I would be fascinated to know how they know how a particular name was pronounced, given changes across not merely time but also place, and within society.
I have the surname Sworn in my tree, and a distant cousin pronounces it as it is written. But in the 1700s it was written Sorn. So did some swanky ancestor introduce a silent W as in sword? Or was an absent W taken for granted?
And does anyone know how to pronounce Dewnes? The Latin form is Dyonisia and it evolves into Dennis or Denise.
__________________
The chestnuts cast their flambeaux
|