VICK, VEEK OR VIKE ?
Stn,—Strix, in passing on the information that Viking should be pro- nounced " Vicking," is subscribing to what Prof. H. C. Wyld, in his Universal English Dictionary, dismisses as an erroneous affectation. Moreover, both the Oxford Dictionary and Prof. Daniel Jones's Pronounc- ing Dictionary give u veeking" as the only alternative to the generally accepted version, to rhyme with liking. Viking is probably derived from an Icelandic word—possibly from an old Norse word—but in both cases the i is long.
Both the Norwegians and the Swedes of today pronounce the word "veeking." Modern Danish, on the other hand, does say " vicking." The only possible justification, therefore, for our saying " vicking " would be as a compliment to the Danes of the Hugin.' But for general purposes there is no point in departing from the traditional pronuncia-
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