The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-17
ENGLISH PROPER NAMES.
When Pronounced Their Spelling Ia
OF No Value Whatever.

Chicago News.
1t cannot be too strongly insisted that no
one knows how to pronounce a British
proper name unless he has been accus-
toned to hearing it properly pronounced
by an Englishman, or unless he has looked
II up recently IN pronouncing biographical
dictionary Many names common to Eng
land and the United States serve only to
Increase the confusion for the Americans
with rare exceptions, permit the spelling to
US; while the Briton seems to regard the
letters of which his name is composed as
something to be avoided in so far as they
nave any orthoepcal meaning. In other in
stances the Americans accomplish the same
thing by making the spelling conform to
the speech-Secretary Window, for exam
pie, had for his own name Wyndham; while
Vice President Hobart'S name is pronounced
exactly like the name Hubbart or Hubbard
In the old country. The publication recent
proper names" in Who's Who 1885, revives
interest in this study of British eccentricity,
though the list is full of Inaccuracies which
mark too hasty acquisition of the knowl-
edge ii purports to impart.
Gladstone, it is rather generally known,
has the name pronounced as If the last
stone" and this is true of Blackstone,
Blackstone and many more with the same
ending, the two given being also spelled
BIaxton and Buxton. Generally speaking,
Also names ending in ''o1e'' are to be pro-
nounced as if spelled 'ook"-Broke and
Brooke, Coke and Cook. Roke and Rock,
being instances of variant means of con-
veying the same sounds. Pore, Poor, More,
Moore are of the same kind.
the simple sound of 50 or gas if the
vowel were not there at all. Charters,
Charities and Charters are the same name;
so are KnollyS and Knowles, SandyS and
Sands, Weemys. Pepys and Pipps, some
times peeps and peps, while ''es'' shows
variation between Innes and Innis, disylla-
BILE, and Sondes and Robartes, where the
sc" is silent Err is almost Invariably to
be sounded as if ar" Berkeley, barky;
harvey; Hartford hartford Jervis. Jarvis:
Clerke, clark; Merchant, marchant are a
few Instances of what may be laid down as
a rule with rare exceptions. In similar
wise. the ending ham is almost invara-
bly, ''um" and preceding ''t'' is not soft
ened. In England Waltham is waltum;
Gotham, gotum; Hotham, hutum; Bentht m,
bentum, and so on.
Another list of eccentricities come from
names beginning with st" A partial list
includes St. Maur, seemer; St. Leger, sill
lenger; st. Clair sinkler; st. John, sipjun;
ST.. Barbe, simbard. and many more. AS
an ending ''ough'' is "uff' in Cough, and
20" in Slough; in the middle of words it
Is even more inconsistent, Boughton being
bowtun; Broughton either browtun or Draw
tun, while Stoughton and Houghton are
pronounced according to inoividual taste, as
'ow," Jaw or 20" Donoughmore is dun
numore and McDonough, macdunno. Two
curious names are Lee, Lea, Ley, Leigh and
Leigh, and Ray, Raye, Rea, Reay and
'Wode" is wood in Chetwode and
fote. "Burgh" is 'buro'' in Jedburgh, Ed
inburgh, Yerburgh (yar), and Scotch names
generally; but the Scotch e" presents more
dee-uli; Menzies, meenyez, and there are
one or two more which bear testimony to
the practical identity of the black letter
A whole series of names ending with
double letter which are accented on the
on the stress abroad. Among these may
be mentioned Bennett, Burnett, Burdett,
Buzzell, Frizell Meynell mennelD, Parnell
and many more. This American aecentu-
alton has grown up within the memory Of
living men. Forty years ago the English
and American recommendations were not at
The British accent these trisyllable names
Ar5uthnot Sarbuthnut Athenry . Rotha
BreadaIbane (bredawlbin), Cadogan cad
duggan), Carmichael. Carnegie Clanrick-
arde. DumIa1Tesa Cdoomner,ik), Fermanah Ger
cry Gmungumry), Montresor (montrezur),
Rathdonell Tredegar (tredeegar); while
these are accented on the first of their three
syllables; Acheson, Baggallay (baggaly)
Beaconsfield (becconztield) Bellingham
(bellinjum)-a. complete exception; Boisra-
gon (borragon), Bollingbrok (bollinbrook),
Challoner, Devereux (either deveroo or dew
crook Du Buisson (dewbisson), Dynevorz
(dinnevor), FeverSnam (Favvershum), Lee
qqSSgdnIsoTMe mo
nook. Pennycuick (pennicoolO, SaumereZ
(summery), Thesiger (thessijer), and West
ezra (westernray).
Occasionally entire syllables are dropped
out-and there Is no rule whatever for this
as in Abergavenny (abergenny), Bicester
Cbister), Cholmondeley or Cholmeley (chum-
ly). Claverhouse (clayverse) Colouhoun (co-
hoon), Drogheda (drawdah), Hawarden
(harden), McGillicuddy (maclicuddy) and
WaIdegrave (wolgrave). This is confessedly
incomplete, but it will serve to indicate to
the unwary the nature of the difficulties
attaching to a small branch of the Queens
English"