Did You Know??

[Cornish Terrier]

Did you know that Cornish Names and Place-names are not always pronounced they way you think?

In general the influence is on the second syllable.

A couple of examples:-

REDRUTH is pronounced redRUTH
PENZANCE is pronounced penZANCE
LELANT is pronounced leLANT
PENDEEN is pronounced penDEEN

There are, of course, many exeptions but this is the general rule.

Another of interest is St BURYAN.
It is not pronounced (as most of us would) St BERRIAN) but rather, or more properly, as St BURRIAN.

And then there are our own names:-

From people I have met in Cornwall the correct pronunciatiion of my own surname (Trewhella) is 'treWHEELA'.

Then there is the name of UREN:-
Should be pronounced as YOUR'N.
(I have seen this name in the old Lelant Registers (1700+/-) spelled as YOUREN which gives an idea on the pronunciatiion.

Questions or thoughts???

[Zenobia]

ianjtrewhella said:

Did you know that Cornish Names and Place-names are not always pronounced they way you think?

In general the influence is on the second syllable.

A couple of examples:-

REDRUTH is pronounced redRUTH
PENZANCE is pronounced penZANCE
LELANT is pronounced leLANT
PENDEEN is pronounced penDEEN

I think in English, we are used to stressing first syllables. In the beginning I was saying LAY-lunt for Lelant and TOW-id-nack for Towednack.

I know the correct pronunciation for the latter now is T'WED-nack altho' I kinda prefer the old-style pronunciation of Ta-WEN-ick myself.

Of course, Lelant was originally Lananta, so the name has been constricted a lot anyway.

There are, of course, many exeptions but this is the general rule.

Another of interest is St BURYAN.
It is not pronounced (as most of us would) St BERRIAN) but rather, or more properly, as St BURRIAN.

Now THAT one I always pronounced correctly! I just cannot look at the word 'bury' and see 'berry'

From people I have met in Cornwall the correct pronunciatiion of my own surname (Trewhella) is 'treWHEELA'.

Then there is the name of UREN:-
Should be pronounced as YOUR'N.
(I have seen this name in the old Lelant Registers (1700+/-) spelled as YOUREN which gives an idea on the pronunciatiion.

Questions or thoughts???

In the will of our ancestor, Edmund Uren, it is spelled Youryen or some such mess...

Now, my cousin in Ohio married an Uren as her second husband, and everyone including him, always pronounced it "Urn".

[Mal]

Haha... just read this, that's the difference between a Cornish lad and an emmet!!! I remember being asked where "Fou- wee" was, not "Foy" (Fowey)!!!
P'nzaahns
L'laahnt
Sen Ossel

One to note that no one in my family ever pronounces Saint as "saynt" but rather Sen, as in the Cornish, therefore Saint Erth becomes Sen'erth!
The difference between Sennen and Zennor can also cause confusion.!!!

Interesting post.