Station pronunciation

[61653 HTAFC]

Is Micheldever supposed to be Mitchel-Devver or Mitchel-Diva, or even something other than those? I heard it pronounced both ways this morning, but can't recall having ever heard in conversation/spoken by a local.

It's announced as the latter, until I heard so I always assumed the "Michel-" bit was pronounced á la Monsieur Platini.

 

[8H]

The digital announcing can be desperate on local ear holes!

On the Borderlands route Wrexham Bidston is the Wirral station Heswall.

Local English speakers would say Hezwull, and North Walians, Hesswall.

In both cases above the syllables are evenly stressed.

However in digispeak it is mangled into Hezz-whoaarl with a big stress on the second syllable.

I know, it doesn't matter, but it does !! AAARRRGGGHHH !!!!!!!!

 

[alxndr]

It's announced as the latter, until I heard so I always assumed the "Michel-" bit was pronounced á la Monsieur Platini.

I'd have guessed the former! Then again I did make a complete mockery of Teignmouth until I finally heard someone else say, was very grateful I'd opted to use a TVM that day.

 

[Asterix2012]

Anstruther on the old East of Fife line pronounced "Ainster"

 

[47271]

Anstruther on the old East of Fife line pronounced "Ainster"

I agree with Anstruther, and I'm glad you've revived this long forgotten thread, last seen in October, you've reminded me...

Staying in Scotland, noone answered my last question here from three months ago, and it's a busy station still very much with us - Polmont?

 

[urbophile]

As a native of Keighley I can sympathise with those who are unaware of its idiosyncratic pronunciation. Keith-ly is the standard, but some locals (maybe of an older generation) would say Keet-leh.

On Merseyside we have Meols (Mells); Aigburth (Eggb'th); Maghull (M'gull). And maybe one reason why the old CLC line was never re-opened as far as Gateacre is that the management were confused by pronouncing it as Gate-acre and not Gatticker.

 

[farci]

Just be grateful we don't have to cope with Danish place names. The Danish language elides words which makes them difficult to pronounce for foreigners anyway.

I also defy any native English speaker to ask DSB for a ticket to Middelfart or Aars with a straight face

 

[61653 HTAFC]

As a native of Keighley I can sympathise with those who are unaware of its idiosyncratic pronunciation. Keith-ly is the standard, but some locals (maybe of an older generation) would say Keet-leh.

On Merseyside we have Meols (Mells); Aigburth (Eggb'th); Maghull (M'gull). And maybe one reason why the old CLC line was never re-opened as far as Gateacre is that the management were confused by pronouncing it as Gate-acre and not Gatticker.

I've heard comers-in attempting to gentrify Keighley by pronouncing it like the song by Marillion. I was never aware of the Gateacre one so you've possibly saved me some blushes there. There's dispute amongst locals of Brockholes about how much stress should be placed on the second "o"- Brockles in the valley bottom or Brock-oles on the hillside. Always drop the aitch though.

 

[scotsman]

I agree with Anstruther, and I'm glad you've revived this long forgotten thread, last seen in October, you've reminded me...

Staying in Scotland, noone answered my last question here from three months ago, and it's a busy station still very much with us - Polmont?

Pole-mnt. The second syllable rarely features a vowel sound

 

[Class172]

How is Shrewsbury pronounced? The wrong way according to the local you are speaking to whichever option you choose.

My pronunciation of Shrewsbury tends to swing between the two with equal frequency.

Haha.. sounds about right! As a Salopian I, like many, just call it Salop..... tends to avoid the big debate

But not the London habit of dropping the first letter if its a "H" eg 'Ammersmith, 'Ackney.....

That's certainly not unique to the capital... 'alifax, 'uddersfield, and 'emmel 'empstead are often heard too.

You don't hear 'ebden Bridge since the chattering classes invaded though!

'H' gets lopped of words frequently around Worcestershire also. I know myself that I never pronounce Hereford, Hertford in normal conversion with the H at the start.

It annoys me much when people pronounce Malvern as 'mal-vern' when the local pronunciation tends towards 'mol-vurn'.

At least most Brits know how to pronounce Worcester(shire), unlike the Americans, who appear to often have great difficulty.

 

[exile]

Slaithwaite is spelled that way because that's the way it was originally pronounced.

 

[Oswyntail]

Early in my life in Yorkshire, I was bemused when the driver and guard of my train into Bradford mocked the pronunciation by the PIS on the train of "Frizinghall" as "Fry-zing-hall". They really did find it very amusing. The trouble is, in over twenty years here, I have never heard it pronounced differently.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Irish names are often unpronounceable to foreigners, even the Anglicised versions that are used for most places. The written name of my hometown Dun Laoghaire is a completely different word to that used in speech so without knowing it nobody is going to pronounce it correctly.

Dun Lee-ry ?

sounds good

 

[berneyarms]

sounds good

Doon Leerah would be the correct pronunciation (ish) of Dún Laoghaire.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Doon Leerah would be the correct pronunciation (ish) of Dún Laoghaire.

Thanks - sorry never knew that and my grand children are Irish - born in Galway. They attend Gaelic language school and are taught in this language.

 

[berneyarms]

Thanks - sorry never knew that and my grand children are Irish - born in Galway. They attend Gaelic language school and are taught in this language.

Most people just say Dun Leery - but the correct pronunciation is as above.

 

[urbophile]

Early in my life in Yorkshire, I was bemused when the driver and guard of my train into Bradford mocked the pronunciation by the PIS on the train of "Frizinghall" as "Fry-zing-hall". They really did find it very amusing. The trouble is, in over twenty years here, I have never heard it pronounced differently.

I was born, and lived in the area for some years, and I've never heard it called anything else.

Someone upthread mentioned Burscough (West Lancs): I'm told locals call it Busker or something, but we scousers just a few miles down the road always say Bers-coe. Similarly (though not rail connected) nearby Scarisbrick is Scaresbrick to the locals but Scar-is-briccch to us (with the guttural scouse final K sound)

 

[TUC]

Thanks - sorry never knew that and my grand children are Irish - born in Galway. They attend Gaelic language school and are taught in this language.

When we lived in Belfast my son got a job in a supermarket where one of his roles was to make announcements over the PA system when a specific member of staff was needed. It was a constant source of amusement to his colleagues how he regularly accidently mangled the pronunciation of members of staff with Irish names.

 

[InOban]

I'm posting on this to bring it to the top. Exactly the same topic has reappeared under Trivia. I wonder whether the clever mods can merge them.

 

[37 418]

OK, here goes:

KinYOOssie
Mulgy
Weems Bay
Tine-drum
Bridge of Orky
Coo-ROR
Lokh-ail-ort
Mo-RAR
Mall(as in pal)-aig
Tay-nult
Al(pal)-ness
Ard-guy
Lair-g
Kil-DOH-nan
Altna-BREK

Other common ones I've somehow picked up:

Stran-RAR
Dal-RYE

Hope those are all right...

With regards to Alness, the local pronunciation is AL-ness or ALL(rhymes with ball)-ness, the lowland Scots tend to pronounce it (incorrectly) with stress on the 2nd syllable, possibly thinking its related to Inverness. The opposite of course happens to Aviemore which is stressed on the 3rd syllable (Avie-MORE) - from Gaelic An Aghaidh Mhòr (the great slope/face).

 

[AY1975]

The long station name of "Alnmouth for Alnwick". The 'L' is pronounced in Alnmouth but not in Alnwick. (The latter being yet another silent W of course...)

I think it's more like "Alanmouth" than "Aln-mouth" (see also my thread on place names you're not sure how to pronounce at https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/trivia-place-names-that-youre-not-sure-how-to-pronounce.149178).

 

[Parallel]

I've heard Alnmouth pronounced by automated station announcements as both "Aln-mouth" and "Aln-muff".

Most seem to pronounce Exmouth 'Ex-muff' but I've heard some local conductors to the area say 'Ex-mouth'. Interesting

 

[Class800]

shows an automated announcement of Upper Tyndrum as TIN DRUM, whereas the vowel should be the same as in the word TIE.

 

[Bald Rick]

shows an automated announcement of Upper Tyndrum as TIN DRUM, whereas the vowel should be the same as in the word TIE.

I’ve stayed in Tyndrum several times, and have asked that question of the locals. Opinion is divided!

 

[InOban]

The Gaelic pronunciation would certainly be as in TIE.

 

[CW2]

Or Szczebrzeszyn...

I got off at Szczebrzeszyn once, a planned circular route that was changed to an out-and-back move due to mega late running of the northbound overnight from Krakow. Try writing that in your notebook when it's the small hours of the morning and way below zero...

 

[hexagon789]

I’ve stayed in Tyndrum several times, and have asked that question of the locals. Opinion is divided!

This is one I always assumed the announcements were correct on, given that spelling wise one would tend towards Tyne-drum, and so I never looked it up.

My book on Scottish placenames gives it as Tyne-drum not Tin-drum, so it does appear the announcements are incorrect.

 

[prod_pep]

I'm fairly sure the automated announcements get Banavie's pronunciation wrong as well. It's 'BAN-uh-vee' not 'ban-EY-vee' ('EY' as in 'hey').

Network Rail's Scottish announcer seems to be just as good at getting pronunciations wrong as the loathsome Anne.

 

[Dr_Paul]

I got off at Szczebrzeszyn once, a planned circular route that was changed to an out-and-back move due to mega late running of the northbound overnight from Krakow. Try writing that in your notebook when it's the small hours of the morning and way below zero...

Although they look a right mouthful, Polish names are fairly easy to grasp once you've learnt the alphabet, which does contain some letters and combinations of letters that are peculiar to the language. The Wikipedia page on the Polish alphabet is useful, and knowing someone who speaks the language is of course helpful. I surprised the shop assistant in my local Polish delicatessen by asking for Pierogi z Mięsem (meat dumplings) and Śląska porkers without mangling the words too much.

 

[py_megapixel]

Llandudno is a mess.

It should roughly be "Cthlan-did-noe." Sometimes the automated announcer pronouces it like that and sometimes as "Lann-dud-noe"
I've even heard "Calling at Lann-dud-noe Junction, Deganwy and "Cthlan-did-noe."