The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #25235   Message #295425
Posted By: Bill D
11-Sep-00 - 11:35 PM
Thread Name: BS: Mangling the English Language
Subject: RE: BS: Mangling the English Language
In searching, I found this gem:

IMMIGRANTS FROM non-English speaking countries used translation-equivalent surnames such as Jaeger, which became "Hunter," and Bauer, "Farmer." English surnames like Cowper became "Cooper," Coke to "Cook." Featherstonehaugh was spelled and pronounced "Fanshaw," Cholmondely as "Chomley," and Colquhoun became "Calhoun."

The following limerick mocks these changes:

A young man called Cholmondely Colquhoun
Kept as a pet a babolquhoun.
His mother said, "Cholmondely,
Do you think it quite colmondeley
To feed your babolquhoun with a spolquhoun?"