Of all of the mysteries which have befallen the Mennonite neighborhood over the centuries, probably the most baffling of all of them is why Loewen is pronounced “Low-en” and Toews is pronounced “Taves.” For consistency they need to both be pronounced Layven and Taves or Lowen and Toes. Now some will level out, “ahh, however I do know some unusual Loewen household out in Chilliwack or someplace who pronounces it Layven,” or “I did meet a man as soon as who pronounced his identify Taves.” Positive, okay, however we will’t use the outlier to show the rule. The query stays, in a neighborhood, for instance Steinbach, the place all of the Loewens and Toewses immigrated from the identical colony in Ukraine, spoke the identical language, and have lived collectively for greater than century and a half, why would they be inconsistent of their pronunciations.
I’m certain that lots of you’ll say, “oh the reply is clear. It was the affect of the Mennonite Brethren who corrupted the Loewens and their pronunciation.” However we will’t blame all the pieces on the MBs. Different would possibly say, “Oh, nicely it was the unwillingness of the strict Toews household to undertake to trendy methods, which might nonetheless be seen of their propensity to put on socks with sandals.” Once more, I say, this can’t be the reply as a result of the Loewens, too, are recognized for this horrible style fake pas.
Possibly it’s the very fact the Toewses by no means had a window manufacturing facility that put their surname into the highlight. Or perhaps it may be blamed on the rival Barkman household who unfold the Low-en mispronunciation in a feeble try to counsel the “Layvens” have been “low.”
The Toewes, in fact, dislike be in comparison with toes, the lowliest of all physique elements, and thus have insisted on sustaining the extra archaic pronunciation. Nonetheless, Rev. Doerksen has already preached a 5-part sermon sequence on this very subject, the place he identified that the Toewes’ unwillingness to undertake the lowly “toes” pronunciation suggests a stage of pleasure unbefitting of an excellent humble Mennonite.
Some have even gone as far as to vary the spelling to Taves, however we will enact a collective punishment for this sin if all of us conform to pronounce it “tav-ess,” like we’re making an attempt to say the identify Travis, however can’t fairly get out the R sound.
In the long run we might by no means know why the Loewens and Toewses do what they do, however each households can discover some solace within the reality they’re at the very least doing a greater job than all the trendy metropolis Duecks who persistently butcher the true pronunciation of their identify.
