The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-10
PRONUNCIATION.
A Bostonian Defends and EIucidatcs he
Custom OF His Tow

To rHK EDITOR OF THE SUN-Str: Being a Bos
tonian, not, l believe, "incorruptihly inditcr11s.'
/ read the article AS They Say In Boston" In TIM
SUN OF December . with a good deal Of Interest and
something more OF amusement. What rule is -
guide the pronunciation Of proper names Other
than custom And wherein In this regard do vc
In hldebound. brahminlstlc old Boston differ from
the all wise of New York who look so smugy down
on us,
II is true that a New Yorker might be excused
for so pronounclng our Governors name thai a;
would rhyme with build and so might a Nova
Scotian be excused for calling it"Goold,' for that IS
the way the poohbah of Shuhenacadie calls himself,
and the way he Is called. and he spells his name
Guild" A Bostonian going to New YORK would
brand himself as a beaneater at once by speaking
OF "Hooston" street until he knew better. BY
what rule is II called "Howston" street, or by what
rule Is "Dey" street called Dye street except
because " 'tis"P
These Instances might be multiplied indefinitely.
As for the next President OF the United States
(te and also NIT the Hon. John Butin Moran, ther,
may be some who call him Moran OF possibly
"Murrain." Mr.. Moran's name has been q good
deal on the tongues of the people for some time,
/ and | have failed to hear his name 80 pronounced
as TO rhyme other than with what you 30 eup5onl-
ously and logically call also ran / i've Ia Dor
chester. and / don't know OF any one who either
lives In or speaks OF dorchester BY the way,
II your reporter wants some thing funny, ana mat
Is a fact also, why doesn'the come out TO Dorchester.
where "Tinnyann' Is spelled "Tenean, ana the hNl
on which Governor Bowdoin lived land the square
also where Francis Parkman was born and lived
is called "Bo'd'n"2
We plead guilty TO pronouncing Quincy Mar,et
Quincy" Market. but as a matter Of fact T. Isn't
In the lower story or in any other part Of fancll
Hall. And II you are a Bostonian YOU VIII call MS
Fan yu-et." II you are a New Yorker the Lord
only knows what you will call It. Nobody speats
OF "Fannul" and there is probably only one man
living who will call IL Funnel That IS Edward
Everett Hale. Wendell Phillips would call II -
were he alive. and doubtless Lowell, aud perhaps
Dr Holmes so called II. II is a prcroga'iNe Of The
bluest of the blue old Boston blood. The same
people stnl speak OF "Norrldgc."
Even marketmen over here put in At least ono
vowel to a syllable and don't talk as though hey
were trying to clear their noses. Why l. "Gro''0a'
peculiarly Bostonese7 What do the dCuil,u, .
the town opposite New London In Conuortrnt
call their town. Passing over Waltham, which -
pronounced (either rightly or wrongly, don't
know which, as your reporter has II, and hlirrlri,
which is pronounced In Bostonese neither I'I.
rikka" nor Bill ricky,' but "Bil Ter c Ia accent
on the antepenulu, v ould'ask regarding NayiU Hll,
as an employee once asked when told Of som" ono
who had spoken Of the "E-quit able" building
accent on the antepenulO: Why. what did 10
call ~" What would you call Savin NM
BOSTON, December 3. L. NJ. MORGAN.