Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges.[ citation needed]
The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived from the Norman name Mesnières, from the town of Mesnières-en-Bray in Normandy. [1] [2] [3]
The traditional Scottish pronunciation of the name is /ˈmɪŋɪs/ ⓘ MING-iss, reflecting the spelling of the name as Menȝies, using the letter ⟨ȝ⟩ ( yogh). The current spelling arose when yogh fell out of use in the Scots language and was replaced with the similar-looking tailed variant (⟨𝔷⟩) of the letter ⟨z⟩. [4]
However, outside Scotland the name is often given the pronunciation /ˈmɛnziːz/ MEN-zeez, reflecting the current spelling.
A Scottish limerick plays on the traditional pronunciation:
There wis a young lassie named Menzies,
That askit her aunt whit this thenzies.
Said her aunt wi a gasp,
"Ma dear, it's a wasp,
An you're haudin the end whaur the stenzies!" [a]
The second and fifth lines are pronounced as though the <z> were a <ȝ>, making "thing is" and "sting is", to rhyme with "Menzies". "Wasp" rhymes with "gasp" in Scots.
Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges.[ citation needed]
The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived from the Norman name Mesnières, from the town of Mesnières-en-Bray in Normandy. [1] [2] [3]
The traditional Scottish pronunciation of the name is /ˈmɪŋɪs/ ⓘ MING-iss, reflecting the spelling of the name as Menȝies, using the letter ⟨ȝ⟩ ( yogh). The current spelling arose when yogh fell out of use in the Scots language and was replaced with the similar-looking tailed variant (⟨𝔷⟩) of the letter ⟨z⟩. [4]
However, outside Scotland the name is often given the pronunciation /ˈmɛnziːz/ MEN-zeez, reflecting the current spelling.
A Scottish limerick plays on the traditional pronunciation:
There wis a young lassie named Menzies,
That askit her aunt whit this thenzies.
Said her aunt wi a gasp,
"Ma dear, it's a wasp,
An you're haudin the end whaur the stenzies!" [a]
The second and fifth lines are pronounced as though the <z> were a <ȝ>, making "thing is" and "sting is", to rhyme with "Menzies". "Wasp" rhymes with "gasp" in Scots.