Clark, Darby, Garrard (Gerard),
Jarrold (Gerald), Harbord (Herbert), Jarvis (Gervase), Marchant,
Sargent, etc., while Larned, our great-grandfathers' pronunciation of
"learned," corresponds to Fr. Littri. Thus Parkins is the same name
as Perkins. (Peter), and these also give Parks and Perks, the former
of which is usually not connected with Park. To Peter, or rather to
Fr. Pierre, belong also Parr, Parry and Perry, though Parry is
generally Welsh (Chapter VI). The dims. Parrott, Perrott, etc., were
sometimes nicknames, the etymology being the same, for our word parrot
is from Fr. pierrot. To the freedom with which this sound is spelt,
e.g. in Herd, Heard, Hird, Hurd, we also owe Purkiss for Perkins; cf.
appurtenance for appartenance.

The letter l seems also to exercise a demoralizing influence on the
adjacent vowel. Juliana became Gillian, and from this, or from the
masculine form Julian, we get Jalland, Jolland, and the shortened
Gell, Gill (Chapter VI), and Jull. Gallon, which Bardsley groups with
these, is more often a French name, from the Old German Walo, or a
corruption of the still commoner French name Galland, likewise of
Germanic origin.

We find also such irregular vowel changes as Flinders for Flanders,
and conversely Packard for Picard. Pottinger (see below) sometimes
becomes Pettinger as Portugal gives Pettingall. The general tendency
is towards that thinning of the vowel that we get in mister for master
and Miss Miggs's mim for ma'am. Littimer for Lattimer is an example
of this. But in Royle for the local Ryle we find the same broadening
which has given boil, a swelling, for earlier bile.

APHESIS

Among phonetic changes which occur with more or less regularity are
those called aphesis, epenthesis, epithesis, assimilation,
dissimilation, and metathesis, convenient terms which are less learned
than they appear. Aphesis is the loss of the unaccented first
syllable, as in 'baccy and 'later. It occurs almost regularly in
words of French origin, e.g. squire and esquire, Prentice and
apprentice. When such double forms exist, the surname invariably
assumes the popular form, e.g. Prentice, Squire. Other examples are
Bonner, i.e. debonair, Jenner, Jenoure, for Mid. Eng. engenour,
engineer, Cator, Chaytor, Old Fr. acatour (acheteur), a buyer--

"A gentil maunciple was they of a temple,
Of which achatours mighte take exemple" (A. 567),

Spencer, dispenser, a spender, Stacey for Eustace,