Salisbury / Sarum

[absinthe at mad.scientist.com]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Jen" <jfaulkne at e...> wrote:
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., Amanda Lewanski <editor at t...> wrote:
> > Benjamin wrote:
> > 
> > > Indeed not, it's pronounced Sarum.
> 
> > Linguistic student that I am, I cannot fathom how they 
got /sarum/ 
> > from
> > Salisbury. Edinburgh I can about process. Worchestershire I can
> > see. But
> > this one's out there.
> 
> From the OED's etymology (which Simon didn't quote):
> 
> [med.L. Sarum (indeclinable), app. evolved from a misunderstanding 
of 
> the abbreviation Sarz for Sarisburia Salisbury.]
> 
> (I love having access to the OED online.  *So* much easier than 
> consulting the paper volumes.  Grateful thoughts to Rutgers for 
> providing off-campus, alumnae(i) access to their network.)
> 
> --jen :)

LOL, that reminds me of a town in Maryland called "Oxon Hill". I 
remember the school children legend claimed it was called so because 
farmers in colonial times grazed their oxen there and people on ships 
in the river used those animals on the hill as a landmark (get it, ox 
on hill). Later on, I read that the area was really named "Oxford-On-
The-Hill" by Lord Baltimore because the area reminded him of Oxford. 
The maps shortened the name to "Ox. on the Hill" and eventually it 
was shortened further to "Oxon Hill".

:-)Milz