OUR MOTHER TONGUE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22985, 12 March 1938, Page 4 (Supplement)

OUR MOTHER TONGUE

Random Notes and' Little Problems

By PROFESSOR ARNOLD WALL

TASE." It is now agreed \f among the experts that the * eorrect pronunciation is "vahz," and the pronunciation as "vawz" is considered by many people a vulgarism. "Vahz," however favoured by the pundits of our day, is really an upstart, and was unknown to the eighteenth century. Three variants were then in the running: "vavz," which was considered the most proper; "vnce," though now extinct, was favoured bv as many as seven of the old authorities; "vawz," which is still a competitor, was backed by one authority only and condemned as "affected" by others. "Vahz," the dark horse, has been declared the winner. "Vayz" is of course well known to be current still in the United Stntes. What a lot of trouble this one little word lias caused I French Combination "Figure." Those who object to which is given as correct by Daniel Jones and by H. W. Fowler, are, 1 think, unduly influenced by the ugly look of the spelling. The eighteenth century said "figyure," and alkor distinguishes the two sounds of the "ore" as "coarse" ("er"), and "delicate" ("yurjj"). I have had to make the same observation about "natchral," which is so hateful to the eye that it prejudices some speakers against the sound which is nevertheless approved by good authority. "Amateur." All authorities agree that the final syllable must bo "er," not "ure" as in "aperture." This latter pronunciation which is always condemned as improper is no doubt due to tho unlucky example of "grandeur" which is properly pronounced as "grandure." "Eu" is a distinctively French combination and occurs but rarely in loans from the French. In "neurotic" and its group it is "ure" and this fact may also have affected the sound in "amateur." For reasons which are not hard to understand the majority of English people like to find French origins for their names and many prefer the French to the English sounding of certain words and names if only to show that they know French. There was once a Canterbury resident named Taylor who came into money. He went Home to collect it and on his return insisted on being called "Tailleur,"

with the classy stress on "enr." One (lav Tailleur met in the street a witty old surveyor, Mr. Jolly, of whom many delightful stories are told. "That's a nice dog of yours," said Tailleur, "what do you call him?" "Well," replied Jolly, "we christened him Growler, but lie has turned out sucli a good dog that now we call him Growleur." The neatest of all snubs, I think. Chances of Immortality I havo been asked to supply, if possible, some details concerning "Sally Lunn." 1 can oblige only by stating what is said of this heroine in the. ordinary books of reference and this is shadowy enough. The more or less accepted version is that a woman, or girl, of this name used to "cry" the buns in the streets of Bath, round about the year 1800. She was a pastrycook; a baker named Dalmer bought her recipe and made a song "about the buns." This is all; presumably the song became popular and the name was thus perpetuated. Upon such slender chances does immortality sometimes 1 depend. How little we know of Mother Carey wlioso chickens the sailors knew of, or Davy Jones into whose locker they descended. Of course there are "explanations" offering in all such cases, often in the form of anecdotes. Thus "train" used to be said to be from the inventor, one Outram; "blanket" from an early manufacturer; the "bowler" hat from one Bowler and so forth. Xearlv ail these stories are myths. Sometimes, no doubt, the person immortalised in a name which has become a common noun would have preferred to be forgotten. Dubious Honour There are, for instance, two lady candidates for the dubious honour of being the Isabella, or Isabelle, from whom a certain colour (greyish yellow) took its name. In both cases the lady is said to havo made a vow not to change her linen until a certain town, under siege, had been taken. Absolution has been granted to one of them. Isabel of Austria, daughter of Philip the Second of Spain, for the word is found in this unpleasant sense before the date of the siege of Ostend, to which it used to be referred. The name of the other Isabella, of Castile, has pot yet been cleared, but let us he kind and give her the benefit of the doubt. I return to the word "respite at the request of a correspondent and take the opportunity of expressing my surprise at the decision of. the 8.8.1. Committee upon it,. The second syllable is pronounced as "spite" or ' spit C which is traditional. Daniel .Tones records it as "spite" (rarely "spit ). while the Oxford Dictionary prescribes the older "spit." The 8.8.C. decision favours "spit," but in most of sucli cases the more popular sound is recommended; for example, "resolooshon," not "resolewshon.