Kamala Harris: Are You Pronouncing Her Name Right?

Is it Kamala or “Comma-la”?

Many people have been saying Kamala Harris’ first name wrong, and she’s letting us! “It’s not Cam-el-uh. It’s not Kuh-ma-la. It’s not Karmela,” say many. For years, Harris has been allowing people to mispronounce her name as “comma-la, like the punctuation mark”. It’s customary for people with unique ethnic names to find ways to explain the pronunciation approachably to others. This phenomenon tends to cause some people to start pronouncing their own names differently to align with what most people can understand.

For instance, Kamala Harris initially had to get people to even recognize the basics of her name, which is why her name has accepted the popular pronunciation of “comma-la”. But that pronunciation still rings false for people from a South Asian background.

Origin and Pronunciation

The name Kamala, often used among Indians, is a pretty common name for girls. It translates to “lotus” and is often used interchangeably for Lakshmi, one of the chief goddesses in Hinduism. In its original form, it’s never pronounced “comma-la” but is more subtle, closer to “com’la”. The emphasis isn’t on the first part, “comma”; in fact, the correct pronunciation doesn’t have any real emphasis at all. It is smoothly pronounced across the full name.

It can be challenging for tongues trained in English, but the accurate pronunciation almost requires you to skip gently over that second “a” —not entirely, but just enough so that it doesn’t sound as if you’re speaking in punctuation.

Emphasis in South Asian Names

Appropriate emphasis in South Asian names continues to be a challenge for North American audiences. It’s not surprising to hear names being mildly butchered which can cause some confusion. But who can blame everyone for getting it wrong when the person involved isn’t going in for the accurate pronunciation? Understanding the real pronunciation warrants an understanding of the native language nuances.

For instance, Hindi does not use Western pronunciations of the letters “a” and “o”. Meaning they sometimes operate either more as a “u” sound or as an “au” sound. Hence, we’d be better off pronouncing her name more like “Cum’la,” but to suggest that spelling would invite unnecessary innuendos.

Promoting Cultural Respect

Kamala Harris is the first woman of color to clinch a major party nomination, and she’s now obligated to take on her contenders in an election. In the coming months, people will get more wrong about her than they will right. As she has already done throughout her career, she’s in for another onslaught of jabs, sexist critiques, and accusations of being either not Black enough, not brown enough, or too much of one or the other. As audience, the least we can do is get her name right. By doing so, we can show respect for our diverse cultural identities.

It’s important to remember that having a unique name is not a burden but a badge of individuality and cultural heritage. And while it can sometimes be complicated to pronounce names from different cultures, it’s always better to make a sincere effort to get them right.