So what’s the deal with the pronunciation of Thames?

It’s not how you’d pronounce it if you were pretending it was a Greek or Latin name, and it’s not how you’d pronounce it if it were English.

From AHD4 word history note:

The a in Thames is etymologically correct, since the Latin forms had that vowel, but the h is a “learned” error, added in the mistaken belief that Thames derived from Greek.

edit: longer word history is there.

The AHD is of course correct, but they don’t make it sufficiently clear that “Thames” is pure invention: the Old English form was Temese, which in the natural course of phonetic change came to be pronounced /temz/ and would presumably be spelled Temes or Temse today if it weren’t for those meddling pseudo-archaizers.

when did the “h” get in there?

The earliest citation in the OED with an “h” is from the late 14th century, the last without an “h” is from the early 16th.

Considering how the English handle some of their place names Thames is practically the poster boy for phonics.

Faldage - 17 March 2008 03:55 PM

Considering how the English handle some of their place names Thames is practically the poster boy for phonics.

Brilliant

Seems that Eliza Doolittle has already made most of the points we’ve made in this old thread. we need to forgive the Magyar diversion in the opening post.

Considering how the English handle some of their place names Thames is practically the poster boy for phonics.

Considering that you hail from a country harbouring places like Nacogdoches, LA*, Faldage, isn’t that perhaps a little hasty?

*(for Dextropondians: the natives pronounce it --- if you call that pronouncing --- something like ”Nacker-dish")

A dishwasher working in Nacogdoches
Once had the misfortune to crack a dish.
His boss, most severe
said “Get out of here ---
Come back when you’ve learned how to stacogdoches”.

;-)

lionello - 17 March 2008 09:32 PM

Considering how the English handle some of their place names Thames is practically the poster boy for phonics.

Considering that you hail from a country harbouring places like Nacogdoches, LA*, Faldage, isn’t that perhaps a little hasty?

;-)

That’s Cajun.  Not even the French consider that representative of anything.  Besides, in South Leftpondia it’s an exception.  In Rightpondia it’s the rule.

Strangely, the town ‘Thame’ in Oxfordshire is pronounced ‘tame’

I went out riding with a Greek girl in Zakynthos one time and we used the ride to practise her English, her pronounciation of Thames was something like ‘temesis’ which is interesting similar to the old English form. What is Greek for Thames?

I believe the Thames River in Connecticut is pronounced as the spelling would suggest (/þeymz/).

What is Greek for Thames?

Τάμεσης [támesis].  They got it direct from Latin Tamesis.

In Rightpondia it’s the rule

I take it you’re being facetious? There are plenty of placenames in the UK that aren’t pronounced as they’re spelled, but many more that are.

languagehat - 18 March 2008 06:25 AM

I believe the Thames River in Connecticut is pronounced as the spelling would suggest (/þeymz/).

I can verify that as my nephew went to the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT and he corrected me every time I said it the other way.

ElizaD - 18 March 2008 08:39 AM

In Rightpondia it’s the rule

.

I take it you’re being facetious? There are plenty of placenames in the UK that aren’t pronounced as they’re spelled, but many more that are.

I’m being facetious.

FWIW - In the pronunciation of Nacogdoches, TX each syllable is enunciated but the g is silent: nack-o-DOE-shess.