We're reading our first Henty book. The word gallant appears frequently. I just kept guessing at how to pronounce the word, because I'd heard both the first and second syllables stressed. So today I did a novel thing: I looked it up in the dictionary.
So, in case y'all are confused as I was, here's the deal. When the word means noble or brave or stately or handsome, then it's pronounced GAL-lunt. When the word is used to mean that a man is courteous toward women, polite, and attentive to them, accompanying a woman in a mannerly way, then he is gal-LONT.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
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I am so happy to have this information. We were right, then, when we read Goofus and Gallant in Highlights years ago as GALlant instead of Gal LONT.
ReplyDeleteSo both pronunciations would fit Matt, then... :-D
ReplyDeleteAh, Rachel, truly spoken by a girl who just celebrated a one-month anniversary!
ReplyDeleteAnd Mom, yup, he was GALlant. Today in our story (the one that keeps using the word gallant) it was pronounced galLANT several times. But, hey, I knew when to pronounce it which way. Andrew was amused. He hadn't noticed up til today how often the word is used in this book!