On pronunciations, family trees, and other bicycles...

The Laughing Imp · Post by **The Laughing Imp** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 1:54 am

I was curious about a name that's been proposed as being a distant relative of mine: Sir Charles Coote. Yeah, I know. He's a real blighter.

My last name is Cootey (pronounced like that affectionate little bedbug - koo' tee) Since I'm a Yank, my question is for people on the other side of the pond. How do you pronounce "Coote"? Is it "koot" or "koo' tee"? Maybe it's even pronounced "smith". I'd really like to know. Thanks.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:11 am

The Laughing Imp wrote:I was curious about a name that's been proposed as being a distant relative of mine: Sir Charles Coote. Yeah, I know. He's a real blighter.

My last name is Cootey (pronounced like that affectionate little bedbug - koo' tee) Since I'm a Yank, my question is for people on the other side of the pond. How do you pronounce "Coote"? Is it "koot" or "koo' tee"? Maybe it's even pronounced "smith". I'd really like to know. Thanks.

Where across the pond? I take it he had a knighthood.

The Laughing Imp · Post by **The Laughing Imp** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:54 am

Walden wrote:Where across the pond? I take it he had a knighthood.

He was a baron in Ireland (famous for spearing babies), but he was from England.

chas · Post by **chas** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:12 am

Didn't Carolan write a tune for a Sir Charles Coote?

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:17 am

It's pronounced "koot" as far as I know, but if you want to do one of those "<A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_Up ... s">Keeping Up Appearances</A>" trips, you could always pronounce it "koot-ay".

djm

The Laughing Imp · Post by **The Laughing Imp** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 1:52 pm

chas wrote:Didn't Carolan write a tune for a Sir Charles Coote?

Yes, he did.

The Laughing Imp · Post by **The Laughing Imp** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 1:55 pm

djm wrote:It's pronounced "koot" as far as I know, but if you want to do one of those "<A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_Up ... s">Keeping Up Appearances</A>" trips, you could always pronounce it "koot-ay".

djm

We used to joke about pronouncing our name that way.

The names "Cootey" and "Coote" are obviously similar, but if they are pronounced differently then there is a great possibility that they are not in fact related at all.

I'll hold out until I hear from somebody from Ireland.

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:00 pm

Speaking as one from Ireland and in the U.K. I would pronounce it "coot". As in, "bald as a coot" or "I come from haunts of coot and hern".

Even if your name is pronounced differently, I wouldn't rule out the possible connection. People make all kinds of variations in pronunciation.
E.G. Menzies, pronounced "Mingus" in Scotland. Once you have an unlettered person announcing their name to a careless clerk, all kinds of variations occur. Especially in a different country.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:04 pm

Innocent Bystander wrote:Speaking as one from Ireland and in the U.K. I would pronounce it "coot". As in, "bald as a coot" or "I come from haunts of coot and hern".

Even if your name is pronounced differently, I wouldn't rule out the possible connection. People make all kinds of variations in pronunciation.
E.G. Menzies, pronounced "Mingus" in Scotland. Once you have an unlettered person announcing their name to a careless clerk, all kinds of variations occur. Especially in a different country.

Menzies is pronounced on the home soil as "Mingus"?? I did not know that.

It's not outside the realm of possibility that Cootey is a New World repronunciation of the spelling of Coote.

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:05 pm

Yep. Charlie Mingus might have been a Menzies in slightly different circumstances.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:07 pm

The Laughing Imp · Post by **The Laughing Imp** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:50 pm

Nanohedron wrote:It's not outside the realm of possibility that Cootey is a New World repronunciation of the spelling of Coote.

Not outside the realm. Not at all. Especially since they differ in spelling by one letter. Since "Cootey" vanishes from Ireland in the mid 1800's it would make my genealogy job easier if we tied in with Coote. I just don't want to use wishful thinking.

So "koot" is it? Thanks for the input.

Too bad we haven't found any Cootes in Co. Louth...that'd make my job REALLY easy.

Thanks for the contribution, Denny. I wonder. Do coots eat cooties?

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:30 am

Denny wrote:

What?? No clicky?

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:35 am

oh dear

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 8:54 am

Denny wrote: oh dear

No, it's not a deer! It's a coot...duh! Although this is a better picture of one:

But that wasn't the point. I decide to click the darn thing, and there's no clicky to click. And you wonder why I've become lazy

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On pronunciations, family trees, and other bicycles...

On pronunciations, family trees, and other bicycles...

Re: On pronunciations, family trees, and other bicycles...

Re: On pronunciations, family trees, and other bicycles...