Accents and Pronounciations

[martin2345uk]

How do you folks pronounce Adidas? Unless Adolf Dassler pronounced the shortened version of his first his first name Adee then surely it should be Adidas and not Adeedas. In Liverpool people seem to pronounce it both ways.

Always pronounced it ADDY-dass with the emphasis on the first A.

 

[cf111]

I'm from Caithness and I sound like I'm from Caithness, it's quite a unique accent.

 

[najaB]

What regional accent do you speak?

Mid-Atlantic. Army brat, moved to the Caribbean at 9 years old, living in Scotland for the last 11 so the accent is a bit of everything and a bit of nothing.

 

[gg1]

I have a Black Country accent. It grows broader when I am talking to members of my family. Short a is used in words like bath and path. I use the older pronunciation for forehead ('forrid') rather than the pronunciation based on the written form. Garage rhymes with porridge. I use a terminal rising intonation for questions but not for statements. Birmingham is pronounced Brummagem. A terminal G is normally sounded - fishing, not fishin'. My use of glottal stops is inconsistent: a bo'le of milk but a fine kettle of fish.

Much the same for me, including individual word pronunciations. My Black Country accent is pretty mild most of the time, but after spending a day with my dad we're heading into Aynuk and Ayli territory

Other pronunciations:
Adidas = Addy-das
Nike = rhymes with like (I always though the alternate pronunciations of these two were exclusively American)
Scone = rhymes with stone

And one that hasn't been mentioned yet:
Shrewsbury = Shrowsbury

 

[maniacmartin]

Lincolnshire accent here, which I'm told is 'generic northern'.
However I sit with northern colleagues who like to compete to talk 'most Yorkshire' (quite unconvincingly). This is wearing off on me, so at work I'll often prefix nouns with t. (e.g. I'm off t' printer to pick up some purchase orders)

 

[Calthrop]

And one that hasn't been mentioned yet:
Shrewsbury = Shrowsbury

For what it's worth: my parents were from Chester, though we were living on the opposite side of England by the time of my birth. They always pronounced that city (which came up in conversation surprisingly often) as "Shroes-bury", as opposed to the "tiny insectivores inhume" way.

 

[Seacook]

My Black Country accent is pretty mild most of the time, but after spending a day with my dad we're heading into Aynuk and Ayli territory

My mother had great uncles called Enoch and Eli.

For Nike I use \ˈnaɪki\ for the goddess of victory and \'naɪk\ when referring to Nike Computing in Wolverhampton or to the sportswear company.

I can't confirm it, but I have always assumed that the war memorial in Dartmouth Park, West Bromwich is a statue of Nike/Victoria.ːI can only find references to it be described as representing victory.

 

[Strathclyder]

Hertfordshire my origin, Glaswegian accent/pronounactions my flavor (having grown up on the fringes of the 'Dear Green Place'). Nothing too special or exotic lol

 

[hexagon789]

For Nike, the Greek Goddess: Nigh-key
For Nike, the US Athletics clothing company: Nike, rhymes with bike (though I believe the usual American pronunciation is the same as for the Greek Goddess), all my friends bar one say Nigh-key though!
For Addidas, as its German, Addy-das, though all my friends seem to say Uh-deed-us.

Shrewsbury is a difficult one, I think I would probably lean towards Shroez-bree over Shrooz-bree.

Regarding place names, there are some less easy to say ones up here in Scotland. The usual one to catch people out is of course Milngavie (Mull-guy), but then there's Wemyss Bay (Weemz Bay), Kingussie (King-you-see), Kirkcudbright (Cur-coo-bree), Anstruther (traditionally Ain-stir (Ain rhyming with pain)) and my personal favourite Kilncadzow, South Lanarkshire which is pronounced Kill-kay-gay!

A few words I'd be curious to know how others pronounce:

Again/Against - I say both with the gain part as the word gain rather than gen.
Yoghurt - yog-urt (yog rhymes with bog)
Ate - rhymes with bet for me
Nephew - I say nev-you rather than neff-you

 

[Phil.]

For Nike, the Greek Goddess: Nigh-key
For Nike, the US Athletics clothing company: Nike, rhymes with bike (though I believe the usual American pronunciation is the same as for the Greek Goddess), all my friends bar one say Nigh-key though!
For Addidas, as its German, Addy-das, though all my friends seem to say Uh-deed-us.

Shrewsbury is a difficult one, I think I would probably lean towards Shroez-bree over Shrooz-bree.

Regarding place names, there are some less easy to say ones up here in Scotland. The usual one to catch people out is of course Milngavie (Mull-guy), but then there's Wemyss Bay (Weemz Bay), Kingussie (King-you-see), Kirkcudbright (Cur-coo-bree), Anstruther (traditionally Ain-stir (Ain rhyming with pain)) and my personal favourite Kilncadzow, South Lanarkshire which is pronounced Kill-kay-gay!

A few words I'd be curious to know how others pronounce:

Again/Against - I say both with the gain part as the word gain rather than gen.
Yoghurt - yog-urt (yog rhymes with bog)
Ate - rhymes with bet for me
Nephew - I say nev-you rather than neff-you

Just because the Americans(those prize winning mis-pronouncers) pronounce Nike as in like doesn't make it correct. Nike is Greek and should be pronounced with all the vowels as in nikee. It's the same with German. People keep pronouncing Porsche "Porsch but the correct pronunciation is Porsch-e.
I was in Shrewsbury a few years ago and to settle my curiosity I asked an inhabitant - after ascertaining that she was born and bred there - about the correct pronunciation. She assured me that only snobs and uppity people pronounced the place as Shroesbury. The correct pronunciation is Shrewsbury.
I still can't ascertain how the people of Norfolk get Hazeborough out of Happisburgh though. Or Wyndham out of Wymondham.

 

[Tetchytyke]

My time in Australia was too young to affect my accent- though I do talk about barbies and stubbies- and I grew up in Bradford so I have a Yorkshire accent. When I'm with my family and when I've had a beer down there it turns into proper Bratfid. The rest of the time, it's fairly soft.

Apart from a few years in the Home Counties, which started making me call my tea "dinner" (shudder), I've lived in the north east for 15 years. Which has affected how I pronounce things, and I do use some Geordie words like hinny and radgie and I keep catching myself saying "with wor". So now with the Yorkshire/north east mix people mostly seem to think I'm from Middlesbrough. Or Carlisle. Thanks for that

As for bizarre place name pronunciations, nobody can beat Torpenhow in Cumbria. Yes, it's pronounced Trepanna, couldn't be owt else could it?

 

[Tetchytyke]

Nike is Greek and should be pronounced with all the vowels as in nikee. It's the same with German.

Interestingly we had a German exchange student called Nike who pronounced her name Nee-ker.

 

[DarloRich]

Apart from a few years in the Home Counties, which started making me call my tea "dinner" (shudder), I've lived in the north east for 15 years. Which has affected how I pronounce things, and I do use some Geordie words like hinny and radgie and I keep catching myself saying "with wor". So now with the Yorkshire/north east mix people mostly seem to think I'm from Middlesbrough. Or Carlisle. Thanks for that

howay man let wor gan doon the toon like bonny lad. Mind that fella in the Feathers is a reet radgie gadgie man

etc.

 

[Tetchytyke]

howay man let wor gan doon the toon like bonny lad. Mind that fella in the Feathers is a reet radgie gadgie man

Are you ***ing **** you **8* **** ****ing ****er

Think that's Sunderland.

 

[Calthrop]

I was in Shrewsbury a few years ago and to settle my curiosity I asked an inhabitant - after ascertaining that she was born and bred there - about the correct pronunciation. She assured me that only snobs and uppity people pronounced the place as Shroesbury. The correct pronunciation is Shrewsbury.

Seems my parents must have been snobs and uppity people, then ...

I still can't ascertain how the people of Norfolk get Hazeborough out of Happisburgh though. Or Wyndham out of Wymondham.

One is forced to the conclusion that Norfolk people are just strange, where place-name-pronunciation is concerned. They pronounce Costessey, "Cossy". And Little Hautbois: Hobbiss or Hobbiz.

There's a robber called Robert from Hautbois,
And looting rich houses his jautbois.
Through windows he wangles
At improbable angles --
A most rubbery robber our Bautbois.

 

[deltic1989]

I've often been told that I sport a "Northern" accent, in normal conversation. This I am told develops into full blown South Yorkshire, when I am exited or angry. I can't really say that I really notice my accent as it's just talking to me.
I suppose I have been infulenced by being born and brought up in Lincolnshire, with a Mother (Mam) from Rotherham, and a Father (Hard A) from Liverpool.
Although my Dad has never spoken with a scouse accent, being brought up by West Yorkshire parents in the West Midlands.
Pronunciation wise, words like glass, bath, and castle only have 1 A in them and it's a hard A, as opposed to the more Southern Glaaaass, Baaaath and Caaaastle. Scone rymes with own, and road sounds more like ru-ad.

I'll be the one to start the argument, what is the object in the attached picture?

 

[prod_pep]

A few words I'd be curious to know how others pronounce:

Again/Against - I say both with the gain part as the word gain rather than gen.
Yoghurt - yog-urt (yog rhymes with bog)
Ate - rhymes with bet for me
Nephew - I say nev-you rather than neff-you

For me it's:

Again/Against - 'uh-gen'/'uh-genst'
Yoghurt - 'yog-uht' ('yoh-gurt' sounds far too American for me)
Ate - 'ett' rhyming with bet
Nephew - 'neff-you'

One Scottish placename I'm ashamed to admit caught me out was Ardrossan. For years I pronounced it with the stress on the first syllable. It's not even a difficult one!

 

[AlterEgo]

I'll be the one to start the argument, what is the object in the attached picture?

A roll or a bap.

 

[godfreycomplex]

I'll be the one to start the argument, what is the object in the attached picture?

A tablecloth
Manxman here who speaks in mostly RP; however my "natural" accent does come out whenever I go back to the Island; I get on the 'plane talking like this un gerrof tawwkin laike dhat (yessir).
Also have some distinctly non-Southern speech-isms; tea not dinner; sofa not settee (yes that is apparently a thing); there is only one r in Doncaster and none in Newcastle. I also gained some mannerisms from my childhood sojourn in Singapore; but no talk bout dah leh. And my mother is a Scot and I grew up watching Irish TV so all in all I suppose my voice sounds quite strange.

 

[Dhassell]

Subtle Somerset accent for me :P

 

[gg1]

I can't confirm it, but I have always assumed that the war memorial in Dartmouth Park, West Bromwich is a statue of Nike/Victoria.ːI can only find references to it be described as representing victory.

The last time I visited Dartmouth Park would have been to see a fireworks display sometime in the early 90s, I was born and bought up in West Bromwich but haven't lived there for over 20 years

Looking at the statue on google images it could well be Nike, she was a certainly a common theme for war memorials although she is often depicted holding a wreath which the Dartmouth park statue doesn't have.

 

[gg1]

I've often been told that I sport a "Northern" accent, in normal conversation. This I am told develops into full blown South Yorkshire, when I am exited or angry. I can't really say that I really notice my accent as it's just talking to me.
I suppose I have been infulenced by being born and brought up in Lincolnshire, with a Mother (Mam) from Rotherham, and a Father (Hard A) from Liverpool.
Although my Dad has never spoken with a scouse accent, being brought up by West Yorkshire parents in the West Midlands.
Pronunciation wise, words like glass, bath, and castle only have 1 A in them and it's a hard A, as opposed to the more Southern Glaaaass, Baaaath and Caaaastle. Scone rymes with own, and road sounds more like ru-ad.

I'll be the one to start the argument, what is the object in the attached picture?

A cob or a bap.

Definitely not a roll (these are the things you put sausages in to make a hot dog) or a bun (which are either topped with icing or a cross)

 

[gg1]

I was in Shrewsbury a few years ago and to settle my curiosity I asked an inhabitant - after ascertaining that she was born and bred there - about the correct pronunciation. She assured me that only snobs and uppity people pronounced the place as Shroesbury. The correct pronunciation is Shrewsbury.

I've heard that from a Shrewsbury local too, it surprised me as I'd always thought the opposite with Shrew being the posher of the two pronunciations.

 

[muddythefish]

Lincolnshire accent here, which I'm told is 'generic northern'.
orders)

No such thing as a "northern" accent; it's a term used by southerners who don't know better.

There's Lancashire accents, Yorkshire accents, Geordie accents, Liverpool, Manchester etc etc and even within those counties accents differ from town to town.

For instance, Blackburn and east Lancashire accent is very different from Bolton and Bury, which are only about 10 miles away.

 

[muddythefish]

I'm from Caithness and I sound like I'm from Caithness, it's quite a unique accent.

Yes, noticed that - softer than lowlands Scotland, with an Irish lilt.

 

[Lankyline]

No such thing as a "northern" accent; it's a term used by southerners who don't know better.

There's Lancashire accents, Yorkshire accents, Geordie accents, Liverpool, Manchester etc etc and even within those counties accents differ from town to town.

For instance, Blackburn and east Lancashire accent is very different from Bolton and Bury, which are only about 10 miles away.

And is different from Preston, in fact there are parts of east lancs that you need a phrase book to help understand the locals ! I have what is called a Preston accent, which is a tendency to emphasise the letter R, no not ooh arrr

 

[muddythefish]

And is different from Preston, in fact there are parts of east lancs that you need a phrase book to help understand the locals ! I have what is called a Preston accent, which is a tendency to emphasise the letter R, no not ooh arrr

Preston, rough end of Lancs

Preston accent ain't as strong as Blackburrrrrn to my ear

 

[Lankyline]

Preston, rough end of Lancs

Preston accent ain't as strong as Blackburrrrrn to my ear

To think i went to school in Blackburn:roll: not my choice !

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Yours is scouse!

Definitely not scouse! Not far off, but not true scouse . Wooly bak is the accent from the Wirral/Cheshire area. If you spoke to me long enough you would definitely pick up the Notts in there too