So there’s this local politico whose name is spelled Voyvodich.
Yet he pronounces it Voy-duh-vitch as if the d comes before the v.
Something about it being his name and he can pronounce it however the hell he wants. However arrogant and verbally lazy that might be, it’s his right of course.
But how far can one take it? Is there a legal boundary?
Well, maybe in Poland. The last name on my driver’s license if “Golaszewski”. I’ve asked a number of people who speak Polish the correct pronunciation, and I have got either “Gaw-lah-shef-ski” or “Go-wah-shef-ski”. From what I was told, Polish doesn’t use the exact same character set as English, thus whatever my ancestor’s name was was transliterated. Since I don’t know what the exact name was in Polish, they were having to guess what it was. Of course most everyone on the US just sees that name and says “Go-lah-zoo-ski”. I tell them it’s “Gaw-lah-shef-ski”, and hope I am not insulting my ancestors. I’m pretty certain the end part is “shef-ski”. All the Polish speakers I have asked said “ski” at the end means “son”, thus my name means “son of Golaszew”.
“I am reminded at this point of a fellow I used to know whose name was Henry. To give you an idea of what an individualist he was: he spelt it H-E-N-3-R-Y.”
The confusion would come from the fact that the “l” could either be a normal l or an l with a slash: ł, which is pronounced like a “w”.
So “Golaszewski” would be pronounced “Golashevski”, but “Gołaszewski” would be “Goh-washevski” (with a short “o” still).
Googling “Gołaszewski”, with the accent gets 14,300 hits.
“Golaszewski” without the accent only gets 12,300, so when you take into account the people who can’t (or can’t be bothered to) render the accented ł, I think it’s a fair bet that the actual Polish surname had the accent.
So it’s “Go-wah-shev-ski”, if you want to pronounce it like your forefathers
The first “a” in my last name is pronounced more like an “o” the second “a” more linke an “ah” there’s an “s” pronounced like a “sh” and for good measure, there’s a “y” pronounced either like “ay” or “ee” depending on who I ask.
Anyway, to answer the OP, I very much doubt there is a legal ruling. History is littered with people whose names bore very little relation to the spelling - in fact I rather suspect it was a snobbish thing in some cases, so that “the commoners” wouldn’t know how to pronounce the name.
For instance, the English name “Featherstonehaugh” was pronounced, by different branches of the family, “Fanshaw”, “Fenshaw”, and “Fernshaw”.
In doing some quick searching it appears the Voyvodich is a not uncommon Serbian name. Do you know that his pronunciation differs from other families? Could it be an issue of transliterating Serbian?
I've often wondered, but when you live in a 'Multi-Cultural Enriched' society, (who thinks up these phrases). You have to learn to keep your head shut.
I deal with the public so I get some real corkers, I’m constantly asking how do you spell that & not so fast. I have to make little notes, sounds like sort of thing,
but I’m getting even. I’ve changed the spelling of my name and I get some funny looks when I say it’s Smith with 2fs. which it now is.
Funny thing about Coach K not even pronouncing the K in his name.
I have heard another person named Voyvodich pronounce it as it’s spelled so who knows what’s “right.”
And I think the various pronunciations of Featherstonehaugh are a matter of slurring it out as quickly as possible. As in forecastle(fok-suhl). If you listen closely as you say it you can hear the essence of the full spelling.
Wurs-tr-sher or Wus-te-shuh, depending on whether you’re using your posh voice…
I once had a business associate, a vendor, whose last name was Sajdak, pronounced “Sigh-dock.” Since my own name is considered somewhat unusual, out of kinship, I suppose, she would regularly lament about the constant mangling of her name.
We fell out of contact when she rather suddenly quit her company, but four years later she came calling at our convention booth. I was apparently unrecognizable with my Vandyke and longish hair; she introduced herself as Sajak. “Just like Pat,” she said.
I speak from experience: it’s a downer to have to keep correcting people. Although I never have, the temptation is immense to just “go with the flow,” and smile through the ignorance. For that reason, I’ve never had any respect for Brett Favre.