> > > A lot of Finnish men get mistaken for women in international communication because their first names end in an "a". I am one of them, my former boss is another.
> >
> > Let me write that down. . . . Joona is male. Unfortunately, I have a history of gender confusion here on Rinkworks. It can be very embarassing.
>
> Yes, I'm male.

I used to know a man named Jonah, like in the Bible. I wonder if Jonah and Joona are pronounced the same.

I have a son-in-law who is from Peru. His name is Erick, but his Spanish speaking friends and family don't pronounce it anything like we do in English. His father, Jorge, goes by George in this country, but in Peru, Jorge is not pronounced anything like George. It sounds like Horhay to us. They sometimes have trouble with my name because they don't usually pronounce an H. Maybe I should spell it Joward for them. There is a slight chance that I may go to Peru next spring, so I guess I'd better be thinking about that.
Howard