Pronouncing Italian Last Names

Everyone knows how to pronounce their last name, right? In fact, though, posts on the About.com Italian Language forums such as "how do I pronounce my last name Cangialosi?" are common.

Since surnames are obviously a point of pride, it's not hard to understand why families would insist on pronouncing them a certain way. But second- and third-generation Italian Americans who have little or no knowledge of Italian are often unaware of how to correctly pronounce their last names, resulting in anglicized versions that bear little aural resemblance to the original, intended form.