The "YUA-YAU" Conundrum



I HAVE BEEN SPELL-CHECKED!!

I can only imagine the anxiety people feel when they have to spell my name...all by themselves. Oh, how the beads of sweat must swell immediately upon realizing that there are far too many "wrong" letters in my name for its proper pronunciation. "Is it 'T-y-u-a-n-a' or 'T-y-a-u-n-a'?" Let's see if we can talk the problem through.

Okay...we all understand the "T," but why the "y"? "T-i" would have produced the sound necessary to comprise the first syllable of my name. Other words and names employ this method. "Tiara," for example, has such a nice ring to it (and I'm talking about a crown not a little girl's name). And everyone knows how to pronounce it. Then theres the "u"? Why is it even there? The "a" can (seemingly) stand alone to get the job done. The rest of the name is understandable ("n-a," as in "banana"), but to outsiders my mother used six letters (two of which seem unnescessary) to accomplish a goal that five could have done better.

WELL, PEOPLE...ONCE AND FOR ALL...MY NAME HAS VALUE AND A UNIQUELY AMERICAN FLAVOR ABOUT IT. No one ever said the English language is for the weak. America is full of situational changes and, as a result, so is English. Why find fault because of obvious literacy gaps? : -) Let's learn something new! Let's start!

Argument 1: "Tyauna" could have just as easily been "Tiana." That's true. I would have had no complaints about pronunciation because "t-i" makes people think of "tiara," and "t-y" makes people think of "Tyrone." Well...here's an English lesson for all the skeptics. "T-y" is more often pronounced like "tiara" than "t-i" ever is in the dictionary. Most of the time "t-i" is pronounced like "Tyrone."

Consider "tire," "tie," "tiny," "titanium," "tiger," and "tight," just to name a few. Now...it's not like you don't see words like "tyrant," "type," and "tycoon," but you also see words like "party, " "liberty," and "city." If you can accept and pronounce those words, why not "TYAUNA" ?

Argument 2: When letters fall in different positions of a word, different rules apply. Because the letters "t-y" are placed at the end of the word, there are different rules at play than when they are placed at the beginning. LET'S EXAMINE ENGLISH RULES. Well...as a word part, "t-i" undergoes pronunciation and positional changes that are automatically accepted, but still don't necessarily make sense. At the end of a word, "t-i" is pronouced "sh," as in "shun." Think about it. "Lotion." "Nation." "Action." Hell...even "pronunciation." My name creates a new rule for the letter combination "t-y." I know what you're thinking...I'm bending the rules to fit my own purposes. Well...you didn't say that to "TYRONE"! If "t-i" at the end can make a different sound when at the beginning, then all "rules" are negotioable. (Read it twice and figure that one out later! : - )

To settle this matter, I offer this solution. Learn my name and embrace it. I'll even help you. Here goes:

LiberTY + AUNt + A = TYAUNA.

The "YUA-YAU" conundrum is solved. It could be worse. In order to achieve precise pronuciation, my mother could have spelled my name TEEAWNUH to avoid all confusion. If she had done that, however, she would have been supporting me for the rest of her life because there is no way I would have been able to get a job. (Laughing out loudly...but not really...)