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

[adamello]

I have to ask -- do even they, do that? I'm of the middle-class persuasion (and possibly a twit); but my speech habits / abilities are such that I'd find it difficult to add a pronounced "r" after a long "a", here.

This stuff gets much discussed when Britons and Americans get into matters of pronunciation. It would seem that on the whole, Americans meticulously pronounce "r"s in words, while Brits don't. The people of Boston, Mass., are among the US's few non-"r"-pronouncers: their compatriots find it hilarious to imitate Bostonians saying such things as "I'll pahk my cah in Hahvahd Yahd". I have trouble imagining how otherwise, I would or could pronounce that sentence.

When I was in Miami can you imagine the confusion on the face of a barmaid when asking for a bottle of water, took a few goes until I said Waaadder then she clicked

 

[Calthrop]

As made famous in ""Horace Batchelor, Department One, Cane-sham, spelt K-E-Y-N-S-H-A-M, Cane-sham, Bristol" and the subsequent eponymous Bonzo Dog Band album.

I assume very few people will understand what I'm wittering on about.

Ah, yes, Horace the 1950s / 60s gambling advertiser / advisor, who broadcast on Radio Luxembourg but whose on-the-ground base for his operations was at Keynsham: became a byword / catch "thing" in Britain in that era -- latched-onto by the Bonzos. I always rather liked a "talking blues" number, by what the trendy types would probably reckon a "nice but soppy" group -- could well have been the Spinners -- concerning a chap's dream about his huge Pools win, and what he did with it: the elaborate enunciation of Keynsham came into play there.

When I was in Miami can you imagine the confusion on the face of a barmaid when asking for a bottle of water, took a few goes until I said Waaadder then she clicked

It does amaze me (who have never been to America) just how difficult this stuff turns out to be, for both sides. I think it was Churchill who spoke of "two nations divided by a common language" -- reckon that that comment nails it, anyway.

 

[2HAP]

Eynsford is "Ains-ford".

 

[Clansman]

Interesting. I had a colleague who lived in Broughty Ferry and it was definitely 'tea' when he said it.

Yes I feel like I keep spoiling the fun with these Scottish ones

Are you sure he didn't emigrate there from up North or South of the border? If not then that certainly is a turnup for the books!

 

[Dan Electro]

All,

Two new, and one a little contentious;

1. Barnetby, pronounced as in the famous bear, should the TPE robot lady be correct.
2. Holytown, pronounced with a double L, as in the festive plant
3. Bridgetown, pronounced Briggton, except if anyone did use the former, they probably would be understood.....

Cheers

DE

 

[Busaholic]

Ah, yes, Horace the 1950s / 60s gambling advertiser / advisor, who broadcast on Radio Luxembourg but whose on-the-ground base for his operations was at Keynsham: became a byword / catch "thing" in Britain in that era -- latched-onto by the Bonzos. I always rather liked a "talking blues" number, by what the trendy types would probably reckon a "nice but soppy" group -- could well have been the Spinners -- concerning a chap's dream about his huge Pools win, and what he did with it: the elaborate enunciation of Keynsham came into play there.



It does amaze me (who have never been to America) just how difficult this stuff turns out to be, for both sides. I think it was Churchill who spoke of "two nations divided by a common language" -- reckon that that comment nails it, anyway.

By-the-by, when I was at Bristol University in the mid 1980s Viv Stanshall, chief vocalist and lunatic of the Bonzos, was living on a houseboat near Bristol Bridge. I remember various things in the Bristol Evening Post, from which I gathered life was quite chaotic for him. Too brilliant to survive!

 

[IanXC]

Are you sure he didn't emigrate there from up North or South of the border? If not then that certainly is a turnup for the books!

He's a born and bread Dundonian!

 

[johnnychips]

1. Barnetby, pronounced as in the famous bear, should the TPE robot lady be correct.

I can think of Yogi and Paddington. Do you mean Barney the dinosaur?

 

[bnsf734]

I was in South Wales yesterday on a train stopping at Pontyclun - the guard annouced it as Pontycleen.

 

[Dan Electro]

I can think of Yogi and Paddington. Do you mean Barney the dinosaur?

Barnaby. Of course, the robot can be wrong. The way the Northern robot pronounces 'belongings' d1cks me off.

And I work in a design office where most people pronounce 'drawings' as 'drawrings', so, maybe I am unduly sensitive.....

 

[PHILIPE]

I was in South Wales yesterday on a train stopping at Pontyclun - the guard annouced it as Pontycleen.

That's right. "u" in Welsh is pronounced as "ee"

 

[Calthrop]

I was in South Wales yesterday on a train stopping at Pontyclun - the guard annouced it as Pontycleen.

That's right. "u" in Welsh is pronounced as "ee"

But "y" is pronounced "uh", is it not? -- so if he said "Pont-ee-cleen", his second vowel would have been wrong...

 

[PHILIPE]

But "y" is pronounced "uh", is it not? -- so if he said "Pont-ee-cleen", his second vowel would have been wrong...

You are correct there but I was only concentrating on the "clean" bit. It is generally pronounced as "Pont-i-cleen"

 

[quarella]

2 stops on from Pontyclun we have Pencoed. Generally accepted as Pencoyed, unless you live there when it is Pencode.

 

[sk688]

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

 

[PeterC]

But "y" is pronounced "uh", is it not? -- so if he said "Pont-ee-cleen", his second vowel would have been wrong...

I have seen books on Welsh that give the "uh" pronunciation for "y" but when I lived in Aberystwyth and staying with relatives in the Eastern Valley I only heard a shortish "i" (shorter than "ee" but not quite the "i" in "bin"). In Aber using the "uh" marked you down as somebody who had learned Welsh as a second language.

With the extensive teaching of Welsh since I lived there 40 years ago I don't know if textbook pronunciations are displacing dialect ones for place names at all.

 

[adrock1976]

On my previous visits to Cardiff Central, I have heard Bargoed both pronounced as "Bar-god" (Welsh announcements) and as "Bar-goid" (English announcements). Not sure which one is correct, or if both are.

Furthermore, I have heard Abertawe to refer to Swansea, which I do get as the mouth of the River Tawe is at Swansea looking at a map.

The Great Western Railway (TOC) booking engine as Caerphilly spelt as "Caerffilli", which is easy to work out as I think there is no "ph" in the middle of a word nor a "y" to end a word in the Welsh language. Perhaps some of the Welsh members of the forum could confirm if that is the case or not?

 

[Dr_Paul]

As made famous in ""Horace Batchelor, Department One, Cane-sham, spelt K-E-Y-N-S-H-A-M, Cane-sham, Bristol" and the subsequent eponymous Bonzo Dog Band album. I assume very few people will understand what I'm wittering on about.

'Keynsham... Tell me more about Keynsham.' -- as the great Vivian Stanshall once said it.

 

[InOban]

BTW there's an identical thread within Infrastructure and .... I've bounced it up, but I don't know whether the kids can merge them.

I've heard Corrour pronounced with - our. The Gaelic is coire odhar, so it's - ur

 

[PHILIPE]

On my previous visits to Cardiff Central, I have heard Bargoed both pronounced as "Bar-god" (Welsh announcements) and as "Bar-goid" (English announcements). Not sure which one is correct, or if both are.

Furthermore, I have heard Abertawe to refer to Swansea, which I do get as the mouth of the River Tawe is at Swansea looking at a map.

The Great Western Railway (TOC) booking engine as Caerphilly spelt as "Caerffilli", which is easy to work out as I think there is no "ph" in the middle of a word nor a "y" to end a word in the Welsh language. Perhaps some of the Welsh members of the forum could confirm if that is the case or not?

"ff" ((soft f) is the same sound as "ph" but the latter is used as what is known as a mutation, an "h" following a "p" (applies to "t" and "c" also) this mutation applying if following an "a" either on it's own (and) or if it is at the end of a word. Your other observations - I can't think of a word with "ph" in the middle off the top of my head but "th" and "ch" can come in the middle, but "y" can come at the end and pronounced as "i" as in ysbyty (hospital). I also stand to be corrected on this if wrong.

 

[37 418]

BTW there's an identical thread within Infrastructure and .... I've bounced it up, but I don't know whether the kids can merge them.

I've heard Corrour pronounced with - our. The Gaelic is coire odhar, so it's - ur

It should rhyme with 'pour' the Gaelic is pronounced (roughly)
'Korr-uh OH-ur'

 

[AY1975]

I've heard announcers pronounce Droitwich Spa as "Drewtwich Spa".

 

[AY1975]

Mytholmroyd

My-tholm-royd (as in "my", not as in "myth").

I believe it is sometimes also pronounced "Malmroyd".

 

[Welshman]

My-tholm-royd (as in "my", not as in "mytMyh").

I believe it is sometimes also pronounced "Malmroyd".

Being brought-up in Halifax and the Calder Valley, I can vouch that in my experience it was always "My-thumroyd"

 

[backontrack]

Lyminge

Limminj.

 

[backontrack]

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Clan-vire-pooth-gwyn-gill-go-ger-eth-oich-en-drob-ooth-clan-ty-sil-ee-o-go-go-goch.

 

[backontrack]

a) Slaithwaite

Slawit.

And one without a railway station:

Torpenhow

pronounced Tre-pen-ah

There's a few of these.

ASPATRIA: Spee-AH-tree
TORPENHOW: Trepennuh
MUNGRISDALE: Mun-GRIZE-dale
LAMPLUGH: Lampl'
SOUTHWAITE: Suthut
SKIDDAW: SKID-daw
SCAFELL PIKE: SCAW-fell Pike

 

[Bevan Price]

Between Halifax & Bradford, there is a tunnel and closed station "Wyke".

Is this pronounced to rhyme with "Like", or "Wick", or something else ???

 

[randyrippley]

non-railway, but in Lancashire you have:
Claughton (pronounced Clafton)
Claughton-on-Brock (pronounced Clyton)
while Birkenhead has
Claughton (pronounced Clawton)

Also Lancashire
Quernmore (pronounced Kwormer)

Somerset
Tintinhull (pronounced Tint-null

 

[Welshman]

Rhymes with "like"