A few days ago, I wrote about the pronunciation of ough. Since then, I’ve heard from a few experts on this issue. Sarah Ough from England said her family “pronounces Ough as just the letter O,” adding that “[o]ther families pronounce it other ways.”
Sarah is correct, as I found out from Tami Ough from Oregon, who said, “We pronounce our name ‘Ow….. like Ow that hurts!’” Tami said she hears “every mispronunciation of my name possible…….:).” (See my September 18 post on the use of sideways facial expressions.) This may be an Oregon thing, however, as Jeremy Ough–who I believe is from Oregon–said they also pronounce it “like an expression of pain.”
I also was reminded that, although we have turned plough into plow, you still can get a ploughman’s lunch in many fine restaurants. Further, it is fairly common during The Holidays to deck one’s halls with boughs of holly.
Finally–and we’ll leave it here–I came across this poem by Bennett Cerf, publisher and co-founder of Random House.
The wind was rough
And cold and blough;
She kept her hands inside her mough.It chilled her through,
Her nose turned blough,
And still the squall the faster flough.And yet although
There was no snough,
The weather was a cruel fough.It made her cough,
(Please do not scough);
She coughed until her hat blew ough.
Responses to “An Ough Update”
August 28th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
The pronunciation of “ough” as anyone who pretends to speak English should know is “uhff”. Thus we have the words rough and tough. If that’s not enough don’t try to slough it off there’s always “ough” an English word for a small stream.
Thereby hangs a tale.
Some years ago I was reading a book, possibly by Jane Austin(?), originally written about 1810 wherein the protagonist was walking in some woods along an ough.
I stopped reading and dashed to the library where I found the stream definition in an entry marked also with “obs.”
Since then my niece has married and moved up into northern Michigan
where she has a beautiful piece of property with a spring rising out of it forming a small stream. When visiting her one time I said she’s GOT to put up a sign stating its name is “Clough Ough”. (Need I say the correct pronunciation would be “Cluff Uff?)
I blithely said I’d send her the sign authenticated by a photocopy of a dictionary page and illustration of usage.
Meantime all the dictionaries in all the libraries here in Michigan and possibly the world have proudly been modernized and erased that definition from their lexicon. Because of some sort of conspiracy the old copies appear to have been burned. Also I can no longer find the reference in any book by Jane Austin; all the new ones proudly state they’re an updated version.
Raise a glass and mourn with me with me the steady loss of our cherished heritage.
Tom Clough
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:52 am
I’m Sarah Ough from England and pronouce my surname O when did I speak to you?