OUR MOTHER TONGUE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23127, 27 August 1938, Page 4 (Supplement)

OUR MOTHER TONGUE

Random Notes and Little Problems

By PROFESSOR ARNOLD WALL

CAN a word with only 011,3 vowel be a. disyllabic 1 This question is put to ine by a reader who thinks that, though this seems unlikely, such words as "chasm," "prism," .etc., are really just as much disyllabic as lonesome" or "wholesome." Certainly "chasm" is a true disyllabic, though the fact is masked by the spelling, and in phonetic writing, for example, in Daniel Jones' Dictionary, the "sin" or /'chasm' and the "some" of "lonesome" arc spelt exactly alike. Certain consonants, sometimes called "vocalic consonants," may, in certain positions, perform the function of a vowel; final in. n and 1 are such consonants, in words like "prism," "written," and "bottle." As n is usually combined in such words with a preceding vowel ("button." "written' ) and I "with a following e ("battle," "people"), the fact that the consonant is really the sonorous part of the syllabic is disguised. Hut m is usually called upon to do the work without a partner. Poetic Convention In "bosom," however, he has an assistant, though in old days the word was sometimes "bosm." The effect of spelling upon the eye is so strong that manv "people cannot recognise these vocalic functions when the vowel is not present in the flesh, alul it was for a long time a convention that in verso "chasm," "seism," etc.. must not have the value of disyllables, and for all I. know some critics still insist Upon (bis "rule." The consonant r formerly behaved lilu these others, but since it has become almost entirely silent its behaviour is different. The absurdity of the poetic convention just mentioned is. however, wojl illustrated bv the example ol "flower." which was, naturally, a disyllabic in verse when so required, while "flour," which is pronounced with exactly the same sound, and is indeed only an alternative spelling of the same word, could only be used as a monosyllable because it looked like one. The action of phonetic spelling is often like that of fire or the axe on a wooded moun-tain-side. It. reveals unsuspected spurs, ridges, rocks and gullies previously hidden from tlio eye by tlio vegetation. I

am no advocate of phonetic spelling- as a universal substitute For our piesent mode, hut it has obvious uses. An indignant correspondent complains rather explosively of the names "Pinus insignis" and "maeroearpa ' as applied to the two commonest ot our imported conifers. He would call the former "Monterey fir" and the latter "Cypress." I cannot agree with him in his condemnation of these names. Not only are thev too well established to be displaced, but they are, in mv opinion, the best available, being the correct scientific tonus (except that Pinus insignis should rrtther be called by its alternative name, P. radiata). It is most desirable that the proper scientific names should lie used to ensure accuracy insueh a case. If. by the way, Pinus radiata is known in. California bv the name of Monterey fir, as mv friend says, it is being miscalled, for it is not a fir (abies) but a true pine. What does sometimes disturb and hurt mp is to see "insiguus" written for "insignis," and to hear "maeroearpa" called, as I very often do. "microcarpa." The latter is a most unfortunate blunder for the term "maeroearpa'' means "big-seeded," while "inierocarpa" means "small-seeded." Tlio error is explained, but not excused. by the fact that in our brutal Knglish way of pronouncing these elements "macro" and "micro" sound much alike, which they did not do in the original Creek; also, it happens that our words in "mirro" far outnumber those in "macro," for we all know about microscopes, microphones, etc., and the "macro" words are only used by scientific workers. The use of the specific adjective "maeroearpa" as a noun has close parallels in e.g., "japonica," for "Pyrtls japonica," "canadensis," and others familiar to gardeners. Group of Aliens A correspondent sends me a group of four foreign words, Hussian. Spanish. .French and Italian, and asks for the correct pronunciation obcach. "Soviet." Pronounced "sohviet," with the stress on the first syllable and the o long. This is the monuneiation recommended by the 1).8.C., and recorded as the most usual by Daniel Jones. The Oxford Dictionary, while giving the long o, prescribes tile stress on "ot." The weight of authority is in favour of the stressed "so." "Velasquez." The name of the famous Spanish painter has loin* been Anglicised, and is pronounced "vilaskwiz," though very careful speakers may pronounce the first and last syllables with o instead of t.