"Business takes Vi[z]a"

[Wilson Gray]

That depends, IMO. I think of "Leeza" as a definite alternative
spelling of "Lisa" and not as a possible alternative spelling of
"Liza," abstracting away from the fact that names are truly
pronounced, in English, at least, only as their bearers tell you that
they are.

The first weirdo name that I ever came came across was _Ccil_,
pronounced "Cecil [sis at l]," borne by a little girl that I met when I
was about eight years old.

The renowned linguist, Mario Pei, claimed that the English names
spelled _Featherstonehaugh_ and _Mainwaring_ are pronounced as though
spelled "Fanshaw" and "Mannering," resp.

The graphic-novelist, Al Capp, imagined the existence of two
aristocratic English families, one named Chalmondelay, pronounced
"chumley," and another named Chumley, pronounced "chalmondelay."

-Wilson

On Mon, Aug 18, 2008 at 12:37 PM, Doug_Harris <cats22 at stny.rr.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Doug_Harris <cats22 at STNY.RR.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "Business takes Vi[z]a"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> You're undoubtedly correct, as Ms _Leeza_ Gibbons provided, via phonetic
> spelling and pronunciation, what might have been an alternative latter
> with the same former.
> dh
>
> What does DARE say about "Alicia"?  (Probably nothing, but are there
> any similar common nouns?)  And surely there can be only one
> pronunciation for "Liza" since Ms. Minnelli came out.
>
> Joel
>
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