Pronunciation watch

[vinteuil]

But Rodhuish which was the original subject of the query was Rad Hewis in the Domesday Book. I suspect 'Rad' is from the name of the then lord - Rad. or Radulphus - and Huish is from Saxon hiwisc meaning a hide of land, or an area of land big enough to support a household.

... the Friends of Somerset Churches in their guide to the chapel of S Bartholomew, Rodhuish prefer an etymology Rad-hewish, the dwelling place of the Lawman, Councillor ( Rad, Rede ) ...

Incidentally, Penelope Lively refers to this chapel in her "A House Unlocked" (2001).


.

[french frank]

... the Friends of Somerset Churches in their guide to the chapel of S Bartholomew, Rodhuish prefer an etymology Rad-hewish, the dwelling place of the Lawman, Councillor ( Rad, Rede ) ...

They may be right - there is rather less information about Somerset placenames than other counties. For Hardenhuish the earliest form, perhaps from the 9th c., is Heregeardingc hiwisce, with Hardnyshe first appearing in the 14th c.

[french frank]

A word I've always wondered about is clandestine. Of the four ways I've hesitated between, all four are apparently deemed 'acceptable' by the OED (with audio clips to make this clear) - or are they just recording that no one really knows or cares?

I think I'd go for CLAN-di-styne. The CLANdistyne Marriage.

[Lat-Literal]

But Rodhuish which was the original subject of the query was Rad Hewis in the Domesday Book. I suspect 'Rad' is from the name of the then lord - Rad. or Radulphus - and Huish is from Saxon hiwisc meaning a hide of land, or an area of land big enough to support a household. 'Harnish' may be/have been a rural pronunciation for Hardenhuish but would only have been a corrupt version for Har'nhewish

Thank you.

On an entirely different matter, there is a road on one of my bus routes that has the name "Cearn Way". I have always pronounced it with a soft "c" but the electronic voice in the bus now pronounces it with a hard "c". Given the construction - "C" before "e" and "ear" - do you think there is any precedent at all for a hard "C"? Or is it wrong and I am right?

I am not in Wales so Ceridwen, Ceredigion etc would not apply.

(Incidentally, I'm now doin' a word of the day - yesterday it was "astilbe" which gives me endless fascination and today it is "pightle" which is part of another local landmark).

[french frank]

there is a road on one of my bus routes that has the name "Cearn Way". I have always pronounced it with a soft "c" but the electronic voice in the bus now pronounces it with a hard "c". Given the construction - "C" before "e" and "ear" - do you think there is any precedent at all for a hard "C"?

There is probably a rule, given that it's not an English word. Celtic, probably.

[Lat-Literal]

There is probably a rule, given that it's not an English word. Celtic, probably.

Oh....I wonder why we have a Scottish word.

I've changed my mind on heroes and have acquired one.

"“Readin' all those books makes me wonder whether anyone ever dies natural."

"They don't," said William mysteriously".

(That quote surprised me because I had thought it was just William in the books who dropped the "g" at the end of words - that's the voice I hear in my head)

[Pulcinella]

(That quote surprised me because I had thought it was just William in the books who dropped the "g" at the end of words - that's the voice I hear in my head)

Don't you mean: only Just William?

[Lat-Literal]

Don't you mean: only Just William?

I was thinkin' that - it stands to reason, dun't it.

[french frank]

Oh....I wonder why we have a Scottish word.

Seems to have been a surname too, albeit not a very common one and no one very notable - Irish in origin, so again Celtic.

(That quote surprised me because I had thought it was just William in the books who dropped the "g" at the end of words - that's the voice I hear in my head)

Probably all the Outlaws spoke in the same way.Though if this was a member of the h'Upper Class, think huntin', shootin' and fishin'.

[Lat-Literal]

Seems to have been a surname too, albeit not a very common one and no one very notable - Irish in origin, so again Celtic.

Probably all the Outlaws spoke in the same way.Though if this was a member of the h'Upper Class, think huntin', shootin' and fishin'.

French frank - You might well be right on the Outlaws although I thought the first part of the quote which was not in its full context and used for illustrative purposes was from his older brother Robert. However, I could be muddled on that point. If it is Robert, I think it still might fit on the huntin' and shootin' level because he was in his mind upwardly mobile.

My word of the day is Richmal, the first name of Richmal Crompton (Lamburn) who wrote those wonderful books. An alternative spelling of Ricarda, it is Old German for "powerful leader". There are at least eight variations, all uncommon, with the most common being Richelle. That was most popular 45 years ago and given to 0.01% of girls born in the US.

Thank you for your further information on Cearn.

[gradus]

French frank - You might well be right on the Outlaws although I thought the first part of the quote which was not in its full context and used for illustrative purposes was from his older brother Robert. However, I could be muddled on that point. If it is Robert, I think it still might fit on the huntin' and shootin' level because he was in his mind upwardly mobile.

My word of the day is Richmal, the first name of Richmal Crompton (Lamburn) who wrote those wonderful books. An alternative spelling of Ricarda, it is Old German for "powerful leader". There are at least eight variations, all uncommon, with the most common being Richelle. That was most popular 45 years ago and given to 0.01% of girls born in the US.

Thank you for your further information on Cearn.

...and goff.

[Lat-Literal]

...and goff.

Yes.

While I consider whether to adapt my pronunciation of the local road named "Cearn" so it is in line with an electronic box on a bus, could I be advised please why the first "C" in the football team name "Celtic" is pronounced as a soft c when "celtic" is usually pronounced with two hard c's - and if this variation applies in a similarly relaxed way to other words.

[french frank]

could I be advised please why the first "C" in the football team name "Celtic" is pronounced as a soft c when "celtic" is usually pronounced with two hard c's - and if this variation applies in a similarly relaxed way to other words.

It Scotland the usual pronunciation for the language, people and culture is Seltic. After some years on a course in the Department of 'Seltic' Studies in Aberdeen, it took me a while to readapt to the Germanic Keltic (a frequent spelling in the earlier days of linguistics) when I came back to England.

[gurnemanz]

Yes.

While I consider whether to adapt my pronunciation of the local road named "Cearn" so it is in line with an electronic box on a bus, could I be advised please why the first "C" in the football team name "Celtic" is pronounced as a soft c when "celtic" is usually pronounced with two hard c's - and if this variation applies in a similarly relaxed way to other words.

Coincidentally, I grew up in Coulsdon very near to a Cearn Way, a short, steep hill leading to the golf course which we pronounced "sern". Strange that I still remember it quite clearly over 50 years later.
Thinking about celtic/keltic, I was for some obscure reason taken back many years to my undergraduate German course where in the philology component we learnt about centum and satem languages. I skimmed through the wiki entry for this topic which, though mildly interesting, seems to have minimal relevance to the current discussion.

[marvin]

Tott and Fairclairnug

Well this is how yesterday's afternoon's presenter pronounced Richard Strauss's Tod und Verklarung. Several times he told us that the next piece was 'Tot (as in Dot) unt Verklarnug' and frankly, I could not believe my ears. Surely, if an announcer, who has not knowledge of the German language would seek assistance from the appropriate BBC dept?
Even when the piece had finished, the same mispronunciation was repeated. Oh, deary me. How standards have dropped at the Beeb.