MSGID: 1:153/716.0 7230b342
REPLY: 2:221/6.0 671f6dd4
CHRS: IBMPC 2
Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

AH>  In English, you can spell a family name "Smythe" & require
AH>  others to pronounce it "Smith".  Years ago I knew somebody
AH>  who did that.  And names like "Brown" & "Clark" may be spelled
AH>  with or without a final "e".  The spelling of one's name may
AH>  or may not influence the audience's reaction.  :-Q

AK>  Probably some people want to deceive the Devil while he peruse
AK>  his list of those who must be taken to hell. ;-) Which Smith
AK>  are you looking for? There is no such a person! :)

          Doing my best to finish organizing my thoughts by Hallowe'en,
because the idea of pretending to be somebody else might initially have been
an attempt to confound evil spirits.  OTOH a person who has a less well-known
surname told me the variation in spelling results from a family feud 'way back
when....  :-)


AK>  I suspect that "gn" and "kn" are forgotten English diphthongs,
AK>  like "th".

          Hmm.  Technically, a diphthong is a two-part vowel sound... "th" is
a consonant digraph in which two letters represent a single sound (our version
of the Old & Middle English thorn)... while "gn" and "kn" are consonant blends.

          I think it's important to remember that much of our everyday
language comes from Scandinavian & northern European sources.  From what I
have heard of him King Cnut (in Danish) or Knut (in Norwegian) was a good king
and a wise man who'd have forgiven me if I couldn't quite get my tongue around
his name.  :-))


AH>  I have to keep reminding myself that e.g. the word "venue"
AH>  is pronounced differently in English & French....  :-))

AK>  Yeah, the French don't like "e" at the end of words. ;-) As said
AK>  one Russian literature personage "there there is some mystery or
AK>  a perverted tastes". ;-)

          From a brief scan of my French/English dictionary I conclude that
the French use "e" at the end of words but probably don't say it aloud. 
However, I understand that to some folks an "e" ending may make a name seem
classier.  :-Q




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