What is it about these surnames - and there's plenty of others? How did they end up being spelt one way and pronounced in a totally different way?
Plus any other examples, please.
2006-11-26 22:02:26 · 5 answers · asked by gorgeousfluffpot 5 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
It's not Farquarson, it's Featherstonehaugh that's pronounced Fanshaw. There are plenty of other examples, including placenames: Happisburgh in Norfolk pronounced Haysbro', Belvoir pronounced Beaver. It's the sign of an old language: names evolve, pronounciation deteriorates, and sometimes spelling doesn't keep up.
Sometimes it does: Bristol used to be called Brigstow, but the local dialect adds an L to the end of words that end in vowel sounds (Bristolians drink 'vodkal' that they buy from 'Asdal'), and so Brigstow became 'Brigstowl', which decayed into 'Bristol'.
2006-11-26 22:25:55 · answer #1 · answered by baloopa 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I would say THEH-rən. The emphasis is on the first syllable, and the TH is soft, like in the name Ethel. The E sound is open, like in the word 'met'. The O near the end is just a neutral vowel sound. Oh, that's if it's a first name. I say Charlize Theron's surname like thə-RON though. With the emphasis on the second syllable, and the E as a neutral vowel sound. The TH is still soft though. I have no idea how it's supposed to be pronounced though.
2016-05-23 08:41:14 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure that 'Farquarson' is pronounced as 'Fanshaw'?
It seems somewhat unlikely to me ... but I have known 'Farquhart' to be pronounced 'Farkart'.
The only one I can think of for your list is Dalziel ... which is pronounced 'Diell' (D - ell!)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/crime/dalziel/2006_feature.shtml
(about 1/3 of the way down the page.)
I think Siobhan is Irish. That's why it's pronounced differently to how you might expect.
Oh yeah, there's always Menzies - 'Mingis'!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4595228.stm
2006-11-26 22:37:31 · answer #3 · answered by _ 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What about
Siobhan - or whatever it is, being pronounced
'Shavaughn'?
and...
Keighley - or however you spell it - in Yorkshire being pronounced 'Keefley'?
No wonder we're hopeless at foreign languages when its so difficult to speak English!!
2006-11-26 22:06:20 · answer #4 · answered by Lavender 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dalziel is pronounced "De-ell"
Mainwaring is pronounced "Mannering"
Don't know the story behind it though.
2006-11-26 22:39:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋