Date: Tue, 8 Oct 1996 11:42:34 -0400

From: "Dale F.Coye" CoyeCFAT[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM

Subject: Re: bonified (was: Headramps/rights)



"The phrase got repronounced by eye, from people reading the

spelling out by English rules and getting, roughly, BO-nuh FIED."



It was not repronounced by eye, but rather this is the older, anglicized

pronunciation (actually BOH nuh FY dee) following the normal development of

Latin words in English (cf, bonus, or the dog's name Fido; festina lente is

/fes TY nuh LEN tee/. Fairly recently this has been reduced to BOH nuh fide

or altered to BON uh fide. I believe the original form has pretty much died

out.



Dale Coye

Princeton, NJ.