tara pournaghshband

I am the first of my family to be born in America. Both of my parents were bornin Iran, which makes me an Iranian American. Being the first one in my family to be born and raised in the land of the free is exciting, but it does get somewhat confusing. One example is my name- Tara. It is a very beautiful name, and I love it. My parents named me it for two reasons. The first and main reason was because they did not want to give me an overly complicated Persian name that Americans would have trouble pronouncing. The other reason is because my aunt’s name, Mahnaz, means the beauty of the moon and Tara is a Persian girl name for Star. My parents liked the idea of our names being connected to the sky. However, despite their efforts to make my name as simple as possible, the first question I get asked every single time I introduce myself is, “Is it pronounced ‘Terra’ or ‘Tah-ruh’?” This would be a simple question, if only I knew the answer. The Persian pronunciation is ‘Tuh-ruh’, but down in the south where I live, it is most commonly pronounced ‘Terra’. My mom, who associates herself as more of a Southern woman than an Iranian, pronounces my name ‘Terra’. My dad, who travels back and forth from Iran every year, pronounces my name ‘Tah-ruh’. In the end, while I will respond to both pronunciations, I think I prefer ‘Tah-ruh’ simply because it is the true Persian pronunciation and I love the meaning behind it.