Trivia: Place names that you're not sure how to pronounce

[TimboM]

Have we had Rugeley yet (as in Rugeley Trent Valley)?

Is it roog-ley; rouge-ley; roo-ger-ley; or something else...??

 

[D6975]

Bath is definitely pronounced Barth though, never heard anyone who isn't a Northerner say it differently!

really???

I live in Bristol, just next door to Bath and we all say Bath round my way, not Barth.

 

[D6975]

Almondsbury anybody?

The one near Bristol is pronounced Arm-unds-bry by everyone I know.
Frome, both the town and the river that flows through Bristol are pronounced Froom.

 

[InOban]

The one near Bristol is pronounced Arm-unds-bry by everyone I know.
Frome, both the town and the river that flows through Bristol are both pronounced Froom.

Same as the area in Edinburgh, then.

Some more Scottish ones;
Leuchars = Look-ars
South Gyle =South Guy-l
Rosyth = Roz-eye-th
Stranraer = Stran-rar
Ardlui = Ard-loo-ie

One that's stumped me recently is Gullane, where The Open (the golf competition) was hosted a few years ago. I've always known it to be Gull-in, sounds like seagull, but people have told me it's to be Gool-in. Any ideas?

I was always told Gull-in, but I've heard recently that it's often now pronounced as written, with the emphasis on the second syllable. Never heard of Gool-in.

 

[Traveller54]

I was always told Gull-in, but I've heard recently that it's often now pronounced as written, with the emphasis on the second syllable. Never heard of Gool-in.

This may be another example of how the old local pronunciations are being diluted possibly to the point of eventual extinction due to increased mobility and inward migration, similar to Dalry (Dool-rye) as mentioned earlier.

It would be a shame if these local dialects died out completely, my dad came from Clackmannanshire and I cringe when I hear Tillicoultry pronounced as written, it should be Tilli-cootry.

In East Ayrshire, Newmilns is pronounced Newmills and I have heard Catrine pronounced Cau'rin.

 

[Traveller54]

Another example from Wales which I don't think has been mentioned yet is Penychain which I first came across on a family holiday to Butlins, Pwllheli in 1970. I only recently discovered its correct pronunciation is something like Pen-uch-ayn. Welsh posters please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Calthrop]

Bath is definitely pronounced Barth though, never heard anyone who isn't a Northerner say it differently!

really???
I live in Bristol, just next door to Bath and we all say Bath round my way, not Barth.

Off-at-a-tangent and not illuminating; but, another rhyme which I can't resist -- involving a fresh mutation of pronouncing the city of Spa and Green Park, and inspired by the office of Bishop of Bath and Wells.

The people of Wells
Have a cathedral all to theirsel's;
But of their bishop they have to give half
To Baaf.

 

[DuncanS]

Greenock is often mispronounced Grennock by those who live nearer Greenwich, a radio 2 DJ did just that this morning.
I've heard Kirkcaldy wrongly pronounced Kirk-kal-dee.
Places that no longer have a station, Muthill and Grandtully also cause confusion to non locals.

Falkirk is always a source of amusement when mentioned by anyone on the TV or Radio in England. They automatically go posh and try and say it as Fal-kirk when its actually Fall-Kirk

 

[DuncanS]

I've always heard Dalry, Ayrshire pronounced as Dal (rhymes with pal) -ry (rhymes with by).

Pronunciations of the Scottish placenames I listed and a few more:

Camelon - Kay-meh-lun

Nope.

Its Camelon as in Kremlin but without the R if you are local and Came-Lun if not, Kay-meh-lun and the Scotrail Cam-Eh-Lon are a sure sign of being an incomer.

I'm a mariner so I know this one

 

[goblinuser]

Fry-urn Bar-nit.

I always thought it was Colney Hatch up that way.
But in all my years living in London, I never heard it pronounced 'Free-urn'.

Interesting, I have heard everything from "Fern Barnet" to "Fairn Barnet" and "Fry-urn Barnet". Never sure whether the first R is silent!

 

[Thebaz]

On the A25 in Surrey lies the picturesque village of Abinger Hammer.
I've always pronounced Abbinjer, but have absolutely no idea if that's right...

My mother is from "deepest" Surrey and has always pronounced it as Ab-in-jer, Though some people also say A-binger (as in someone who binges.)

 

[Essan]

Evesham can be pronounced Eve-shum or Eve-ur-shum (the latter used by locals). But in local dialect (now almost extinct) it was Ay-sum .....

 

[quarella]

Between Weston-super-Mare and Bristol you have Worle (Whirl not Wall) and some get in a bit of a pickle over Nailsea and B(L)ackwell.

What to do with Llantwit Major? A Ll in English. The Welsh is Llanilltud Fawr. It is usually Lantwit.

 

[Dr_Paul]

What to do with Llantwit Major? A Ll in English. The Welsh is Llanilltud Fawr. It is usually Lantwit.

Llantwit Major, or at least its first word (the second word is a translation), must be about the worst mutilation of a Welsh name by English speakers. As 'Dolgelley' has been officially rendered as Dolgellau for many years and the only examples of the English rendering that remain are on a few elderly mile-posts, it does seem odd that Llanilltud Fawr continues to suffer the indignity of a particularly crude Anglicisation.

 

[Calthrop]

Llantwit Major, or at least its first word (the second word is a translation), must be about the worst mutilation of a Welsh name by English speakers. As 'Dolgelley' has been officially rendered as Dolgellau for many years and the only examples of the English rendering that remain are on a few elderly mile-posts, it does seem odd that Llanilltud Fawr continues to suffer the indignity of a particularly crude Anglicisation.

I suppose the survival of the "bad old spelling" couldn't be due to behind-the-scenes machinations by Anglophones who enjoy the comedy of a village name which appears to celebrate, a major twit ?


Not a place which ever had a railway station, as such; but, an East Midlands curiosity of which I’m fond (and with, for me, family links): the village of Croxton Kerrial in the far north of Leicestershire -- pronounced “CROH-sun CARR-i-ul”. Its nearest passenger station ever, was Harby & Stathern on the Great Northern / LNW Joint system; and it was approached yet more closely by the GNR’s Waltham / Eaton, and Denton / Harlaxton, ironstone branches.

 

[ianonteesside]

Maesteg in South Wales looks like its pronounced May-steg but is My-steg

 

[Parallel]

Maesteg in South Wales looks like its pronounced May-steg but is My-steg

Isn't it more 'My-stay-g'? (Overheard a Welsh speaker at Cardiff a few weeks back saying it)

 

[High Dyke]

Someone posted about southwell in Nottinghamshire. I pronounce it as South-well, but my good lady calls it Suth-ell.

A few more Linkisheer ones to consider.
Folkingham - Fockingham
Threekingham - Threckingham
Stroxton - Stro-sun
Aslackby - Anyone want a crack at this?

Over the border into Leicestershire and you get
Coston - Co-sun
Wymondham pronounced as spelt and not like the location in Norfolk.
Sproxton - Spro-sun

And finally, which causes much mirth in the Test Match Special (TMS) commentary box.
Belvoir - pronounced beaver.

 

[CentralTrainer]

Have we had Rugeley yet (as in Rugeley Trent Valley)?

Is it roog-ley; rouge-ley; roo-ger-ley; or something else...??

Roo-shley

 

[PHILIPE]

Isn't it more 'My-stay-g'? (Overheard a Welsh speaker at Cardiff a few weeks back saying it)

Correct

 

[co-tr-paul]

No time to read all 12 pages but I live in Cornwall and can speak a bit of Cerltic P so need I say any more...... ! Has Frome in Somerset been mentioned yet ?
It is snerff, snives, snozzle and men's pants but isles of Scilly not silly Ilse. Looe is loo but loe pool/bar is low and praa sands is pray.

 

[DerekC]

For a change here's one the other way round -

Snorbens

No, no, no. It's Snorbums

My best German version of an English station name was produced by my former boss - Noon-eh-ah-ten.

 

[2HAP]

Snettisham, Norfolk - Sneez 'am
Stiffkey, Norfolk - Stewkey

Wymondham, Norfolk - Wind'am
Wymondham, Leics - Wye-mund-'am

Launceston, Cornwall - Larnston
Launceston, Tasmania - Laun-cess-ton

Meopham, Kent - Mepp'um
Deopham, Norfolk - Deef'am

 

[Ianno87]

I remember Sanquhar ("Sankar") confusing 9 year old me (My best guess at the time was "Sank-war-harr")

And while I'm on the S-es, how *is* Sandbach pronouned? My Dad taught me "Sandback", but station announcers reckon "Sandbatch".

 

[steevp]

Aslackby - Anyone want a crack at this?

Ayzel-bee?

 

[stephen rp]

I once had an Irishman ask for a ticket to Taunton. He wanted Thornton Cleveleys.

Levenshulme not Leevenshulme.

Winwick pronounced Winnick. Even new stuff causes problems. The giant Omega development in Warrington is Oh-mee-ga but stress on first or second syllable but I heard o-megga (half the warehouse workers are eastern European but I imagine it's only any Greek speakers that get it right). I say ohmigga.

Cholmondley of course = Chumley.

I presume Featherstone is as it looks. The surname Featherstonehough is (of course) Fanshaw.

I'm sure I heard the porter on the platform at Forfar shout Ferfer. As in Forfar 4 East Fife 5.

I think some of the "local" names are affectations. On Skye if we said Edinbane as in Edinburgh it was corrected to Eedinbane - and vice versa!

In Portillo mode, it was probably the coming of the railways that meant a lot of local pronunciations got diluted.

 

[Scotty]

Ayzel-bee?

Correct, not far from Osbournby (Ozzen-bee)

 

[westv]

Witham in Essex - pronounced Witam
Witham in Hull - pronounced Witham

 

[Dr_Paul]

I knew a bloke from Chesham, on the Met in Buckinghamshire, who pronounced it Chezzum, but I've never heard it said that way by anyone else.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I once had an Irishman ask for a ticket to Taunton. He wanted Thornton Cleveleys.

Levenshulme not Leevenshulme.

Winwick pronounced Winnick. Even new stuff causes problems. The giant Omega development in Warrington is Oh-mee-ga but stress on first or second syllable but I heard o-megga (half the warehouse workers are eastern European but I imagine it's only any Greek speakers that get it right). I say ohmigga.

Cholmondley of course = Chumley.

I presume Featherstone is as it looks. The surname Featherstonehough is (of course) Fanshaw.

I'm sure I heard the porter on the platform at Forfar shout Ferfer. As in Forfar 4 East Fife 5.

I think some of the "local" names are affectations. On Skye if we said Edinbane as in Edinburgh it was corrected to Eedinbane - and vice versa!

In Portillo mode, it was probably the coming of the railways that meant a lot of local pronunciations got diluted.

Well played in mentioning the Cholmondleys and Featherstonehaughs! Featherstone near Wakefield is of course Fetherstun, rather than just "Fan". Can you imagine? Home of the rugby league side, Fan Rovers!