hexagon789
Veteran Member
Pretty much. I'd pronounce 'ch' in a soft manner.
As in chew or more the throaty 'ch' of loch?
Pretty much. I'd pronounce 'ch' in a soft manner.
The latter, throaty type. That's how I've always read a 'ch' in Welsh.As in chew or more the throaty 'ch' of loch?
Isn't that "Cooh" in Scotland? Perhaps bough (of a tree) would be a better comparisonHas Stow, on the Borders Railway, been mentioned yet? I remember ScotRail falling down massively on the pronounication of this one when the railway opened, as it was incorrectly pronounced as "Stoh" on the automated on-board announcements until it was corrected - it should be pronounced to rhyme with "cow".
When did people start pronouncing "Newcastle" as "Noocastle"?
It's in the news for the wrong reasons, but a friend of mine just referred to Streatham in London as "Streeth-'am"... and he's a Southerner by birth. I was always under the impression that it was pronounced "Strett-'am".
You are correct.
I was only 99% sure I was, because of that old saying about certainty and foolishness being frequent bedfellows. I was perhaps giving my friend too much credit because he's from South of the Watford gap!You are correct.
It's in the news for the wrong reasons, but a friend of mine just referred to Streatham in London as "Streeth-'am"... and he's a Southerner by birth. I was always under the impression that it was pronounced "Strett-'am".
If I remeber the episode in Only Fools And Horses correctly, uncle Albert calls Streatham 'Saint Reathams' and it takes Del a few seconds to work out where he means.It's in the news for the wrong reasons, but a friend of mine just referred to Streatham in London as "Streeth-'am"... and he's a Southerner by birth. I was always under the impression that it was pronounced "Strett-'am".
Haha! Sounds more like something Hyacinth Bucket would say!If I remeber the episode in Only Fools And Horses correctly, uncle Albert calls Streatham 'Saint Reathams' and it takes Del a few seconds to work out where he means.
'Th' in the middle of words can be confusing. I know Eltham in SE London is Elt-am, but it's definitely Wal-tham-stow, isn't it? Any more similar examples?
If I remeber the episode in Only Fools And Horses correctly, uncle Albert calls Streatham 'Saint Reathams' and it takes Del a few seconds to work out where he means.
What about Northenden in Manchester where rubbish trains to Runcorn load I think.
North-enden or Nor-thenden?
That's an interesting thought, and one I'd never considered. (I have no idea how accurate it may be, but it's really got me thinking...)I suppose it's a bit of a curse as a Welsh learner to notice these things more than local "mamiaith" Welsh speakers.
Same here but there are examples where a large number of incomers have changed the pronunciation.If there is a -tham at the end of a place name I would always pronounce the 't' and the 'h' separately as I would assume that the -ham signified a village or settlement in Anglo Saxon times. However if it is not at the end of a place name as in Northampton, I would pronounce the 'th' as a single sound. OK I realise that there may be exceptions.
I moved to the West Midlands a while ago, and live just on the border of Smethwick and Edgbaston.
To a local, Smethwick is pronounced Smethick, with the emphasis on the first syllable, the W silent and a hard "th" as in then or there
But in dealing with people over the phone, I have heard it pronounced Smeth - wick, with the W pronounced fully, and a soft "th" as in theory or Thanet.
But like when we in the UK call the capital of Belgium Brussels, whereas to a local it is either Brussel or Bruxelles.
I'd say more northun-dunNOR-thenden. With the second and third syllables more like a schwa (well two of 'em).
Yes, Wal-thum-stow. Examples of a 'th' pronounced as a 't', or something else?
Bures - byoorsAlresford, Lyminge, Leominster, Bures, Ruislip.