To umlaut or not to umlaut?

[eleven]

It seems that we're pretty much set to name this little one Zoe, but we haven't really given much thought as to whether spell it Zoe or Zoë.

Whaddya think?

[ktbug]

No umlaut, unless you're reeeeally metal!!

Ah ... um ... I dunno? I think it would be a pain to explain to a kid why she has to put dots over the E in her name, and most people will probably leave it off. On the other hand, it's very distinctive. There might be two other Zoes in her class at school but she'll be the umlauted one.

I vote no umlaut, unless, as I said, you're VERY METAL.

[mamamilkers]

I just voted. I think it makes the name even more unique It's a great name either way!

[taradt]

I think it makes it more unique too

But it is a great name either way

tara

[eleven]

Originally Posted by ktbug

No umlaut, unless you're reeeeally metal!!

: Now if we do use it, I'll probably have junior high Mötley Crüe flashbacks whenever I write it!

[the_lissa]

I love the umlaut.

[MisaGoat]

I don't think the umlaut makes that much sense. It is rarely used in English and it wouldn't be used over an e in German. Plus it will probably be a pain to explain, type, etc.

Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umlaut_%28diacritic%29

It does say in there that

"In English

The diaeresis mark has also been occasionally applied to English words of Latin origin (as in coöperate, reënact), and more rarely in native English words (noöne), but this usage had become extremely rare by the 1940s. The New Yorker, The Economist and MIT's Technology Review can be noted as some of the few publications that spell coöperate with a diaeresis. Its use in English today, apart from words borrowed from other languages, is mostly limited to certain names, such as the surname Brontë and the given names Chloë & Zoë. It is probably most common in words that don't have an obvious divider at the diaeresis point (the diaeresis cannot be replaced by a preceding hyphen), such as naïve."

So it wouldn't be totally inappropriate but my first thought was no umlaut.

[magpiedee]

When in doubt, umlaut!! Hey, Olaf, metal!!

When I see "Zoe", I pronounce it 'zow', and when I see the umlaut, then I know it's 'zo-ee'. But that's just me, and I like aesthetic touches. Either way, awesome name!

[coop_mom]

I'm always one to go the simple route, so I vote no umlaut.

I think it will save a lifetime of having to explain the correct spelling.

--k

[Tofu the Geek]

Other than the post above which showed it used in the name Chloe and Zoe, I've never seen it used on an 'e'. Also, my family in Germany tells me that the umlaut and the esset have been "deprecated" over there. They don't use them anymore and they aren't taught to kids in school. I am not sure if this has happened in other countries with umlauts as well.

So, my vote is no umlaut.

[eleven]

Originally Posted by TechnoGranola

Also, my family in Germany tells me that the umlaut and the esset have been "deprecated" over there. They don't use them anymore and they aren't taught to kids in school. I am not sure if this has happened in other countries with umlauts as well.

Huh!! I've never heard that! My husband is from Cologne and his family is still there and I have never heard any of them mention that the usage of their special characters was changing. I know that sometimes they're typed differently (such as 'tschuess' instead of 'tschüß'), but I'm amazed to hear that they wouldn't be taught anymore! I'll have to ask DH about it.

Zoe isn't a German name, of course, and DH is strongly against the usage of the dots over the e.

[Tofu the Geek]

Originally Posted by pease

Huh!! I've never heard that! My husband is from Cologne and his family is still there and I have never heard any of them mention that the usage of their special characters was changing. I know that sometimes they're typed differently (such as 'tschuess' instead of 'tschüß'), but I'm amazed to hear that they wouldn't be taught anymore! I'll have to ask DH about it.

Yes, please check and tell me what you find out! I can't recall now if they said it is already not being used, or in the process. For reference, the people I am referring to live in Hamburg.

[eleven]

Originally Posted by TechnoGranola

Yes, please check and tell me what you find out! I can't recall now if they said it is already not being used, or in the process. For reference, the people I am referring to live in Hamburg.

He said that they've phased out the esset and replaced it with ss, but that they still use umlauts normally. Odd, eh?

[Tofu the Geek]

Originally Posted by pease

He said that they've phased out the esset and replaced it with ss, but that they still use umlauts normally. Odd, eh?

The family member I heard it from has a tendency to get details wrong so he easily could have expanded it to the umlaut as well when he told me. I'll talk to a more reliable source and see what they say so we can compare.