Dear Abby

As I was sitting at my desk one night last week there was a knock at my door. Some kids were handing out free sample copies of a local newspaper. I took one and immediately pulled out the sports page. At the back of the section on the page across from the comics I noticed this letter in the Dear Abby column, which I don't regularly read. I'm sharing it with you because, as a native New Englander, I can understand the humor in it.

DEAR ABBY: I come from a mid-Atlantic state. I recently met a woman named "Diana" from New England. When Diana introduced herself, she pronounced her name "Di-ann-er."
When I address her, should I pronounce her name as she does? Or should I pronounce it "Di-ann-a" in my normal manner? I don't want to seem like I'm mocking her by mimicking a New England accent, but I also don't want to mispronounce her name.
My friends and family are split on what is the most courteous. What do you think? -Beth in Pennsylvania

DEAR BETH: Your question brought to mind the old song lyric, "You say 'potato' and I say 'po-tah-to.' You say 'tomato' and I sat 'to-mah-to.'" In your case, the polite thing to do is also the safest.
Pronounce Diana's name as you normally would, and you won't get into trouble.