28 FEBRUARY 1903, Page 15

[To THE EDITOR OF TRH "SPECTATOR.") Srn,—A propos of "A

Briton's" remarks (Spectator, Febru- ary 21st), has it occurred to you that the confusion between " lie" and " lay "—a confusion more general, and shared by better writers, than is commonly supposed—may in origin be partly phonetic ? The old-fashioned pronunciation of " lay. lock " for "lilac," " charley " for "china," &c., seems to point in this direction. It is curious to find the same tendency rampant to-day; a tendency, however, which should surely be checked with a strong hand,—e.g., by deducting marks from any Board-school teacher or pupil who is found guilty of saying " lydy " for " lady."—I am, Sir, &c., Tunbridge Wells. T. S. °MOND,