Rescuing Edward

[tabithabun.livejournal.com]

Two random questions: firstly, how do you pronounce Oeschli in your own head?  Eshli? Eeshli? Eskli?  Eesklee?  (These things bother me...for years I said Sanger to rhyme with Hanger and now think probably it's pronounced Sanja.)

Secondly, is it too far-fetched to think that one of the reasons Chas and Rose are so keen to accompany Edward to Switzerland is that's where their mother's plane crashed?  I remember Karen's comment at the pantomime about having to hurry back to Rose and Chas in case they think she's finally abandoned them, which gives her bonus points for psychological insight in my book.  

Oh, and a third question: do you suppose Giles told Edward's father what their name was and was there ever any contact between them?

Comments

[mrs-redboots.livejournal.com]

Its more Ershly, I think, if it's pronounced anything like the German. I'm not good on Swiss pronunciation, though.

I was at school with a girl whose surname, like Lois', was Sanger, and she pronounced it to rhyme with Hanger, so that's probably correct.

[ailbhe]

Öschli, me.

[oursin.livejournal.com]

Sanger to rhyme with Hanger. Partly because that's how it's pronounced in the case of birth control pioneer Margaret Sanger (but that was US, so possibly not comparable), and partly because in The Constant Nymph, it is remarked of the composer Sanger (whose offspring by assorted wives and others the novel is actually about, and are collectively known as 'Sanger's Circus' - Lord George Sanger was the owner and manager of a famous circus of the day) that because he refused to live in England and his music was notably unEnglish in its style, he was often taken to be French (Swiss/Belgian) and his name pronounced Sanjé as if it were French.

[highfantastical.livejournal.com]

Lord George Sanger was the owner and manager of a famous circus of the day

I had no idea of this - it's wonderful to read of details like that, which have escaped one. *currently rereading TCN after, about 7 years after the first reading*

[oursin.livejournal.com]

While 'Lord' (he was not a peer, it was a given name) George Sanger himself was murdered by a circus employee (with a mallet as used for hammering in tentpages), who then committed suicide, around 1920 or so, I'm pretty sure 'Sanger's Circus' was still touring around in My Own Young Day.

[rosathome.livejournal.com]

Eesklee.

Also definitely to rhyme with hanger.

To your second question, no idea.

Third, no. If Giles gave the man a name, it was certainly a false one, I'd say. But much more likely, he never gave a name at all. He had his naval career to think of, remember.

[jackmerlin.livejournal.com]

Although Edward must have known their name, so not much point giving a false one.

[the_antichris.livejournal.com]

Ershli, like the German - as far as I know, that holds good in Swiss German as well. (Only don't pronounce the R, if you speak an R-pronouncing dialect. Roughly the vowel in 'her', but no R sound, is what you are after.)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Seconded!

And Sanger to rhyme with hanger.

[manda-09.livejournal.com]

I was at school with a girl called Hannah Sanger, and it rhymed with Hanger, too.

"Oeschli" - oerss-lee

[manda-09.livejournal.com]

left out the "h"!

oersh-lee

[debodacious.livejournal.com]

Definitely ershli. But as a child I always pronounced Lois Sanger to rhyme with danger (in my head, I don't think I ever said it out loud) until I finally met a real life Sanger who pronounced it like Hanger.

[colne-dsr.livejournal.com]

Ershly. Which is, I think, the German pronunciation, but of course Felix could be from the French part of Switzerland.

As for Lois, I rhyme it with anger, not hanger, with a pronounced G. But I've never known the name in real life.