I spent many happy years in Brighton and am surprised to learn the resort has unaccountably changed its name.

According to television and radio, the town I recall so fondly is now called Bright-On. I clearly remember it being called Bright'n, with the final syllable compressing and obscuring the final 'on' part of the name.

Brighton was a natural historic contraction of the original Brightelmstone, but has now fallen victim to the current media craze for pronouncing words in a semi-literate infant manner, such as fright-end and gard-en. Thus, with the arrival of the formidable Chancellor of the Exchequer for this week's conference, we learn Gord-on is in Bright-on.

-Marie Giddings, St Peters Road, Parkstone, Poole