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From: deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Featherstonehaugh
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References: <4ndlgh$osh@nadine.teleport.com> <319C9D71.41C67EA6@pia.bt.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 17 May 1996 22:05:18 GMT
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In article <319C9D71.41C67EA6@pia.bt.co.uk>,
Alwyn Thomas  <alwyn@pia.bt.co.uk> wrote:

>I think the general principle is that the English language belongs to
>everyone who speaks it, while family names belong to the families that
>bear them and are therefore under their control. It is not surprising
>therefore that there is little uniformity in the spelling of family
>names, e.g. Eliot/Elliot/Elliott, Davies/Davis etc.
>
>On the particular point at issue, namely  "featherstonehaug pronounced
>Fanshaw", I have no idea. Perhaps someone with this name reads this
>newsgroup and can help.
>
>I cannot see, however, that this has to be a peculiarly British
>phenomenon. Even if all Fethersotonehaughs-pronounced-Fanshaw happen to
>be English, I am sure there must be Americans, Australians, etc. who
>spell their name "Beauchamp" and say "Beecham" or write "Mainwaring" and
>pronounce "Mannering".

	There are, but they are much rarer.  In the USA, a certain 
levelling of personal names took place, one variant largely supplanting
the others.  Thus, "Smythe" and "Browne", although they exist on this 
side of the Atlantic, are much more infrequent than they are in Britain.

	I imagine similar processes operated in Australia, Canada, and
other former colonies.



-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
