On 10/12/05 14:49, in article , "Mike Lyle"
wrote:

June Hughes wrote:
In message , Mike Lyle
writes
Sue wrote:
[...]
They used to have a big shop in Magdalen Street,
[...]

OT, but out of curiosity, is that pronounced as written, or in the
Oxbridge "Maudlin" way?

I say 'Maudlin' but it could be pronounced as written. I don't
think
it makes any difference how you pronounce it as long as people
understand you. There are enough people in this world who think
they
are better than others because they were born with a bit of money
and
land that their ancestors stole from Jo Public hundreds of years
ago.
[...]

OK, OK, I'm probably as red inside as anybody round here! My interest
is purely linguistic, and I _do_ think it matters how you pronounce
things: I wasn't trying to make some political point. But, if we want
to be political about it, the Oxbridge pronunciation originates in
the illiteracy of our forbears, so you don't have to think of it as
"posh". It's the spelling pronunciation which is élitist, if you care
to look at it that way.

I don't think I'm red at all, pale pink occasionally, perhaps but as far as
I can see, pronunciations arise as a matter of custom, local accent,
convenience and common usage. It's hard to imagine the land barons getting
together hundreds of years ago and solemnly deciding to confuse the peasants
by playing around with the pronunciations of names! Ray, who is an Essex
man always laughs about 'posh' people who live in Theydon Bois because they
insist on pronouncing 'bois' in the French manner. It is pronounced 'boys'
by Essex people!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)