A small questionm of pronunciation....

[Fisherman]

Chris:

"for me he will now forever be Inspector Vaseline."

... who raided that dubious club that housed the likes of Tumblety!

The best,
Fisherman

[Lechmere]

Monty
I'd be pleased to tell him
I lived within a short walk of Leman Street for about 15 years and in the 1980s went inside the police station for something or another.
I wonder if your pal was still working there then?

[Monty]

Monty
I'd be pleased to tell him
I lived within a short walk of Leman Street for about 15 years and in the 1980s went inside the police station for something or another.
I wonder if your pal was still working there then?

He did. CID in the 80s. Told me of a story on how they used to meet for de-briefs at a nearby Ice Cream parlour for a Rum Baba.

The matter of pronounciation did crop up as I had always believed it was 'Lee-man' Street. He was adamant it was Lemon and still is.

However, I must confess, I discussed this with John Bennett a while back and he was in agreement with you.

Personally, I prefer Lee-man as that is how I pronounced it since I was a child.

Monty

[yen_powell]

Leman is one of the old words for prostitute. How would Chaucer have pronounced it?

[Rubyretro]

:

.

..I thought it was like Maybeline...Vaseline?
I've been told it's Abber LINE and not Abber LEAN but I still struggle with it.

You're not alone Debs,

I live in France and so always automatically pronounced it as the French would - Abber-lean. I did realise fairly recently (probably after watching some Ripper docs on youtube) that it was Abber-line, and have to force myself.

Abberline looks like a French surname, anyway, that was anglicised.

I never know how to pronounce French words that have passed into English - Hainault anyone ?

[Captain Hook]

Hello all,

Daniel Jones's English Pronouncing Dictionary (14th ed., Cambridge, 1991) has it as Lem'n - formerly Liman.

Cheers
Hook

[Lechmere]

Hainault is Ainalt in East Londonese and Hi-now in French
Theydon Bois is just Theydon for sort or Theydon Boys or opposed to Theydon Bware (as in the French)

[Rubyretro]

Hainault is Ainalt in East Londonese and Hi-now in French
Theydon Bois is just Theydon for sort or Theydon Boys or opposed to Theydon Bware (as in the French)

actually the French would pronounce it Ain-o and (Theydon doesn't sound French to me) T'eydon Bwoire. The 'h's are silent and the ends of words aren't stressed if they're masculine, so you'd hardly hear the 'n' in Theydon. If it were feminine it would be T'eydonne, and then you'd hear it. If you follow me !

[Debra A]

:

.

You're not alone Debs,

I live in France and so always automatically pronounced it as the French would - Abber-lean. I did realise fairly recently (probably after watching some Ripper docs on youtube) that it was Abber-line, and have to force myself.

Abberline looks like a French surname, anyway, that was anglicised.

I never know how to pronounce French words that have passed into English - Hainault anyone ?

Thanks, Ruby. Yes, it's exactly the same for me.
Plus, I think, but I'm not certain, that I was infuenced by Lewis Collins playing Sergeant Godley in the ITV Ripper drama pronouncing it Abber-lean too. Can anyone remember if he did?

[Harry the Hawker]

Thanks, Ruby. Yes, it's exactly the same for me.
Plus, I think, but I'm not certain, that I was infuenced by Lewis Collins playing Sergeant Godley in the ITV Ripper drama pronouncing it Abber-lean too. Can anyone remember if he did?

Ah, Lewis Collins, that takes me back! "Bodie doesn't have woman problems, sir. Women have Bodie problems." (The Professionals, circa 1978 I would say.)

Cheers,
Harry

[Chris Scott]

Thanks, Ruby. Yes, it's exactly the same for me.
Plus, I think, but I'm not certain, that I was infuenced by Lewis Collins playing Sergeant Godley in the ITV Ripper drama pronouncing it Abber-lean too. Can anyone remember if he did?

I rewatched the Michael Caine version only the other week and you are right - Collins pronounces it Abberlean.
Just a quick thought - that's three actors I can think of who have played Abberline on screen - Michael Caine, Johnny Depp and Hugo Weaving - have there been any others?
Regards
Chris

[Debra A]

I rewatched the Michael Caine version only the other week and you are right - Collins pronounces it Abberlean.

Ah, thanks, Chris! I thought I must have picked it up from somewhere.

Harry. Was it really that long ago?!

[Lechmere]

Tell me about it

[Lechmere]

That was all Boer-dare (as the butler from Upstairs Downstairs, who got the big M caught by the Gestapo in the Great Escape - Gordon Jackson, just remembered, pronounced his name) used to say.

[Rubyretro]

Tell me about it

That sounds Freudishly heart felt, Lechmere. Poor you. I bet Trent ( ) never had these états d'âme.