tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post4400601591629276545..comments2024-03-29T10:24:20.171+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: Pity Me...Bruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-59466251380113259152019-10-10T11:00:55.863+01:002019-10-10T11:00:55.863+01:00My understanding is that the origin of the name Pi...My understanding is that the origin of the name Pity Me is not known, which makes the name even more evocative - and (so Tolkien warns us!) with English place names, it is seldom possible to be confident about etymology unless there is a lineage of actual historical evidence. <br /><br />But, as a rule, the original sound of the place name (if that can be inferred), rather than the spelling, is the best guide to its original meaning - even nowadays, locals tend to preserve pronunciation in face of mis-spellings by officials from outside. <br /><br />For example, the Northumbrian mining village Cambois (apparently mis-spelled by a pretentious mapmaker, or the like) is still pronounced Cammus by the locals, which is a better guide to its inferred etymology than the spelling, which implies a Frech pronunciation - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambois . Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-66878615986601415512019-10-10T08:56:17.845+01:002019-10-10T08:56:17.845+01:00petit mere, little seapetit mere, little seaMister Quigghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03522893664315893019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-67591402984201780162019-10-09T22:08:32.751+01:002019-10-09T22:08:32.751+01:00There's a town in New Mexico called Truth or C...There's a town in New Mexico called Truth or Consequences. But it was named after a game show as a publicity stunt. Seems to have worked. Amongst many references to it in pop culture, a scene in a 2015 <i>Doctor Who</i> episode was set there.a_probsthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16197411067925016452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-44136372263884914412019-10-09T18:54:56.885+01:002019-10-09T18:54:56.885+01:00Pictish place names often start with "Pit&quo...Pictish place names often start with "Pit".<br /><br />But then there are people who think Thanet, in Kent, is a Phoenician place name.deariemenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-19743424744584749892019-10-09T18:43:33.911+01:002019-10-09T18:43:33.911+01:00A whole town devoted to victimization. Hmm, seems ...A whole town devoted to victimization. Hmm, seems like we need to move some social justice folks over there :).tedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07354048695798015131noreply@blogger.com