Really strange PIS pronunciations

[Deepgreen]

Redhill used to be consistently stressed on the wrong syllable (on the first, it should be the second), but I have not lived in the area for many years so this may have changed.

I do live in the area and have far more often heard it stressed on the second syllable (in general, as well as by the railway). Even closer to me was the recorded announcement on the North Downs line which included BLetchworth until FGW finally got round to changing it after my complaints!

 

[Mr Pickle]

The automatic announcement on the Northern 156 pronounces Chathill as Shathill...

 

[NorthernUser]

At MAN and LIV, Anne always pronounces Liverpool South Parkway in a completely different tone/intonation to the rest of the announcement- adds that computerised touch I find

 

[reb0118]

Camelon is pronounced “Cam-e-lon” by the PIS when it should be pronounced “Came-lon”.

That's because the train went to the posh school.

 

[Mat17]

On train announcements of Elsecar are somewhat grating to the ears.

Surely Elsie-car would be sufficient, even if locally it's more Elsie-cuh, but the onboard announcements really put stress on the caaar part (think of the doctors, say ahhhhh) Surely no one in Barnsley ever uses that vowel?

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

A very interesting thread. I knew how I pronounced Marylebone before reading it, now I don't know. Each time I say it, it flips between Marra and Marr, but always b'n. And I lived there for a year! Always Hoe-b'n, anything else is evil. I worked in Shropshire for a while and it seemed to be Shrooze. But my main point is about Newcastle. I don't think it's London-centric to say that if a town's name is said in a certain way because of the prevailing accent, that doesn't mean that someone else must say it that way. Using this argument, I find Newcass'l a bit grating. But if there's a peculiarity of missing/adding letters or something not due to the local accent (Milngavie, Manea), then it seems reasonable that everyone should call it that. Some are just convention I suppose - Ewell, Lewes, Loose. If even the great Phil Sayer couldn't always get names right, what hope does anyone else. In any case, I wouldn't say that ATOS Anne's voice is particularly RP, but any problem I have with it is down to how the phrases are constructed rather than the voice itself.

 

[stut]

There's a Peterborough driver who says Arlesey as "Arr-all-a-slee", which is completely wrong. Not a PIS though.

On the 317s, the PIS always used to announce "Arr-less-see". Mind you, the number of people who think it's "Ars-lee" anyway...

 

[Essan]

The incorrectly added extra syllable in Alvechurch used by both ATOS Anne and Julie Berry gets on my nerves. It's 'Alv-church', not 'Alverchurch'.

Maybe that's where the missing syllable from Eve-[er]-sham went

 

[Durradan]

The LNER announcements say Kirkcaldy as "Kir-call-dy" rather than "Kir-caw-dy".

 

[Class800]

ARSE LEE

Lol

Yes KIR CALL DEE does grate!

LNER pronunciation of most stations between Edinburgh and Aberdeen is a bit off anyway - I am sure they said

ED IN BOR OUGH

Not

ED IN BRUH

 

[Dr_Paul]

She's correct, it's Bozzum, definitely not Boshum

I think it's the same with Cosham, just along the coast, which I've heard should be pronounced 'Cozzum'. I recall that Professor Richard Holmes on the War Walks telly programme pronounced it like that.

Wait till the Wisbech line gets reopened, then we'll hear some mispronunciations. I'm pretty sure it should be pronounced 'Wizz-beach', but I've heard various other permutations.

A bloke I knew who grew up near Chesham always pronounced it 'Chezzum', but I've never heard it said that way on Metropolitan line announcements.

The South-Western Railway announcements always stressed the second syllable of Stoneleigh, rendering it as 'Stone-Lee', although nobody I know who lives there says it like that. I don't know if this is still the case since the company changed hands.

My favourite mangling was on the old BBC CeeFax when Leominster was once spelt 'Lempster' on the railway delay page; I imagine that the person doing the editing was told over the telephone of the name and rendered it phonetically, for that is how it's pronounced.

 

[Whistler40145]

I always assumed Kirkcaldy was prounced Kir Coddy

 

[Bob M]

I think it's the same with Cosham, just along the coast, which I've heard should be pronounced 'Cozzum'. I recall that Professor Richard Holmes on the War Walks telly programme pronounced it like that.

Wait till the Wisbech line gets reopened, then we'll hear some mispronunciations. I'm pretty sure it should be pronounced 'Wizz-beach', but I've heard various other permutations.

A bloke I knew who grew up near Chesham always pronounced it 'Chezzum', but I've never heard it said that way on Metropolitan line announcements.

The South-Western Railway announcements always stressed the second syllable of Stoneleigh, rendering it as 'Stone-Lee', although nobody I know who lives there says it like that. I don't know if this is still the case since the company changed hands.

My favourite mangling was on the old BBC CeeFax when Leominster was once spelt 'Lempster' on the railway delay page; I imagine that the person doing the editing was told over the telephone of the name and rendered it phonetically, for that is how it's pronounced.

I think it is Cosh-um and Bozz-um.

 

[peterblue]

Euxton Balshaw Lane rarely gets pronounced correctly. If I recall, the Northern voice pronounces it accurately but the platform announcements on stations such as Wigan NW do not. It is pronounced, somewhat counter-intuitively, as EX-ton

 

[bramling]

I think it is Cosh-um and Bozz-um.

Agreed. I’ve always heard Cosham as above.

 

[DerekC]

I recall riding on one of the first Breda test trains on the Copenhagen Metro and having the Danes working with us in fits of giggles over the Italian lady on the PIS trying to pronounce stations like Ǿrestad, Islands Brygge and Kongens Nytorv in her best American accent. They recorded their own version before opening!

 

[hexagon789]

ARSE LEE

Lol

Yes KIR CALL DEE does grate!

LNER pronunciation of most stations between Edinburgh and Aberdeen is a bit off anyway - I am sure they said

ED IN BOR OUGH

Not

ED IN BRUH

It's Edin-buh-ruh, Edin-bruh is the lazy version.

I always assumed Kirkcaldy was prounced Kir Coddy

It is.

 

[Class800]

One that does irritate a bit is Glasgow Central

Pronounced

GLARS GO SSSEN TRAL

Heard it often on trains and stations in England

I mean it's too much to expect them to say Glasgow like a real native! But that's so over the top and not authentic.

I just say

GLAS GI

or

GLES GI

Originally from near Glasgow.

 

[hexagon789]

One that does irritate a bit is Glasgow Central

Pronounced

GLARS GO SSSEN TRAL

Heard it often on trains and stations in England

I mean it's too much to expect them to say Glasgow like a real native! But that's so over the top and not authentic.

I just say

GLAS GI

or

GLES GI

Originally from near Glasgow.

Glahzz-go Central, unless your one of those "posh" Glaswegians that insists on Glahss-gow with an over sibilant 's'.

Glaass-go is the worst, I don't mind the broad 'a' vowel being used but not incombination with a sibilant 's' consonant, my headteacher pronounced it like that and it was the most painful thing to hear.

 

[SargeNpton]

It's Edin-buh-ruh, Edin-bruh is the lazy version.

And there's me thinking it was Embra.

 

[hexagon789]

And there's me thinking it was Embra.

To myself at least that has always been either a stereotype of the local accent or a joke rather than actually representative of any commonly used pronunciation.

 

[90019]

For a few months after they reopened the borders railway the announcement for Stow was wrong - being pronounced to rhyme with toe when it should rhyme with cow.

 

[Dr_Paul]

Glahzz-go Central, unless your one of those "posh" Glaswegians that insists on Glahss-gow with an over sibilant 's'. Glaass-go is the worst, I don't mind the broad 'a' vowel being used but not in combination with a sibilant 's' consonant, my headteacher pronounced it like that and it was the most painful thing to hear.

I'm a Londoner and I've always pronounced it 'Glazz-go'. I wouldn't pronounce it as a Glaswegian would, as I think that he might feel I'm taking the mickey. The same goes for Newcastle; I wouldn't say it as someone from that city would. These are places where there has long been a (for want of a better term) 'south of England' rendering of the name, and I think that railway announcers using a 'south of England' accent should keep to that norm. They should, I feel, make a good attempt at the local pronunciation when there is no 'south of England' rendering. (Just to confuse matters, I pronounce Budapest as an Hungarian would, that is, Boodapesht.)

 

[londonmidland]

I'm a Londoner and I've always pronounced it 'Glazz-go'. I wouldn't pronounce it as a Glaswegian would, as I think that he might feel I'm taking the mickey. The same goes for Newcastle; I wouldn't say it as someone from that city would.

As mentioned already, the automated announcer at Kings Cross (ATOS Anne aka ‘Digital Dorris’) pronounces Northern locations ‘properly’, bar Glasgow. Newcastle and Doncaster are pronounced with the short ‘a’, despite her having a Southern accent.

A bit off topic but nothing makes me roll my eyes more when people with particularly strong northern accents use Received Pronunciation (RP) or ‘BBC talk’. Just speak as you grew up instead of trying to ‘posh yourself up’.

 

[py_megapixel]

"Bing Bong. Pllaaaatform Twooooo for the Eleveeen Twenty Twooo South West Trains service toooo".

Honestly I find the Waterloo announcement on that voice to be the worst...

..... Lunnnnndunnnnn waterlewwwwww!

 

[hexagon789]

I'm a Londoner and I've always pronounced it 'Glazz-go'. I wouldn't pronounce it as a Glaswegian would, as I think that he might feel I'm taking the mickey. The same goes for Newcastle; I wouldn't say it as someone from that city would. These are places where there has long been a (for want of a better term) 'south of England' rendering of the name, and I think that railway announcers using a 'south of England' accent should keep to that norm. They should, I feel, make a good attempt at the local pronunciation when there is no 'south of England' rendering. (Just to confuse matters, I pronounce Budapest as an Hungarian would, that is, Boodapesht.)

I have no issue with people pronouncing it with a broad 'a' because their natural accent uses such. It's the contrived pronunciations which grate.

 

[kez19]

Its more of a formal announcer I have heard in Glasgow Queen Street (sure the female announcer works between the two Queen Street and Glasgow Central) - but I just laugh at the female announcer in how she pronunces Anniesland (I know its Glasgow) but its the way it comes across sounds more sarcastic for the place.

Regarding LNER: I think the York one sounds weird... sounds more of saying Yoak, not been on LNER since pandemic so no clue if its been updated either!

 

[IamTrainsYT]

Currently sat on a 195 to Sheffield. The PIS lady pronounced Hope, not rhyming as ‘rope’, but ‘Howp’ (in fact the train is in this station now, and she’s done it again). It has the vowel sound of ‘cow’.


EDIT: my prediction is that by post #21, someone will have posted that some locals actually pronounce ‘Slaithwaite’ as ‘Slaithwaite’ not ‘Slawit’.

can confirm, as I go there every day. “Hope” is said as “Hope” and not “Howp”. I’ve noticed A similar pronunciation issue with Chinley - “Chinre” and once again, it’s not said like that.

 

[Brush 4]

I think Milngavie is something like Mullguy. Happisburgh Norfolk is Habrough, which is on the Grimsby line. Nice to see Ronnie Barker being celebrated in the thread title. (young people puzzled by that)

 

[scotrail158713]

I think Milngavie is something like Mullguy

Correct