Looks interesting--and it's not weird to read that type of stuff.

Oh, I wish I had a copy...

"Perhaps more familiar in the German form Tolkiehn."

Or perhaps not. ;) Fascinating book, I share your love for this type of thing.

I wish someone would start doing a column about name pronunciation again, but I suppose that TV and radio are thought to cover it (though as LH has shown, TV sports- and newscasters' rendering of foreign names is rather hopeless). But since I live abroad, I know names only from print sources, and sometimes have no idea how they are pronounced. I'm embarassed to say that I first pronounced Dubya DOOB-YA and had no idea that it was the southern pronunciation of "W." In fact, I couldn't figure out what it meant at all!

When I was back home I spent most of my hard-earned cash in used book shops, and hauled back, among dozens of other books, a 1969 volumne called American Place Names. It sounds similar to your book. It has charming entries like "Latah, Idaho. Rhymes with SAY, paw," or "Lechemere (square in Boston). LEECH-meer. Boldton says, 'Even the street-car conductors get it right.'"

I'm with you, Hat; this stuff is great reading, though I have no idea why. I can't imagine I'll ever have occassion to pronounce Natchitoches, LA, but I'm delighted that I know how (like mackintosh, but with an N.)

Somethng that has always puzzled me is the correct pronunciation of the "rap mogul" (pron. "Gangster") Suge Knight. Is it supposed to be "Sugar", "Sue-g", "Sue Gee" or what?

I always pronounced that the same as "Sugar" but without the "ar" , Andrew.

one of my favorites to quibble over is w.e.b. dubois . i'm pleased that there is indeed a written record of dubois in fact explaining how to pronounce his name ('duboyz'); nevertheless, i've heard countless times well-meaning francophile(?) americans say 'dubwah' (even heard in the skyscraping library at umass, which is named for him). as such, the dubois phenomenon might also fall into the subcategory of words that americans frenchify in a 'misguided' attempt to sound better educated (e.g., 'homage' as 'homahj', 'forte' as 'fortay...').

I was hoping to find the copyright hadn't been renewed, and I could ask you for scans to digitize it. Alas, the copyright was renewed in 1963, so the book is off-limits until 2817 or so. :(

I find it interesting to think about how street names are pronounced, living in a region of Pittsburgh where people are constantly moving in and out. Meyran Street is pronounced "Myron", but it seems like just about everyone who moves in says "Meeran" at first, and then switches to "Myron". I wonder how it was pronounced 80 years ago.

There are a lot of street names for which I think the standard pronunciation, at least for students, derives from what the voice on the bus says when it is about to stop at the street. I heard several pronunciations for "Bayard Street" before I noticed that the automated bus voice always says "Bay-Ard", accenting both syllables equally. Now I say it that way.

Matt: thanks.

Is it true that the founder of the Boy Scouts said that his name was to be pronounced as in "bathing towel"?

Dearieme:

Baden-Powell's name does sound like "bathing towel", but that was a nickname given to him by schoolmates, and he never cared for it.
I doubt he used it as a guide to pronunciation.

Language Hat! I had no idea that you were in the Berkshires! Are you a professor at Williams or what?

No, no -- I gave up my professorial ambitions decades ago, when I discovered I didn't enjoy teaching college. I'm a freelance editor (bless the internet that makes it possible to live anywhere).

Dearieme: It's BAY-d'n POE-uhl. (The first syllable of Powell is "poe" in the UK as opposed to "pow" in the US.)

At some point, then, we must meet. How shall I recognize you on the street?

Should have mentioned that I live in Pittsfield.