MALL
(Specially written for "The Press” by ARNOLD WALL.)
'J'HE introduction of
‘Mall’ into the Christchurch area has raised the question of the correct pronunciation of this word. It varies, in the London area, between ‘mal’, rhyming with ‘pal’ or ‘sal,’ and ‘mell.’
According to Daniel Jones, than whom there is no better authority, in The Mall, Chiswick Mall, it is “mal,” in Pall Mall it is “mel” but in both cases the alternative is also recorded so that, even in London, it seems to be unfixed. Jones notes that members of West End clubs pronounce Pall Mall as Pell Mell, with other Londoners the pronunciation pal mal is common. This looks rather like the proverbial kettle of fish. What may be called the “natural” pronunciation of Mall is Mawl but that is not recorded at all.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19660129.2.48
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CV, Issue 30971, 29 January 1966, Page 5
Word Count
137MALL Press, Volume CV, Issue 30971, 29 January 1966, Page 5
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Acknowledgements
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