UNCOMMON WORD
Curiosity has been aroused as regards the use of the word .“Oyez” in a recent trial in Auckland'. According to Wharton’s Law Lexicon (7th Edition) the word “Oyez” is the introduction to any proclamation or advertisement given by the Public Criers both in England and Scotland. It is pronounced “Oh! Yes!’’ and means “Hear Ye.” The word is Norman-French, concerning which the Lexicon quoted above states that Norman-French is the tongue in which several formal proceedings of State are carried on. The language, having remained cue same since the date of the Conquest at which it was introduced into England, is very different from Frencu ot to-ilav, retaining all the peculiarities which at that time distinguished every Province from the rest. A peculiar mode of pronunciation (considered authentic) is handed down and preserved by the officials who have no particular occasions to speak the tongue. Norman-French was the language of English legal procedure until the reign of Edward
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Bibliographic details
Waipa Post, Volume 49, Issue 3506, 16 August 1934, Page 3
Word Count
160UNCOMMON WORD Waipa Post, Volume 49, Issue 3506, 16 August 1934, Page 3
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