Operation Rhyme Crime
So I'm working on a new poem about a knight named Palladine. It's going to be for story-telling, and I've been playing with a new form, the alliterative long lines and bob-and-wheel construction, used in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I've got the plot worked out, and I got about a stanza and a half written last night.
But I have a little problem. Actually, it's a major problem. How is the name Palladine pronounced?
The name comes from Spenser's The Faerie Queene, and it's fairly certain from the meter that the accent is on the first syllable. But how is the end of the name pronounced?
The poetic form comes from the last part of the 14th century, about the same time as Chaucer. The language is Middle English, and therefore the Great Vowel Shift hasn't taken place. For those of you whose eyes just glazed over, here's the translation: in Chaucer's time, English vowels were pronounced like French, Spanish, Latin, and German vowels. In other words, in Middle English, Palladine rhymes with keen and machine.
But Spenser--who coined the name--is writing at the end of the 16th century, two hundred years later, after the Great Vowel Shift. This means that in Spenser's time, Palladine rhymes with line and fine.
But it gets even more complicated. Spenser is consciously trying to write in Chaucer's language--Middle English--instead of the Early Modern English of his own time. Is he also using the Middle English pronunciation? The introduction to Spenser's Poetical Works isn't helpful; it says that Spenser varied pronunciation as it suited him. Thanks, Mr. Editor.
And just in case we didn't have enough alternatives, it's entirely possible that Spenser is using a French pronunciation of the name, in which case, it's pronounced the same as the word paladin, and rhymes with din and thin.
Does it matter? Actually, it does. Behold the following verse:
And brave Sir Gawain, in Britain the finest knight
yet seen.
And to good Gawain's right,
A fighter fit and keen.
A brave and bonny knight
Known as Sir Palladine.
But of course, the verse might not work. With the Modern English pronunciation, it would have to be:
And brave Sir Gawain, to Britain's throne the next
in line.
And to good Gawain's right,
A fighter fit and fine.
A brave and bonny knight
Known as Sir Palladine.
I haven't made an alternative with the French pronunciation.
I know that, on the face of it, it really doesn't matter. It's my poem. I can pick a pronunciation and go with it. But the fact is that I may want to enter this in an Arts and Sciences competition. Granted, I have enough documentation that I can argue for any of the three pronunciations. But as far as my own work is concerned, I am an auxillary officer of the authenticity police. I want to Get it Right.
But I have a little problem. Actually, it's a major problem. How is the name Palladine pronounced?
The name comes from Spenser's The Faerie Queene, and it's fairly certain from the meter that the accent is on the first syllable. But how is the end of the name pronounced?
The poetic form comes from the last part of the 14th century, about the same time as Chaucer. The language is Middle English, and therefore the Great Vowel Shift hasn't taken place. For those of you whose eyes just glazed over, here's the translation: in Chaucer's time, English vowels were pronounced like French, Spanish, Latin, and German vowels. In other words, in Middle English, Palladine rhymes with keen and machine.
But Spenser--who coined the name--is writing at the end of the 16th century, two hundred years later, after the Great Vowel Shift. This means that in Spenser's time, Palladine rhymes with line and fine.
But it gets even more complicated. Spenser is consciously trying to write in Chaucer's language--Middle English--instead of the Early Modern English of his own time. Is he also using the Middle English pronunciation? The introduction to Spenser's Poetical Works isn't helpful; it says that Spenser varied pronunciation as it suited him. Thanks, Mr. Editor.
And just in case we didn't have enough alternatives, it's entirely possible that Spenser is using a French pronunciation of the name, in which case, it's pronounced the same as the word paladin, and rhymes with din and thin.
Does it matter? Actually, it does. Behold the following verse:
And brave Sir Gawain, in Britain the finest knight
yet seen.
And to good Gawain's right,
A fighter fit and keen.
A brave and bonny knight
Known as Sir Palladine.
But of course, the verse might not work. With the Modern English pronunciation, it would have to be:
And brave Sir Gawain, to Britain's throne the next
in line.
And to good Gawain's right,
A fighter fit and fine.
A brave and bonny knight
Known as Sir Palladine.
I haven't made an alternative with the French pronunciation.
I know that, on the face of it, it really doesn't matter. It's my poem. I can pick a pronunciation and go with it. But the fact is that I may want to enter this in an Arts and Sciences competition. Granted, I have enough documentation that I can argue for any of the three pronunciations. But as far as my own work is concerned, I am an auxillary officer of the authenticity police. I want to Get it Right.