The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1895-07-18
ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION.
In the Provinces the Natives Confound All
Rules.


Rules.
There is nothing moro maddening-
ly irritating than to keep inquiring
without success for particular thor
oughfare or village and to find when
you have gone far out of your way
that your mishap is due to the fact
that your pronunciation of the name
is utterly different from the local
pronunciation.
A striking example of miscalling
thoroughfares may be taken from
Wimborne, in Dorset. If you asked
a native of that town for Leigh (Lee)
road, the chances are as ten to one
he could not direct you Alright, but
if by any possibility you happened
to give Leigh the local pronuncia-
ton Oye) he would put you on your
way Immediately.
It is just the same with many vii
lagos. Touring in Norfolk, you are
prone to go astray often if you are
not careful. Hindolveston is COM
monty called Hilderston; Acle is pro-
nounced Alike by many, but the old
inhabitants will have it that it is
Ackley Sail is locally Saul, and Reep-
ham is spoken of as Reefham. Sim
liar examples are frequently met
with in Sussex. Thus within easy
distance of one another are Cuck-
field, Steyning and Hurstpierpoint.
The first is pronounced Cookfield,
the second Staining, while the third
is locked to Hurst.
In the same way Badlesmere, in
Kent, is called Basmere; Ringway,
near Northenden, in Cheshire, is pro-
nounced Runjer; Circencester, in
Worcestershire, is styled Cisiter,
and Keighley, in Yorkshire, is in
variably spoken of as Keithley.
Again, the inhabitants of Pontefract
call their town Pomfret, and in the
north generally children ask for
"Pomfret cakes when they want
Pontefract cakes.
The foregoing examples, however,
are not merely dialectical peculiari-
ties, like Owdham, Bowton, Rachda
and Blegburn for Oldham, Bolton,
Rochdale and Blackburn severally.
Rather are they, many of them,
place pet names of which there are
also other forms. One may be illus.
trated by Maidstone. The natives
of the people about the town gen.
orally call it Medstow, which spell.
ing the writer once saw on a gypsy
living wagon. :"
Then the names of the places are
frequently shortened in converse
ton. Bournemouth is locally Spoken
of as Bourne, just as Birmingham
is called Brum, and Ashby- leila
Couch is curtailed to Ashby della
Nottingham lambs in like manner
often call their city Motifs, and a
for such places as Market Harbor
ough, Stony Stratford, Fenny STRAIT
| ford and SO on ono of the two word
is considered quite sufficient, eithe
the adjective or the noun.
Some towns have their name
docked, as Wolverhampton, whicl
is locally called Hampton, Will
others are cut down to forms which
no stranger would understand. Tun
bridge Wells, for example, is simpl,
"the Wells, and on the same prin
ciple Liverpool is ''the Pool" Com
plete alterations of place names ar
rare, but the sovereign will of th
people has gone to that length. Tn
Southeastern Railway company
when it founded town in Ken
called it Alfred, name which
though it has its faults, possesses a
least the merit of brevity, but it ha
gradually become to be known a
Ashford New Town, so called be
cause of its proximity to Ashford. =
Cassell's Journal.