CHAPTER IX

THE RECEIVED MODE OF PRONOUNCING CERTAIN SURNAMES

There are, perhaps, two reasons why various surnames are so frequently mispronounced, the one being unfamiliarity with the freak of fashion which governs the pronunciation of certain well-known names, the other ignorance, or want of education.

When sensitive persons hear a name pronounced differently from the way in which they have themselves but just pronounced it, and in a tone and manner strongly suggestive of correction, it is wounding to their _amour propre_.

As a rule, when persons are in doubt as to the correct pronunciation of any particular name, it would be best to avoid mentioning it, if possible, until their doubts are set at rest by some one better informed than themselves.

Names that have a fashionable or peculiar pronunciation, or are pronounced otherwise than as they are spelt, are but few, and names which it is possible wrongly to accent are also not very numerous; but it is surprising how often these names occur in the course of conversation.

The names of distinguished artists that are open to mispronunciation occur far oftener in conversation than do the general run of uncommon surnames.

There are many celebrated hunts and hunting quarters of which the names are open to considerable mispronunciation.

With regard to placing the accent on the wrong syllable in the pronunciation of names, it requires but little thought to avoid making this mistake, a popular error being that of placing the accent upon the last syllable of a name; whereas, in a name of two syllables, the accent should invariably be placed upon the first, and the second syllable should be as it were slightly abbreviated or slightly altered.

In names of three syllables the error usually consists in placing the accent upon the last syllable, whereas the accent should be placed upon the second syllable. There are occasional exceptions to this rule, and the few names given in this chapter, both as regards their pronunciation and accentuation, will serve as a useful guide in the pronunciation of uncommon names.

|SPELT. |PRONOUNCED. |REMARKS. | |---------------------|------------------|----------------------------| |Abergavenny. |Abergen'ny. |_Av_ not sounded. | |Arbuthnot. |Arbuth'not. | | |Arundel. |Arrandel. | | | | | | |Beaconsfield. |Beckonsfield. | | |Beauchamp. |Bea'cham. | | |Beauclerk or } |Bo'clair. |Accent on first syllable. | |Beauclerc. } | | | |Belvoir. |Be'ver. | | |Berkely. |Bark'ley. | | |Bethune. |Bee'ton. | | |Bicester. |Bis'ter. |Accent on first syllable. | |Blount. |Blunt. | | |Blyth. |Bly. |_Th_ not sounded. | |Bourke. |Burk. | | |Bourne. |Burn. | | |Bowles. |Boles. | | |Breadalbane. |Breaddal'bane. |Accent on second syllable. | |Brougham. |Broum. | | |Buchan. |Buck'an. |Accent on first syllable. | |Burdett. |Burdett'. |Accent on last syllable. | |Burnett. |Burnett'. |Accent on last syllable. | |Bury. |Berry. | | | | | | |Calderon. |Cal'dron not | | | | Cauldron. | | |Charteris. |Charters. | | |Cholmeley. |Chum'ley. | | |Cholmondeley. | " | | |Cirencester. |Cis'ester. |Accent on first syllable. | |Clanricarde. |Clanrecarde. |Accent on second syllable. | |Cockburn. |C[=o]burn. |_Ck_ not sounded. | |Colquhoun. |Kohoon'. |Accent on last syllable. | |Conynham. |Cunyingham. | | |Coutts. |Koots. | | |Cowper. |Cooper. | | | | | | |Dalziel. |Dee'al. |Accent on first syllable. | |Derby. |Darby. | | |Des Vaux. |Deveu. |The _x_ not sounded. | |Devereux. |Devereu. |The _x_ not sounded. | |Dillwyn. |Dil'lun. |The _wy_ takes the sound | | | | of _u_; the accent on | | | | first syllable. | |Duchesne. |Dukarn. | | |Du Plat. |Du Plar. | | | | | | |Elgin. | |The _g_ hard as in give. | |Eyre. |Air. | | | | | | |Fildes. |Filedes. |Not Filldes. | |Fortescue. |Fort'iskew. | | | | | | |Geoffrey. |Jefrey. | | |Geoghegan. |Gaygan. | | |Gifford. |Jifford. |The _g_ soft as in George. | |Gillett. | |_G_ hard as in Gilbert. | |Gillott. | |_G_ hard. | |Glamis. |Glarms. | | |Gorges. |Gor'jes. |First _g_ hard and second | | | | _g_ soft. | |Gough. |Goff. | | |Gower. |Gor. |But Gower as regards the | | | | street of that name with | | | | the general public. | | | | | |Harcourt. |Har'kut. |Accent on first syllable. | |Heathcote. |Heth'kut. | | |Hertford. |Har'ford. | | |Home. |Hume. | | |Hughes. |Hews. | | | | | | |Jervis. |Jarvis. | | |Johnstone. | |The _t_ not sounded. | | | | | |Kennaird. |Kennaird'. |Accent on last syllable. | |Kennard. |Kennard'. |Accent on last syllable. | |Ker. |Kar. | | |Knollys. |Knowls. | | | | | | |Layard. |Laird. | | |Leconfield. |Lek'onfield. | | |Lefevre. |Lefavre. | | |Leigh. |Lee. | | |Lyvedon. |Livden. | | | | | | |Macnamara. |Macnemar'ar. |Accent on third syllable. | |Mainwaring. |Man'nering. | | |Marjoribanks. |Marshbanks. | | |McIntosh. |Makintosh. | | |McLeod. |McCloud. | | |Menzies. |Myng'es. |Accent on first syllable. | |Meux. |Mews. |The _x_ sounded as _s_. | |Millais. |Mil'lay. |Accent on first syllable. | |Milnes. |Mills. | | |Molyneux. | |The _x_ sounded with slight | | | | accent on last syllable. | |Monck. |Munk. | | |Monckton. |Munk'ton. |Accent on first syllable. | |Monson. |Munson. | | |Montgomerie or} |Mungum'ery. |Accent on second syllable. | |Montgomery. } | | | |Mowbray. |Mobrey. | | | | | | |Nigel. |Ni'jel. | | | | | | |Ouless. |Ooless. | | | | | | |Parnell. |Parnell'. |Accent on last syllable. | |Pepys. |Pep'is. |Accent on first syllable. | |Pierrepont. |Pierpont. | | |Ponsonby. |Punsonby. | | |Pontefract. |Pomfret. | | |Pugh. |Pew. | | |Pytchley. |P[=y]tch'ley. |Not Pitchley. | | | | | |Ruthven. |Riv'en. | | | | | | |Sandys. |Sands. | | |St. Clair. |Sinclair. | | |St. Maur. |See'mor, or | | | |S'nt Maur. | | |St. John. |Sinjin. |As regards christian and | | | | surname, but as St. John | | | | when applied to church | | | | or locality. | |Seymour. |Sey'mer. |Accent on first syllable. | |Strachan. |Strawn. | | | | | | |Tadema. |Tad'ymar. |Accent on first syllable. | |Tollemache. |Tollmash. | | |Trafalgar. |Trafalgar'. |Accent on last syllable; as | | | | regards the peer of that | | | | name, not otherwise. | |Tredegar. |Trede'gar. |Accent on second syllable. | |Tremayne. |Tremayne'. |Accent on last syllable. | |Tyrwhitt. |Tirritt. | | | | | | |Vaughan. |Vorn. | | |Vaux. | |The _x_ sounded. | |Villbois. |Vealbwor. | | |Villiers. |Vil'lers. | | | | | | |Waldegrave. |Wal'grave. |The _de_ not sounded. | |Wemyss. |Weems. | | |Willoughby D'Eresby. |Willowby D'Ersby. | |