ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1486 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1486 ************************************ 4 Feb 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for the proper pronunciation of , and you asked if the arms "Vert, a chevron cotised between three millrinds Or" are appropriate for a Dutchman before 1400. This letter is a brief answer to your question. The name is pronounced roughly \YAWN fawn dehr MOLE-neh\. Use the same vowel in the first two words, but make it shorter than the normal English pronunciation of . The word is a written contraction of two words; the two parts are pronounced separately. The first syllable in isn't quite the same as the English word . To get it right, say with your lips strongly rounded. The vowel sound here is very close to the German o-umlaut in or the in French . We have not seen cotising in Dutch armory. It was used in French armory in your period, though [1, 2]; since much of the Low Countries was ruled by the French, it is not unreasonable to believe that a French heraldic practice might have been adopted by a native. Therefore, while your design is not a perfect fit for your culture, it's a plausible possibility. As far as we can tell, you should have no problem registering it. We hope this brief letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Walraven van Nijmegen, Talan Gwynek, Tecangl Bach, and Hartmann Rogge. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 4 Feb 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Brault, Gerard J., _Early Blazon: Heraldic Terminology in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries with Special Reference to Arthurian Heraldry_, 2nd ed. (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1997), s.vv. bende. [2] Popoff, Michel, _Artois et Picardie, Marche d'Armes I_ (Paris: Le Le/opard d'or, 1981), arms of Boves-Meaulens, Hangard, Houppes, Gannes, and Bucamp.