[B-Greek] "Gress' am May' chen"

A. J. Birch AJBIRCH at terra.es
Thu May 12 03:14:30 EDT 2005


Dear 'B-Greekers',

Regarding the correct pronunciation of 'Gresham' and 'Machen', Ned Stonehouse wrote (in 'J. Gresham Machen - A Biographical Memoir', Third Edition, 1987, The Banner of Truth Trust, page 511, note referring to page 17):

The name J. Gresham Machen, and especially the maternal family name Gresham, is frequently mispronounced. At the request of the publisher of The Literary Digest, Machen wrote at some length on the subject, and on the background of this information the magazine in its issue of July 14, 1934 carried the following key over the name of the lexicographer Frank H. Vizetelly: "gress' am, not gresh' am; may' chen, not may' ken." The chief pitfall in the pronouncing of the name, as Machen said, is in the drawing of the "s" and "h" together in Gresham. The "h" is silent as in Markham" or "Badham."

I trust that this is helpful,

Andrew J. Birch
Palma de Mallorca, Spain


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