CURIOUS NAMES AND HOW TO PRONOUNCE THEM.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1095, 24 February 1893, Page 15

CURIOUS NAMES AND HOW TO PRONOUNCE THEM.

The way to pronounce CholmondeWy is Chumley ; Majoribanks pronounced Marsh, banks; Oockburn pronounced Coburn ; and Cowper pronounced Cooper. Again Mainwaring is pronounced Mannering. In Elgin and Gillott the ‘g ’ is hard; in Gifford and Nigel it is soft; in Johnston the *t’ should not be sounded. In Molyneaux the ‘x ’is sounded, and the name is pronounced Molinoox, with a very slight accent on the last syllable. In Yaux the ‘x ’ is sounded, but is mute in Deo Vaux, and like, wise in Devereux. In Ker, Berkely, and Derby the 1 e ’ has the sound of ‘a ’ in far. In Waldegrave the second syllable ‘ de ’ should be dropped’ and so should the ‘ th ’ in Blyth, Dillwyn is pronounced Dillun. In Conyngham, Monson, Monkton and Ponsonby the ‘o’ takes the sound of ‘u,’ and Blount should be pronounced Blunt, the ‘o’ being mute. Buchan should be pronounced Buckan, and Beauclerk or Beauclerc is Boclare, the accent being on the first syllable. Wemyss should be pronounced Weems. In Hertford the ‘t’ is elided, and the ‘ e ’ has the sound of ‘ a ’ in far. Strachan shovld be pronounced Strawn ; Colquhoun is Koohoon, the accent being on the last syllable. Beauchamp is Beecham, and Coutts is Koots. Another formidable name is Duchesnes, which should be pronounced Dukarn ; Bethune should be Beeton ; and in Abergavenny the ‘av ’ is not sounded. Menzies is pronounced Mynges ; Knollys as Knowles; Sandy s as Sands; Gower as Gore ; and Milnes as Mills. Finally Dalziel should be pronounced Duel ; Chartres as Charters ; Glarnis as Glarms; Geoghegan should he pronounced Gaygan; and Buthven is Biven.