Bane? Bean? Bine?
I thought I'd occasionally intersperse the movie reviews with a few discussions of a Michael Biehn related nature and what better way to start this series than by making sure we're all pronouncing his surname correctly; after all, it also forms part of this website's name!
As someone who is also 'blessed' with an impossible to spell and easily mispronounced surname, I know how frustrating it is constantly correcting people. I once had a teacher at school tell me I'd miswritten my surname - I hadn't. I can't imagine how annoying it must be to deal with something similar when you're a movie star and have constant press junkets and media events.
During this sudden increase of spare time, I've been enjoying listening to several movie podcasts and watching a few of Michael's comic con interviews and Q&As on YouTube. It's amazing how many people say his name incorrectly. Incredibly it's even said incorrectly in this not at all dated-looking official trailer for Navy Seals:
Seriously, "Michael Be-en?!" I've also heard several instances of "bane" and "bine". To be honest, I don't understand how anyone sees Biehn written down on paper and thinks it should be bane?
So let's get this cleared up once and for all. It's pronounced "bean" like baked beans, jelly beans, black beans, pork and beans, Sean Bean, Mr Bean, I've just BEEN to the shops.
According to the website Forebears, there are a total of 1,689 Biehns in the world, most of whom are in the USA and Germany. Astonishingly there are also 14 people with the first name Biehn. I wonder if they all experience the same problem around the world? I'm also curious if anyone suggested to Michael that he change the spelling when he first went to Hollywood?
Allow me to get linguistic for a moment. The name "Biehn" originates from Germany. In the German language an "h" in the middle of a word is always silent and "ie" is known as a "diphthong"; this is a combination of two vowels that blend and are sounded together. Instead of being pronounced separately, the two letters have one sound or pronunciation; in this example "ie" equals the pronunciation "ee". The "b" and the "n" at the start and end of the name are pronounced as we would be used to in the English language, stick it all together and you have the phonetic spelling: "been". Phew!
Hopefully that all makes sense and if it doesn't, we'll leave the final word to Michael himself in this horribly awkward moment of small talk with interviewer Bobbie Wygant during a press junket for Aliens in 1986:
Case closed!
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