BRITISH PROPER NAMES

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 June 1927, Page 12

BRITISH PROPER NAMES

DIFFICULTIES OF PRONOUNCING A CURIOUS LIST Daventry is pronounced Daintry. This was elicited in Mr. Justice Eve’s court, in London, when the judge challenged a K.C.’s rendering of the word as it is spelt. The explanation is that although Daintry may be the local and correct pronunciation, strangers would call it '..ventry, and as Daventry (Station SXX) is heard all over Europe, the broadcasters pronounce the word a. c is spelt, instead of confusing people by calling it Daintrv. Which is all a reminder of the difficulties that strangers (and others) encounter when they run up against certain British place-names. Bicester (where the Prince of Wales recently won a poii.t-to-point race) for instance, is pronounced Bister; Abergavenny, Abergenny; Anstruther, Anster; Cirencester,; Sisiter and Wrotham, Rootam. This difficulty is perhaps even more exasperating in the case of surnames, many of which are regularly mispronounced. Coekburn should be Koburn, not Cock-bum; Coke should be pronounced Cook; Layard, as if written Laird; Falconer, as Fawkner; Gough should be pronounced Goff; Geoffrey, as if wrtten Jeffrey; Compton, as if Cumpton; Ruthven, as Riven; and Hardinge, as if spelled Harding. Clanranald must be sounded as" if written Claronald. Dillwyn is

pronounced Dillon. In Blyth the “th” is dropped, and the word becomes Bly. Lyveden is pronounced as Livden. In Monson and Ponsonby the first “o” becomes short “u,” and they are called Munson, Punsonby. In Blount the "o” is silent, and the word is spoken as Blunt. Brougnam, whether referring to the illustrious statesman or tho vehicle named after him, should be pronounced Broom. Colquhoun, MarjoribankS, and Cholmondeley, three formidable names to the unin’tiated, must be called Cohoon, Marchbanks, and Chumley. Cholmeley is also pronounced Chumley. Mainwaring must be pronounced Mannering. In Ker the “e” becomes short “a,”’ and the Word is Kar. In Waldegrave the “de”

is dropped, and it becomes Walgrave, with the accent on the first syllable. Berkeley, whether referring to tne person or place, should be pronounced Barkley. Gower, as a street, Is pronounced as it is written; as a surname it becomes Gore. Eyre should bo pronounced Air; Jervies, as Jarvis, and Knollys as if written Knowis. Sandys should be spoken as one syllable. Sands; St. Clair is also one word, Sinclair; ahd St. Leger is called Sellenger. Vaughan is spoken as one syllable, Yawn. Villiers is called Villers, . with the accent on the first syllable; Tyrwhitt is called lirwitt; and Tollemache is pronounced Tollmash, with no accent on either syllable. Wemyss is pronounced as Weems. St. John is caled Sinjin as a surname or Christian name’, 1 when

applied to a locality or building, it is pronounced as spelt, Saint John. Montgomery, or Montgomerie, is pi <. - nounced Mungemery, with the accent on the second syllable. In Elgin the “g” takes the hard sound it has in “give”; in Gifford and Giffard it takes the soft sound as in gin, as it also does in Nigel. In Conyngham the o becomes short “u,” and the name is called Cunningham. In Johnstone the "t” is silent. , Strachan should be pronounced Strawn; Heathcote, Hethkut; and Hertford, Harford. The “n” is dropped in Penrith, which is called Perith Beauchamp is pronounced Beecham. But perhaps the most puzzling of all is the Irish name Geoghegan, which is pronounced Gahaygan. 1