New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-05
BRITISH PROPER NAMES.
SOME IRREGULARITIES OF PRONUNCIATION
From The Chicago News

From The Chicago News.
II cannot be too strongly insisted that no one
knows how TO pronounce British proper name
unless he has been accustomed to hearing II
properly pronounced by an EnglishmaD OF I'M
less he has looked 1t up recently In a pronounce
ing biographical dictionary. Many names COM
mon To England and the United States serve
only 10 increase the confusion. for the Ameri-
cans. with rare EXCEPTIONS permit the spelling
To govern the sound. Is only too usual with
us. while the Britons seem TO regard the letters
Of which any name IS composed as something to
be avoided in so far they have any ort.s9-
epical meaning. In other Instances, the Ainen-
cans accomplish the same thing by making tho
spelling conform TO the speech-Secretary Win
dom. for example. had for his own name Wynd-
ham: while Vice President Hobarts name Is
pronounced exactly like the name Hubbart or
Hubbard in the old country. The publication re-
Gently OF u long table Of peculiarly pronounced
proper names" In who's Who. 1898" revives
interest in this study OF British eccentrcity,
though the list is full OF inaccuracies which
mark too haSty an acquisition OF the knowledge
1t purports 10 lnpart Gladstone. IL is rather
generally known. has the name pronounced as
II the last sylab. were spelled stun" rather
than stone" and this is true OF Blackstone,
Blackstone and many more with the same end
ing. the two given being also spelled Blaxton and
Buxton. Generally speaking also. names end
ing In 'okc' TO be pronounced as II spelled
"ook'-Broke and Brooke. Coke and Cook.
Roke and Rock being instances u variant
means Of conveying the same sounds. Pore.
Poor More. Moore OF the same kind.
The endings US" and is" generally have
the simple sound Of - or as II the vowel
were not there ut all Charters, Charities and
Charters are the same name. SO are Knollys and
Knowles. Sandys and Sands. Wemys ana
Weems Pepys and Plpps. sometimes peeps ana
Innes and Innis. dissyllable. and Sondes and
Robartes whore the 'e" is silent Er Is al.
most invariably 10 be sounded as If ar
Berkeley, barkly; Derby. darby. Ker Kerr. car.
Hervey harvey. Hartford. herford Jervis. jarvis,
Clerkc, clark: Merchant. marchant. are few
instances OF what may be laid down as rule
with rare exceptions
house and "fote" Is foot" in Pauncefote.
"Burgh" is "bur1' In Jedburgh. Edinburgh.
Yerburgh (yar). and Scotch names generally; 6ut
the Scotch -" presents more difficulties being
~" as a rule; Dalzell is dee-ul; Menzies. meen-
yez. and there are one or two more which bear
testimony to the practical Identity OF the black
letter y" and ~
whole series Of names ending with double
letter which are accented on the last syllable in
America are given the first on the stress abroad.
Among these may be mentioned Barnett. Bur
nett Burdett Buzzell, Frzell. Meynell (mennelD.
Parnell and many more. This American ac-
centuation has grown up within the memory
OF living men. Forty years ago the English ana
American recommendations were not at variance.
The British accent these trisyllablc names on
the middle syllable Achonry laconry). Arbuth-
not (arbuthnuO. Athenry. Boitho tbo-iy-tho'
with the tn as In them. Breadalhane (bred-
awlbin). Cadogan (caduggan) Carmichael. car
negie. Canrickarde. Dumaresa tdoomerrik).
Fermanagh Qermanna). kilmorey (kilmurry).
montgomery NiluUSullity' M'htiro'i ''io".'c
Zur) RathdOnell Tredcgar (tredeegar), while
these are accented on the first ~ their three
syllables: Acheson. Baggallay baggalO. Bea-
consiield (becconzield) Bellingham bellinjum)-
a complete exception. BOsragon (borragon).
Bolingbroke tbolinbrook), Challoner. DeVereuX
(aither deveroO or deyerOOx). Du BuissOn (dew-
bisson). Dynevor (dinnevor). Feversham 0avvcr-
shum) Leveson- Cover QOosun -gore). Mainwar-
ing (mannering). Majendie, Moyneux mon-
oox). Pennpcuck pennicooO. Sauinerez tsum-
mery) Thesger (,hessijer) and Westenra (west-
ernray).
Occasionally entire sylables are dropped out
and there Is no rule whatever for thiS-as in
Abcryuvenny (abergenny). Bcester (bister).
Chclmondeley or Cholmeley (chumly). Claver-
house (clayyerse) Coiquhoun (coloon), Dro-
pheJa (drawdah). Hawarden (harden) Mctili-
cuddy (maclicuddy) and Waldegrave (wolgrave).
This is confessedly incomplete. but will serve
to indicate to the unwary the nature OF the dih-
entities attaching to z small branch Of the
Queens English"