Trivia: Stations that don't sound like they're Spelt

[stut]

I though all vowel sounds in the East Midlands were a variant of 'uh'.

Just done some Googling, and my assumptions about Rutherglen are wrong - Ruglen is the proper Scots name of the area, and the pronunciation comes from that, rather than a skipped syllable. You do hear both versions.

 

[button_boxer]

I don't think the Welsh ones can count, because they are pronounced as they're spelt - Welsh spelling is pretty much phonetic.

For the double L, put your tongue where you would to say an English L but then blow gently.

 

[WatcherZero]

Not my L's

La the tongues on the bottom of my mouth, Lu its on the top, Ll its straight with a 90 degree kink up.

 

[Crossover]

*Scowls*

Oh hi....where did you come from :P

What a rather desolate place it is as well

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Maybe obvious, maybe not, but....


Haborough - "hay-borough" that has crushed the budding graffitti element in me that wanted to write Abracad on the station signs

Huyton - "High-ton" not really if you take Huy as being like Guy

.....

 

[12CSVT]

A real tongue twister is Glyndyfrdwy (Llangollen Railway), and no I don't know how it is supposed to be pronounced either.

Beaconsfield is pronounced 'Becconsfield'

BTW - how are you supposed to pronounce Bures, Witham and Bellshill

 

[marks87]

Bellshill is Bells-hill.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Maybe a more basic one, but how is Forres pronounced? I've heard it as both 'Fors' and For-rez'...

 

[D1009]

Surprised no-one's arsked whether Bath should have an R in it.

 

[marks87]

Maybe a more basic one, but how is Forres pronounced? I've heard it as both 'Fors' and For-rez'...

I say For-iss, but that might be influenced by my accent. In reality, it's probably phonetic.

 

[Michael.Y]

Leominster is not Leo-minster, it's Lemsta.

Hereford is not Heer-ford, it's herryford.

Shrewsbury is definitely like the animal/rodent.

Bynea is bunny-er, not bun-aya.

Llandybie is Llan-dub-beer, not Llan-dub-bee.

And Cardiff is actually pronounced Kaaaaaardif.

 

[moonrakerz]

FGW's automated announcements always refer to KEYn sham instead of CANE sham - spelt K....E.....Y ( you've to be of a certain age to get that last bit !)

 

[Bellwater]

Habrough is hay-borough, not harbrough like bloody market harbrough in inbred Leicestershire.

Kirkby in Ashfield - Kirk-bee not kirrrby
Hucknall - Ucknall
Langwith Whaley Thorns - Whaaley Thorns

 

[Gwenllian2001]

FGW's automated announcements always refer to KEYn sham instead of CANE sham - spelt K....E.....Y ( you've to be of a certain age to get that last bit !)

Oh yes. Horace Batchelor and his 'infra draw method'. The perceived 'problem' with Welsh place names is that people try to pronounce them as if they were written in English. They are not but once you have learned the Welsh alphabet, which has twenty eight letters, they are simple because they are written phonetically and always sound exactly as written

For example, 'ch' is one letter and is pronounced in exactly the same way as in the Scottish 'loch'. 'F' is pronounced as the English 'v' and 'ff' is pronounced as the the English 'F', just as in 'of' and 'off'. 'D' is 'D' but 'dd' is pronounced like the English 'th' in 'thee'. The one difficult letter for non Welsh people seems to be 'Ll' because there is no direct equivalent in any other European language but it is not difficult to learn.

English pronounciation and usage is a minefield compared to Welsh and there are plenty of websites to help you along if you are interested. Having been involved with Ffestiniog Railway for many years, I can assure you that most volunteers from outside Wales adapt quickly and easily and many have acquired a mastery of the language.

 

[blanco]

Maybe a more basic one, but how is Forres pronounced? I've heard it as both 'Fors' and For-rez'...

the people of forres pronounce it forris.

 

[150222]

Plaistow (Plas-tow), Westhoughton (West-hof-ton), Horwich Parkway (Hor-ich), Slaithwaite (Slath-wate), Esher (E-sher), Hackney Wick/Central/Downs (Ack-ney), St Bordeux Ferry Road (Saint Bor-do), Salisbury (Sall-s-berry), Shrewsbury (Shrow-s-bur-rey), Southwark (Suth-walk), South Wimbledon (Saar-f-wim-bowl-dan).
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Ballieston (Bay-lee-s-ton), Becontree (Beck-on-tree), Greenock (Gren-ick).

 

[blanco]

Speaking of which, I heard someone say, recently, that Rutherglen was pronounced Ruglen? Is this correct or a windup? Any scotttish members on here know the definitive answer? Thanks.

some of the old school locals know it as ruglen but for the wider population it is as it looks, rutherglen.

 

[blanco]

Gilshochhill in Maryhill in Glasgow ends up being pronounced as "Gilshyhill", or am I hearing the on-board announcement wrong?

you're hearing it correct, gilshyhill, never understood it myself.

 

[Michael.Y]

The one difficult letter for non Welsh people seems to be 'Ll' because there is no direct equivalent in any other European language but it is not difficult to learn.

Also, if you can get into your head that U is "ee" and Y is "uh" (as in Cymru pronounced cum-ree) you won't be far off.

Also, w in the middle or end of a word tends to be an "oo" sound, as in Llanwrda and Ebbw.

 

[scotsman]

Aberdour - pron. Abur-DOW-er. Despite this, NRE prefers "Aberdoor"

 

[Badger]

Leicester is probably the typical nightmare.

Shrewsbury is definitely like the animal/rodent.

I've always pronounced it shrowsbree as in "shrove tuesday", but all my friends from Shrewsbury pronounce it shroosburry. So I started doing the same. But now it seems to be it's the other way around, noone can make their mind up :roll:

Have also heard Leominster pronounced with an N but I think someone was confusing it with Leinster.


My American friends know Worcester as War Chester (as in War Chester Shier sauce)

 

[tony_mac]

once you work out how to say 'Meols', then you go to 'Meols Cop', and it's different!

 

[trc666]

How about Hertford North and Hertford East - both pronounced 'Hartford'
Meopham pronounced 'Mepham'
Gloucester pronounced 'Gloster'

 

[mralexn]

Liskeard

Said.. Lisk ard

 

[Ivo]

BTW - how are you supposed to pronounce Bures, Witham

Bures is Byur-es I think. Witham is most definitely as shown but with a silent "h".

Surprised no-one's arsked whether Bath should have an R in it.

Don't even go there. Along with Doncaster, I did this one to death in person with a few others last weekend.

It's BARTH! Not Baath or Baaff!

It's so annoying living in a city where my pronounciation of the local area differs to that of most others...!

N.B.: Doncaster - is it Doncarster, Doncaaster, or Donc(a)ster (i.e. quiet but not silent "a")?

 

[Train Pilchard]

Mill-Guy

 

[PR1Berske]

once you work out how to say 'Meols', then you go to 'Meols Cop', and it's different!

I took a train to Meols Cop for a recent non-league groundhop. I have always assumed it's pronounced like a cat's sound with an "l" added for good measure though your post has now made me very uncertain!

As I always get ticket machine tickets I often don't get to check the looks on peoples faces as I mangle their place names

 

[fairysdad]

Frome used to catch me out quite a bit (Frume)... wasn't until my ex-gf started hitting me every time I said it wrong (for 'twas from where she came) that I started getting it right!

Shame this is is only about stations... otherwise I'd possibly also mention the north Devon villages of Woolfardisworthy (Woolsery) and Brayford (~ford not ~fud)...

 

[Mutant Lemming]

N.B.: Doncaster - is it Doncarster, Doncaaster, or Donc(a)ster (i.e. quiet but not silent "a")?

.. or as the locals call it just plain Donny

 

[flymo]

One that has always made me wonder is St. Germans in Cornwall. It is as it is spelled, i.e. Saint Germans or something more alluring?

As for the Alnmouth debate further up the thread, as a Geordie I've always pronounced it Alun-mouth or occasionally as it is spelled, Aln-mouth, but either way the 'l' is always pronounced, unlike, as Yorkie says the nearby town of 'Annick"