LL-L "Names" 2008.04.28 (03) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L  - 28 April 2008 - Volume 03
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From: Stan Levinson <stlev99 at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Names" 2008.04.28 (01) [E]

I'm pretty sure "Standard American" is
name: Bay-zil
herb: bazzle
That's how I've always heard it.
Stan

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From: Mike Morgan <mwmosaka at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Names" 2008.04.28 (01) [E]

re: the name Basil as well as the herb, I am NOT sure that REAL
Americans were familiar with either. And by REAL Americans I mean, of
course, the folks down home (as opposed to BACK home) when I was
growing up (though of course, being a military brat, I was only ever
down home for 2 weeks in the summer). (Down home, iffn ya'll don't
remember, is Ferrum, Virginia (mom's side of the family) and Davy,
West Virginia (dad's side))

I doubt seriously if I ever tasted or saw or heard of the herb till my
late teens (meaning the early-to-mid 1970's ... and YES, once we
Americans took to that tasty foreign herb I have NEVER heard it
referred to by Americans as anything other than BAY-zl).

As for the NAME, Basil is NOT a particularly American name, and so the
ONLY person by that name that I ever heard mention of growing up was
Basil Rathbones, the South African-turned-Hollywood actor, famous for
a number of movies in the 1930's (LONG before MY time!) and known to
ME and my ilk for his role as Sherlock Holmes, opposite Nigel Bruce's
Dr Watson. And HIS name was always pronounced Bazzl. Maybe that is
because he was a foreigner ... indeed as I said I can't rightly say
HOW Americans of my parent's generation pronounced either, because
they probably never HEARD of either.

AT home ... in Bombay.

MWM || マイク || Мика || माईक  || માઈક || ਮਾਈਕ
================
Dr Michael W Morgan
Managing Director
Ishara Foundation
Mumbai (Bombay), India
++++++++++++++++
माईकल मोर्गन (पी.एच.डी.)
मेनेजिंग डॉयरेक्टर
ईशारा फॉउंडेशन (मुंबई )
++++++++++++++++
茂流岸マイク(言語学博士)
イシャラ基金の専務理事・事務局長
ムンバイ(ボンベイ)、インド

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Names

Hmmm ... I suppose certain English names are fairly rare in the US and more
educated Americans associate them with Britain, such as also Amanda, Cyril,
Duncan, Emma, Gemma, Gordon, Graham, Neville, Nigel, Nola, Penelope, Simon,
...

I do find it interesting that in Britain names are used that go back to
Byzanthium, names whose equivalents are mostly used in Orthodox Christian
regions:

Greek Βασίλειος (*Vasíleios *"kingly one") > Basil (e.g., Russian Василий *
Vasilij*)
Greek Κύριλλος (*Kýrillos *"lordly one") > Cyril (e.g., Russian Кирилл *
Kirill*)

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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From: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Names" 2008.04.28 (01) [E]

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Names

Thanks, Paul. *Where* did you hear them distinguished though?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

The Australian BAY-zl I heard from various friends there; Queensland to
Tasmania, NSW to Perth. Most of my friends I suppose would fall into the
Australian "middle-class", fairly or very well educated, widely travelled.
Language doesn't change much regionally in Australia; there's much more of a
social distinction - though not everyone conforms to it.

The English BAA-sill was among I suppose comparable people, speaking fairly
standard English tending to Estuary.  I may be mistaken but I think I've
heard TV chef Jamie Oliver use it too. He has an Essex accent, but is
notorious for lapsing into faux-Cockney.

But you've got me thinking now. We've got a pretty wide selection of people
at work from various parts of England as well as Scotland and Ireland. I'll
carry out an informal survey.

Paul

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From: Danette & John Howland <dan_how at msn.com>
Subject: LL-L "Names" 2008.04.28 (01) [E]

Hi, all.

Ron wrote:

"I know some people in Australia that pronounce the personal name "Basil" as
"Bazzle" but pronounce the name of the herb "basil" as "BAY-zl".

 How far spread is this pronunciation distinction?"

I know that the British actor Basil Rathbone was a "Bazzle."

John Howland
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