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.
Tyrrwhitt. 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.