Pronunciations

[Barnard]

In Peterswood, the crooks and villains,
amazing clever plot will,
be finally uncovered by
the brilliant Fatty Trott-ville.

[Daisy]

Brilliant Barnard!

[Barnard]

Thank you so much, Daisy.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I enjoyed your "pome", Barnard! Here's a limerick for people who like the three-syllable pronunciation:

There was a young porker called Trotter-ville
Who said, "I speak out and say what I will.
This ink won't come visible,
Our efforts are risible,
We're badly in need of a hotter grill!"

[Boodi 2]

Brilliant Anita (from one who likes the three syllable pronounciation and finds the idea of "Trott-vil" very difficult to assimilate after all these years).

[Perce]

These are fantastic 'pomes' and limericks, and I'm going to have a go too!

In Peterswood Goon is the Old Bill,
But there's a resident there making him ill.
So he made an arrest
Of That Fat Boy who's a pest,
But is his name Trott - or Trott - er - ville?

PS I'm with the 'Trot Vill' group of forumites, but it's very interesting reading arguments for an alternative pronunciation!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Great, Perce!

[Moonraker]

My 7 year-old granddaughter is now reading the complete series with her mother at bedtime. She thinks I am crazy to pronounce it Trotterville.

Ah, but has she yet encountered Mandeville, vaudeville or Bonneville?

She's a bit of a chocoholic, so must have encountered Bourneville!

All of which shows that you can't use one word to prove the pronunciation of another similarly spelled. I remember an English master asking us how the word ghoti was pronounced. The answer is fish.

gh = f (as in cough)
o- i (as in women)
ti = sh (as if station)

We then have two words spelled the same, but pronounced differently:

produce - as in goods/vegetables etc - "fresh produce is available"
produce - to make or present - "I will produce a rabbit out of my hat"

What a wonderfully complicated language!

[Moonraker]

Brilliant Anita (from one who likes the three syllable pronounciation and finds the idea of "Trott-vil" very difficult to assimilate after all these years).

Yes, thanks for providing the other side of the argument, Anita!

I agree with you Boodi, I've called it Trotterville since the mid 1950s, and that how it's pronounced in my head!

[Boatbuilder]

Likewise, since around the same time, Moonraker. It'll take another 60+ years to convince me of the other pronunciation.

[Boodi 2]

Thanks Moonraker and Boatbuilder, I am glad to see that I am in good company!!!

[Courtenay]

And me too. Love the limericks!!