Rolles-ton or Roll-es-ton

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33779, 27 February 1975, Page 16

Rolles-ton or Roll-es-ton

Sir, —Mr R. W. Cornelius, television manager, Christchurch, seems somewhat astray in his footnote to the letter of “Old Englyshe" on the correct pronunciation of Rolleston. “By common usage, he says, and the many families of the same name in New Zealand who prefer the pronunciation as Roll-es-ton, place and street names are referred to in this manner.” Records show only a handful of New Zealand Rollestons. Most would no doubt be descendants and likely to prefer Rolles-ton to any ugliersounding version. If William Rolleston and his descendants are televisionally recognised as Rolles-tons, how on earth, or even television, can the other rendering be justified for places and streets named after him? If usage is made the criterion, then why the television insistence on almost pedantic pronunciation of Maori place names

when majority usage clearly favoured other popular pronunciation? Even television cannot have it all ways.— Yours, etc., R. THURLOW THOMPSON February 25, 1975.