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   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
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