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Special Report, Part 1: What's in a name?

Mispronouncing or making fun of someone's name can have a lasting impact. The first part of an FCN special report takes us inside Douglas Anderson H.S. to learn.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In this special report, First Coast News is delving into a societal issue that is often overlooked.

Mispronouncing someone's name is far more impactful than many of us realize. 

The children's book Your Name is a Song, connects literacy and a caring conversation that needs to be had. The children's book tackles a problem of all ages.

"Teachers just pronounced my name like Kaydek or Kaadek or Kayden," Kadek Sofie Wiranata said. "My mom was like no that's not how you pronounce it so I just started going by Sofie."

Wiranata explains it's a traditional Balinese name.

"My mom didn't know about first name, second name and last name. So she used Kadek traditionally as my first name which means second child born," she said. 

We spoke with Wiranata at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in her dance class where instructor, Christa Fatoumata Sylla, encourages her students to be flexible with their movements and thoughtful with their speech.

RELATED: Special Report, Part 2: Anybody ever botch your name and not even care?

"Kids can be forgiving if you're making the attempt and you're trying, but when you don't care, I think that's really hard," Sylla said.

"Some people call me Quet," dance student Quetzali Pastorcamacho said.  "Really all the time people mess it up. There's only a select few that have actually pronounced it right the first time they say it."

 Pastorcamacho says Quetzali is an Aztec name connected to her lineage.

Sylla teaches Pastorcamacho and all of her students more than dance. She stresses the importance of respect and esteem.

"I think there's very spiritual significance to a name," Sylla said. "Be willing to shift your perspective and learn someone's name because that name is the introduction to their culture."

Pastorcamacho and Wiranata both offer the same advice to students dealing with people mispronouncing their name; "I would say just keep correcting people until they get it right and if they don't - correct them again," Wiranata said.

    

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