NOT SPOKEN AS SPELT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 8

NOT SPOKEN AS SPELT.

Tt was a bookmaker who offered odds against 14 Übeek," when he should have said 44 Youbuykwee " (Übique), and during the past season was heard every variety of attempt, such as “ Deuce," “ Doose," “ Doosie," and “Doosor" for tho name which should have been pronounced Dusay (Duse), with the U touched on lightly and softly in an essentially foreign fashion, which many English tongues find it difficult to compass. We propose to give the correct pronunciation of several other names and phrases of foreign origin, which find themselves inconstant use on English lips.

How many people know that the name of tho celebrated opera “ Cavallcria Rusticana" is pronounced Cav-vall-ler rcc-ya Koosti-carna, and that it was composed by Marscarnyee (Mascagni); or that tho equally celebrated “Pagliacci" should sound as FalMiarchee (with the first syllable rhyming to 41 Ilal"), and the name of its composer, Leon Cavallo, as Lay-on Gav-vall-10, where the fourth syllable matches the first of the preceding, and the “on"is sounded also in the soft foreign fashion, which English tongues find it a? difti9Ult t 9 enunciate as the “ u."

I Opera seems to suggest a host of names, such as those of the Brothers de Reszke, the Sisters llavogli, Madame Calve ; the operas known respectively as “ l'Amico Fritz," “ the Medici," and “ the Navarraisc," the portion of an opera which is called “ the intermezzo." These are pronounced respectively derßesker, llavvoleyee, Calvay (with the first “a" sounded as in “Sally"), Lammeeko Fritts, the Meddychee, the Navvarrays, and the intermetzo (with the first syllable sounded as in “ interior ").

The music and dramatic professions supply other puzzles. There are the Richter Concerts, the plays of Goethe, the burlesque of Buy Bias, the violinist Wolff, the boy musician, Jean Gerardy; the duettist, Farkoa ; tho actress, Sarah Bernhardt ; the other well-known actress, Madame Eejaiie; the American actress, Ada liehan ; and the three stars of comic opera. May Yohe, Ada Jenoure and Miss St. Cyr. They should be pronounced Beekter, Garter, By Blass (rhyming to “gas"); Vollf (where the “o" is as in “volcano"); Jon Gerardee (where the first word rhymes exactly to the French negative “non," and the “g" in the second is given the sound of the French “ j ") ; Farkwar, Sahrah Bornart, Bayjarn (with a French “ j ", and the emphasis on tho last syllable) ; Ada Beean, May Yoey (rhyming to Joey) ; Ada Jenower (rhyming to “ tower," and with the English pronounciation of the “j ", as in “James"), and Miss Sanceer, with the lightest pronunciation on the first syllable. Diplomatic names present difficulties to those who do not know. Mr Bayard, the American Ambassador, should be addressed as “Byud"; Count Deym, the Austrian Ambassador, answers to the pronounciation of “ Daym "; Monsieur de Falbe, the late Dutch Minister, prefers to have his patronymic pronounced “ Falber" (where the first syllable is as in “ gallery "); Monsieur de Staal, the Russian Ambassador, is “ Starl"; Monsieur Decrais, the French Ambassador, is “ Decray." On a level with these are the German Chancellor, Count Caprivi; the former Italian Prime Minister, Marquis di Rudini; the late French President, Monsieur Carnot; the last French President, Monsieur Casimir Perior; the French journalist, Monsieur Rochefort ; the French Statesman, Monsieur Yves Guyot; tho French historians, Monsieur Thiers and Monsieur Guizot; tho French novelists, Messieurs Alexandre Dumas, Do Boisgobey, Gaboriau and Emile Zola, and tho French artist, Meissonnier. These should bo pronounced respectively—lvapreevoe, Rudeonee, Ivarr-no, KazzymeerPerryay, ltoshefor (with tho “o" as in “ road "), Eev Geeyo (where tho second syllable is as in “ goose "), Teer, Gweezo, Alexondr Dumar, Biorgobay (where the accent is on the first and last syllables), Gabborio, Emeel Zoll-la and My-sonn-niay.

The Marquis do Breteuil, who stays so often at Sandringham, is, as far as sound goes, the Markee der Brettye, and the sporting Baron do Tuyll is tho Baron der Tye (both these names rhyming to “eye"). Count Gleiehen, tho Queen’s cousin, should be called Count Glyken, and Baron Shroder, who is so intimate with the royal family, should bo Baron Shrurder. Baron Reuter, tho telegraph agent, should bo pronounced Baron Royter, and Baron de Ilirsch, tho friend of tho Fiinco of Wales, should bo Baron der Heersh, with the “ ees " pronounced as in “ beer", In order to give tho correct sound to the name of the coaching Baron Deichmann, ono must put a “t" before the “ ch" and make the whole as if it were spelt Dightsh-mann, with the second syllable sounded broadly, as if it were the noun which stands for the male

It may be useful to add that the name of the African explorer, Mr Selous, being of foreign origin, is pronounced Selloo (with tho emphasis on the last syllable), and tho name of the Paris correspondent of the Times, Mr Ulowitz, is Blovvitta.— English paper.