikes me as wrong because “Collin” is not a variation of “Colin”. According to all pronunciation rules that I know, a single “L” changes the vowel sound to a long “o”, so “Colin” is supposed to rhyme with “Dolan” and rollin’.
“Colin” is also a diminutive of Nicholas, whereas “Collin” is not. I suspect the reason for the pronunciation change is because “Colin” sounds like “colon”, your lower intestine, and it strikes some people as gross. I always liked the name Colin until a friend pointed that out to me.
Some planets have suffered from the same problem–just ask Uranus.
DHR
Lor,
Pronouncing Colin to rhyme with pollen is much more common. Pronouncing it like colon is rare. Colin Powell and that army guy before him who also pronounced it that way are among the few people who use that pronunciation.
The Republicans are keeping Colin in reserve in case they should ever need a black to be on the presidential ticket
The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it. (Karl Marx, 1845)
Can you say, “nonsequitur”, boys and girls?
I knew you could.
Here, have a cookie.
DHR
Hey Galen, what’s this about the Republicans keeping Colin Powell in a jar?
Powell refuses to run. End of story.