The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-08-17
PRONUNCIATION IN ENGLAND.
Proper Names Disguised Beyond Recog.
nition.-A Partial List.


tnrsagh the eve without reference to tho
ear and on whom sound has no effect are
content to pronounce names as they have
been accustomed to heaf them pronounced
without taking the trouble to observe or
even TO notice how they are spelled. So
what we call bad pronunciation of names
by those moving in good scciety-thst is
10 say, the educated classes--is their good
pronunciation, and in almost every in
stance the change is for the worse to the
educated American critic; for instance,
"Chumley" for Cholmondeley Marsh
banks for Majoribanks. "Bech'mp" for
( Bcanchamps. and so on. Nothing but
( the fact that the people in Eng
land speak different dialects in diff
ieront counties, that they cannot
understand one another, must ac
count for the fact that Blythe is
pronounced BY" Mainwaring is called
"5ianncrng," so Guy Mannering" is
really Guy Mainwaring; Mcleod" is
/ McClOud. In Moiyneux the is sounded
in Naux the final is also sounded, but
! in DevereuN the final is not sounded
/ in Dcs Vaux the final Is dropped. In
! aleux the takes the sound Of News.
/ ker is pronounced 'Kar, and is would
/ be very bad style TO call it Cur" Cock
burn is called "Coburn." Cowper, the
poet Of the Sofa" and John Gilpin, is
called Cooper" always In Waldegrave
the de should be dropped. it should
be called "Walgrave, slight accent on
the first syllable. In London always say
! "Barkloy" for Berkeley. Only the Lon
( don cabmen call it what it is They say
Berkeley square" but my noble lord
says Barley square.
/ The Derby is the Darby In Diilwgn
| the "w" takes the sound OF "a, it Is pro
nounced Dillun Leyeden is called Live
+ den Pepys should be pronounced Pepis'
, the accent on the first syllable. Evelyn
/ Is called evelyn, with the accent on the
I first syllable In Monson the takes the
sound Of II. and it is pronounced Munson.
+ The same in Pons0nby, which is always
/ Pun5mby. Blount is always Blunt,
Brougham is Broom, Buchan should be
pronounced Buccan. Wemys is always
( Woems. D'Eresby is always Dersby, st.
John is Sin jim, as a surname or
I Christian name, but as locality or
building it is pronounced as spelled-St.
! john Montgomery is Montgomery. In
I Elgin the is hard and should be pro
nOuuced as the z in give. The e in Gil
/ ford is soft as Jiiford. They talk OF
''Jiiiord's History of England. and the g
/ i'm Nigel is also soft, as the Forames OF
/ Nigel In Cunningham I he o takes thcsound
of Ii and should be pronounced Cunning
/ ham. IN Johnstone tho should not be
+ sounded, Strachan should be pronounced
[ - ,aIla1 Hot hant Hort.
ford is called Hartford. Seymour Is pro-
bounced SeInur. Albergrayenny is called
Abergenny, Bourne Is Burn, Colquhoun Is
simply kOOhoon, the accent on the last
| syllable C0utts is called Roots, Du-
clesne is Dukarn, Eyre is called Air,
! Goner j. Cor, Godfrey is called Jerry,
( Hamc is Hume, and hnoiiys is Knowles,
lehigh is Lee, Menzies is Myngies. Mae
nemera Is pronounced Macnemra, Sandys
| is pronounced Sands, St Clair is Sinkler,
I Vaughan is Worn; but st. Maur is called
81. Maur. Villiers is called Villers, Vile
bos l. still pronounced like a French
name. "Vealb0x. Tyrwhit is Tierret. In
all this one is reminded of the English
| lord who gave his card to an expressman.
Mr.. Cohoon." said the expressman
/ When he looked ut the card it read Col
| quhoun.
That is one Of them adyenturer fell
| ers. " said the expressman.
Bethune is pronounced Beeton, Dalziel
is pronounced Decal, Charters is called
Charters, Geoghegan is called Gaygen,
Ruthven is called Rivven, Fildes is called
Filedes, Bicester is called Blister Cirencis
ter Cisester Belvoir is Bever, Pontreract
is simply Pomfret, Rokeby Is called
Rookby.
In Burdett, Kennaird and Parnell the
last syllabble is emphasized. In Trede-
gar Bredalbane, Clanricarde, only the
middle syllable is emphasized. For Ira
falgar square the old Londoner says Ire
falgar square. THIS difference of nomen-
clature reaches also to the very different
names of things, as no one in London asks
FIR an ''apothecary shop" he asks for the
chemists" if he wants dose OF medi-
cine Apothecaries existed in Shak-
spores time, as we learn from Romeo
and Juliet" but they are gone out
since As soon as an American can divest
himself of saying baggage" and learn to
say luggage the sooner will he be I'M
derstood Mrs. NJ. Z. w. Sherwoods
| Letter.