Why Can't People Pronounce Zohran Mamdani'?

"It was more than an hour into last week's critical three-way debate for mayor of New York City, and somehow, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had yet to say the name of the race's front-runner. He called him the assemblyman and a miniature version of former Mayor Bill de Blasio. But he shied away from saying a name that he had repeatedly butchered on the campaign trail."

"For various reasons, legitimate and perhaps otherwise, Mr. Mamdani's first and last name have become the subject of rather adventurous, even creative, displays of linguistic fumbling. Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, struggled with his name at the first debate of the general election last week, calling him Zor-han. Letitia James, the New York state attorney general and a key political ally, botched his name at a major campaign rally in Washington Heights this month, enthusiastically shouting Mandami as he came onstage."

"For Mr. Mamdani, having his name botched is not new. He said in an interview that mispronunciations were common growing up as an immigrant in Manhattan. It happened quite a lot, he said. But frankly, I don't begrudge anyone who tries and gets it wrong. The effort means everything to me. Asked about any mnemonic tricks he recommends to help people pronounce it, Mr. Mamdani laughed. It's pretty phonetic honestly, he said."

During a key three-way debate, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo avoided saying the front-runner's name, calling him 'the assemblyman' and a 'miniature' version of former Mayor Bill de Blasio while repeatedly mispronouncing it. Other politicians, including Curtis Sliwa and Letitia James, also mispronounced the candidate's name at public events. Mispronunciations were common for the candidate while growing up as an immigrant in Manhattan, and genuine attempts to pronounce the name correctly were appreciated. Deliberate or repetitive mispronunciations functioned as intentional messages of disrespect. Supporters turned a public correction into a viral audio clip.

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