Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-03-19
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QUO VADIS.


New York sun
From Chic, but not from Ohio
alone, comes the thunder of fierce
war of consOnants and YoWels and
pronunciations. Our esteemed cotem-
porary, the Niles News, AYERS that the
name of the author of Quo Vadis' is
pronounced "Chenkayveect, with the
"ch' as in child. Our equally eS-
teemed contemporary, the Youngstown
Telegram, is equally sure that Chen
kayveect" will never be accepted in
Youngstown, however much approved
by Niles. For the Youngstown liter
att have not time to learn that sort
of pronunciation. The American YER
sion, pronounced "Sinkywits," is about
all they can accomplish.
It will not be admitted that
Youngstown is the United States
"Sinkiewiez" would be the apparent
pronunciation in English, giving each
letter its face value and accenting the
ante-penultimate. 1t being the tenden-
cy of English to throw back the ac-
cent. How is the name of the great
MickieWicz pronounced in 1oungs-
town? Surely not "Mickiewits" but
"Mickiewicz."
Father Barasba, learned Baltimore
Pole was probably misunderstood by,
a reporter of the Baltimore Sun, who
figures his pronunciation of the Polish
noyelists name as Granddaughter"
with the "ch" as in child We are in
formed by Professor Jagrowsky, a
young Lithuanian scholar in Column
bus avenue, that the correct pronun-
citation is "Shayn-kay-veet accent
on the middle syllable, but you don't
have to put both your feet on it; first
syllable exactly like the surname of a
weIl-known Republican Of West For
ty-second street, Mr.. c. c. Shayne;
kay" a sin the last syllable of de
cay" although a Pole would say
'ke-ay," running the two sounds into
one An English ear would catch only
one sound, the "ay.''
We hope that both Youngstown and
Warsaw will ratify this pronunciation,
but we have no objections to anybody
pronouncing the word according to his
own sweet will.
The Toledo Bee sets forth another diff
fculty which the remarkable popularity
of one of the least important of Mr..
Shayn-ka y-veetch' books has caused:
Have you read QUO Vaudees? " ask
ed her neighbor, as she settled back in
her seat and adjusted her glasses.
The other girl blushed and looked as if
she had committed crime.
ITO tell the truth, Gertrude, l just
haven't had time. We've got a copy at
the house, but I've been so busy going TO
the dressmaker's and all that that l
haven't started it yet. Have you?'
Il should say [ had, replied the So
ciety girl with a smile of triumph, You
ought to read it right off, Eighmy. Ey
erybody is talking about it,
BY the way. Gertrude" said Eighmy
"who wrote IA Vadus?'' and Eighmy
looked around just too sweet for any good
use.
Whereupon the puzzled young woman
remarks with truth and frankness that
the book was written by What s-his-
name" Our compliments TO her, and If
she likes it she can take our pronuncia-
ton of the formidable name. AS to QUO
Vadis,' the simple old fashioned pronun
citation quo" as in quorum" wa as in
"evade," dis as in disturb, is good
enough for US. Many distinguished Lat
inists who are just beginning the Latin
reader will have a fit at the notion of
not saying "Wahdees,' or whatever the
proper barbaric sound is supposed to
be; and it is not in our hearts to rob
any good boy or any reversed instructor
of his prerogatives and enjoyments. Still,
it seems a little queer that if the ancient
Italians joyously changed their VS. into
VS. the modern Italians haven't native
wv sound in their language