Post #486037

2026-03-02 12:32 UTC

Is this some american thing? I’ve never heard of anyone having a different name for a language class, that just seems odd to me. Your name is your name, doesn’t matter what language you’re speaking.

Replies (1)

@evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world 2026-03-03 17:18

It’s definitely a thing in American schools, but i think it’s common in some other countries as well. When learning another language, the options are to: 1) use your real name with the real pronunciation, 2) real name with different pronunciation, 3) equivalent of name in other language (e.g., John to Juan), 4) just pick a name you like in the other language. 1 doesnt flow well in speech, 2 also feels unnatural, and sometimes isnt possible, and 3 doesnt always exist. Kids also generally like the opportunity to pick a name that they think is cool. There’s no expectation that you would use that name in a real life discussion with someone in that language. Looks like it’s common in China as well. ans-names.pitt.edu/ans/article/view/2535

Open ##506433