When Pronunciation Becomes Political: How Media Mispronunciation Reflects Systemic Erasure
Mamdani’s Name: When Pronunciation Becomes Political
When Andrew Cuomo deliberately mispronounced Zohran Mamdani’s name during a mayoral debate, the former governor wasn’t simply stumbling over phonetics. He was engaging in a historically familiar tactic: the deployment of linguistic erasure as a subtle assertion of hierarchical power. Mamdani’s responsecalmly spelling his name letter-by-lettertranscended simple pronunciation correction, becoming instead a statement about whose languages, identities, and cultures deserve respect within spaces of power.
The incident crystallized why Babbel, the language-learning company, and The Captioning Group recently included Zohran Mamdani on their 2025 list of most mispronounced words in America. The inclusion illuminates uncomfortable truths about power, representation, and systemic erasure within dominant American institutions. Mamdani’s name has been consistently mangled by mainstream media figures, political opponents, and even ostensible allies throughout his electoral campaigna pattern that reflects the American media’s historical difficulty respecting non-Western linguistic traditions.
The correct pronunciation is straightforward: “MAHM-dah-nee,” with emphasis on the first syllable and soft vowel sounds characteristic of Arabic and South Asian naming conventions. Yet numerous national journalists, commentators, and public figures have struggled with the simple four-syllable name, suggesting systematic rather than accidental difficulty.
Why Names Matter: Identity and Systemic Inclusion
Linguistic justice advocates emphasize that name mispronunciation carries consequences extending far beyond etiquette. Research from the Center for American Progress documents that individuals with names marking immigrant, racial, or religious identity face measurable discrimination across employment, educational, and commercial contexts. When political leaders intentionally or negligently mispronounce constituents’ names, they communicate that those individuals’ identities are insufficiently important to deserve respectful recognition. The cumulative effect, across institutions, constitutes a form of systemic erasure.
For Mamdani, the mispronunciation phenomenon carries particular significance. He represents a demographic shift in American leadership: when he assumes office January 1, he will become New York City’s first Muslim mayor, first mayor born in Africa, and first mayor of South Asian heritage. These firsts carry weight precisely because American institutions have historically excluded such representation. The linguistic erasure through name mispronunciation thus becomes a microcosm of larger patterns through which marginalized communities experience institutional disrespect.
Mamdani has himself addressed the dynamics directly, stating that he doesn’t object to honest pronunciation attempts but opposes intentional mispronunciation. During his debate with Cuomo, Mamdani demonstrated how simple correctionspelling his namecan assert dignity and demand respect without aggression. “The name is Mamdani. M-A-M-D-A-N-I,” he said, pausing after each letter to ensure comprehension.
The Babbel 2025 List and Broader Linguistic Patterns
The inclusion of “Mamdani” on Babbel’s annual most-mispronounced words list positioned the name alongside other genuine linguistic challenges: Acetaminophen (uh-SEE-tuh-MIH-nuh-fen), Mounjaro, and the Louvre (LOOV-ruh). However, linguistic experts note a crucial distinction. Words like Acetaminophen present phonetic challenges that English speakers genuinely encounter rarely; Mounjaro and Louvre originate from non-English linguistic traditions; yet Mamdani’s mispronunciation appeared less about linguistic difficulty than about insufficient respect.
Esteban Touma, a linguistic and cultural expert at Babbel, explained: “A lot of these words come from different languages and so we have to adapt to a sound that we’ve never made before.” This explanation applies to Louvre’s soft “ruh” ending and Mounjaro’s particular vowel stresses. Yet Mamdani contains no unusual phonetic elements; the mispronunciation reflected insufficient effort rather than genuine linguistic barriers.
The distinction matters because it reveals how power operates through language. When institutions struggle to pronounce names from non-dominant cultural traditions, they send messages about whose languages, cultures, and identities warrant institutional respect. Research from sociolinguist Rutgers University’s linguistics department demonstrates that listeners unconsciously adjust pronunciation efforts based on social positioning: individuals granted higher status receive more careful pronunciation consideration, while marginalized individuals encounter casual linguistic disrespect.
Historical Context: Names as Sites of Political Struggle
The politics of names possess deep historical resonance within American immigration and racial justice history. During slavery and segregation, white institutions routinely mispronounced, anglicized, or rejected non-English names as expressions of power. Malcolm X’s adoption of his surname reflected not merely religious conversion but linguistic reclamation: the rejection of the anglicized “Little” in favor of a name asserting African and Islamic identity. Similarly, Native American resistance to anglicized names assigned by colonial institutions represented reclamation of self-determination.
In contemporary contexts, linguistic justice advocates argue that demanding respectful name pronunciation constitutes an early assertion of civic dignity. When political leaders incorporate the effort to pronounce constituents’ names correctly, they communicate that all community members deserve recognition and respect regardless of cultural origin. Conversely, negligent mispronunciation communicates that non-dominant communities occupy inferior social position.
Mamdani’s Election as a Turning Point
Mamdani’s successful mayoral campaign despite (and partly because of) his non-Anglo name and identity represents a significant shift in New York politics. The campaign centered explicitly on issues affecting marginalized communitieshousing affordability, workers’ rights, immigrant protectionsand Mamdani’s own identity as a Muslim public intellectual, housing activist, and democratic socialist aligned campaign messaging with candidate identity.
His election thus carries symbolic weight: American electoral politics had previously suggested that candidates with names and identities marking non-dominant origins faced structural disadvantages. Mamdani’s victory indicates that at least in New York City, a constituency exists that prioritizes policy alignment with candidate identity and values over linguistic comfort for dominant audiences.
The inclusion of “Mamdani” on Babbel’s mispronounced words list thus becomes a perverse form of recognition. It acknowledges that Mamdani’s name entered mainstream public discourse so persistently that media professionals recorded their collective struggle with pronunciation. Rather than flattering, this reflects the need for ongoing institutional reform around linguistic justice.
Moving Forward: Institutional Change and Cultural Respect
For Mamdani’s administration, opportunities exist to model linguistic respect institutionally. Municipal government offices can prioritize staff training on respectful name pronunciation; city communications can emphasize proper name pronunciation in official materials; city services can accommodate name usage honoring individuals’ cultural traditions rather than enforcing anglicization.
More broadly, Mamdani’s position as New York’s first Muslim, African-born, South Asian mayor creates opportunity to advance representations of American identity that embrace rather than erase cultural diversity. When political leaders demonstrate that non-dominant identities deserve institutional respect, they communicate powerfully to younger generations and immigrant communities that American institutions can recognize and celebrate rather than diminish their full humanity.
The seemingly trivial politics of name pronunciation ultimately reflects profound questions about power, respect, and belonging within American institutions. That Mamdani’s name appears on a list of mispronounced words suggests that media and political institutions still have substantial work to do in extending respectful recognition to leaders emerging from historically marginalized communities.
