LL-L "Names" 2002.04.02 (08) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 02.APR.2002 (08) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: Edwin Alexander <edsells at cogeco.ca>
Subject: LL-L "Names" 2002.04.02 (07) [E]

At 04:38 PM 04/02/02 -0800, Randy wrote:

  My mother, who used to live very close to the street in Hamilton, and
my
  father, a Hamilton native, both pronounce "Strachan" as " 'Strawn'
with
  a very long 'a'", and so I, a displaced Hamiltonian, would too.  I
once
  purchased a set of drums from someone who lived on this street who
  pronounced it as "Stracken" with a short "a".  (It was after this that
I
  heard my parents' pronunciations.)  Does this have anything to do with
  lowlands languages?

Newcomers usually mispronounce this name, as they do another Hamilton
street in my own neighbourhood:  Breadalbane, saying "Breadal -
bane" instead of "bread_all_ - bun".  Don't know where the Canadian
pronunciation of Strachan comes from, but suspect that since it is not
Scottish, then it must follow in some way the vowel-shortening
characteristics of Canadian and Mid-Atlantic speech, which, as I
understand it,
derive from south-west English dialects.

Ed Alexander
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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From: "CA L" <stju at pinn.net>
Subject: LL-L "Names" 2002.04.02 (07) [E]

> From: "Randy Elzinga" <frisiancow at hotmail.com>
> Subject:
>
> My mother, who used to live very close to the street in Hamilton, and my
> father, a Hamilton native, both pronounce "Strachan" as " 'Strawn' with
> a
> very long 'a'", and so I, a displaced Hamiltonian, would too.  I once
> purchased a set of drums from someone who lived on this street who
> pronounced it as "Stracken" with a short "a".  (It was after this that I
> heard my parents' pronunciations.)  Does this have anything to do with
> lowlands languages?
>
> Randy Elzinga
> frisiancow at hotmail.com
>
> Quote:
>
> From: Edwin Alexander <edsells at cogeco.ca>
> Subject: LL-L "Names" (was "Phonology") 2002.04.01 (06) [E]
>
> At 09:28 AM 04/01/02 -0800, Sandy wrote:
> >My first teacher in primary school was an elderly lady
> >known to us only as "Miss Strachan".
>
> The Anglican Bishop of Toronto in the first half of the 19th century was
> John Strachan who was present both at the burning of Fort York
> (presently
> Toronto) by the Americans (which is why the British burned Washington
> some
> time later) during the War of 1812, as well as at the opening of my own
> Church of the Ascension in Hamilton in 1851.  Normally one hears the
> name
> pronounced "Strawn" with a very long "a", but I think a more authentic
> Canadian pronunciation is heard in the Hamilton neighbourhood where the
> late Bishop's name graces a local street, where one can distinguish the
> real natives of this area when they say "Stran" with a very short "a".
>
> Ed Alexander
> Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Thank you for responding.  My Great-great-grandfather was Capt. Henry
Strachan, evidently came to America via Canade in early 1800's. The name
was changed to "Straughn" and that is my maiden name.
Henry was supposedly the son of William from Kincardinshire.  Wish I
knew
more!  any info would be helpful as I have my certification in genealogy
and have tried fruitlessly to discover information about Cept. Henry for
20 years.
Susan Straughn (Strachan)

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