LL-L: "Names" (was "Etymology") [E] LOWLANDS-L, 11.AUG.1999 (02)

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From: $ Elsie Zinsser [ezinsser at simpross.co.za]
Subject: RE: LL-L: "Robinhood" [E] LOWLANDS-L, 08.AUG.1999 (03)

Haai, Laaglanders!

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk
<mailto:johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk>  asked whether anybody
could suggest why Americans pronounce 'Robin 'Hood as 'Robinhood?

I'm not sure whether this is generally done by every American, but it's
possible that English speakers perceive _'Robin 'Hood_ as a real person
and therefore accentuate his name and surname as two separate entities,
like one would say _'John 'Brown_ . Perhaps American speakers see the
mythical figure in toto and hence _Robinhood_?

Possibly unrelated to the above: My sister had great difficulties to
make people in the USA (from San Fransisco to Chicago and now in
Providence) to understand the idea of a two-part surname like _Van
Niekerk_. To most it's simply _Vanikirk_!  Surely the Van Gogh, Van
Buuren or Van Wyck-concepts are not too foreign? Or is it?

Regards!

Elsie Zinsser

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