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

[randyrippley]

At least antii-nuclear campaigners demonstrating against the power station there decades ago knew to pronounce if "Heesham"!

And they were correct

 

[adrock1976]

Some names from the West Midlands that I have hear pronounced incorrectly on radio and TV.
Cradley and Cradley Heath is pronounced Cray-dley not with a short 'a'. These two adjacent places were in different counties and the railway station used to be Cradley Heath and Cradley but is now just Cradley Heath.

Two suburbs of Birmingham Lozells and Nechells pronouned Low-zells and Nee-chells respectively not Loz-'uls and Nech-uls

As I am originally from the West Midlands, another place name that can throw non-natives regarding pronunciation is (although no railway station there) is Brewood in Staffordshire (between Wolverhampton and Stafford).

It is actually pronounced as "Brood" and not as two syllables in "Bre-wood".

 

[Nymanic]

With relatives based in Morecambe, I came to learn Heysham's proper pronunciation by default, without ever questioning it. When studying nuclear power generation in school, I took pride in correcting my GCSE Geography teacher's pronunciation... not that anyone else cared.

Wymondham is a curious one. It's thanks to amended Liverpool-Norwich services in the nineties (engineering, perhaps?) that I got to hear of this town's existence. Seeing a Class 158 to "Windham" pull up at Piccadilly with "Wymondham" on its display was peculiar.

Fast forward to today, and the (American) company I work for has a global directory of all its offices, including one in "Wynmondham". It appears to have been misspelt on our records for years

 

[AlbertBeale]

And they were correct

Indeed - on both counts...

 

[randyrippley]

Indeed - on both counts...

No, only on the name.
At the time without the nuke power we would have been even globally warmer

 

[startingaparty]

Hall i th Wood

 

[61653 HTAFC]

had a ride to leeds from doncaster the other day on a 331 courtesy of the northern 10p tickets and was dissapointed that adwick was said wrong over the PA , it shoud be pronounced A -Dick ( the W remaining silent ) ,the guards never used to get it wrong

Dodworth is another that the PIS gets wrong in South Yorkshire. It should be "Dodd'uth".

 

[AlbertBeale]

No, only on the name.
At the time without the nuke power we would have been even globally warmer

In my judgement you're wrong, but I won't pursue the argument since this isn't the thread for that.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

Marylebone (London) is one - Marylebone is sometimes pronounced like this - Marlebone or
Marylebone: Marilibone.

I'm not sure what the correct pronunciation is on this one.

 

[hexagon789]

Marylebone (London) is one - Marylebone is sometimes pronounced like this - Marlebone or
Marylebone: Marilibone.

I'm not sure what the correct pronunciation is on this one.

I always believed it was the second of those but with the 'bone' elided to roughly 'bun' - so Mar-ih-lih-bun'

 

[trebor79]

With relatives based in Morecambe, I came to learn Heysham's proper pronunciation by default, without ever questioning it. When studying nuclear power generation in school, I took pride in correcting my GCSE Geography teacher's pronunciation... not that anyone else cared.

Wymondham is a curious one. It's thanks to amended Liverpool-Norwich services in the nineties (engineering, perhaps?) that I got to hear of this town's existence. Seeing a Class 158 to "Windham" pull up at Piccadilly with "Wymondham" on its display was peculiar.

Fast forward to today, and the (American) company I work for has a global directory of all its offices, including one in "Wynmondham". It appears to have been misspelt on our records for years

Lots of good ones to confuse non-natives to East Anglia.
Costessy - Pronounced "Cossy". Always a few sniggers when someone gets on a bus asking to go to "Costessy".
Ixworth - "Ickwuth"

 

[Dr_Paul]

Marylebone (London) is one - Marylebone is sometimes pronounced like this - Marlebone or
Marylebone: Marilibone. I'm not sure what the correct pronunciation is on this one.

We've done this one a couple of times over the years. I pronounce it 'Marralabone', but I've heard it pronounced various other ways.

 

[Peter Bonner]

We've done this one a couple of times over the years. I pronounce it 'Marralabone', but I've heard it pronounced various other ways.

One rather similar in Scotland is Burntisland.
Is it Burnt-island? Or Burntis-land?
Or different in a scottish accent?

 

[hexagon789]

One rather similar in Scotland is Burntisland.
Is it Burnt-island? Or Burntis-land?
Or different in a scottish accent?

Burnt-island

 

[Peter Bonner]

Burnt-island

Thank you!

 

[Gareth]

Bryn: heard it pronounced both "breen" and "brin".

Then there's Mythmryoyd or Mrhyroyld or whatever it is. I can't even spell it, let alone pronounce it.

 

[Esker-pades]

Bryn: heard it pronounced both "breen" and "brin".

Then there's Mythmryoyd or Mrhyroyld or whatever it is. I can't even spell it, let alone pronounce it.

'Mytholmroyd'

I would pronounce it as spelt, but I don't actually know.

 

[hexagon789]

Thank you!

No problem, I remember as a child thinking it was Burn-tisland until I was corrected!

 

[hexagon789]

'Mytholmroyd'

I would pronounce it as spelt, but I don't actually know.

My-them-royd, the "th" is voiced as in that, the, then.

 

[Esker-pades]

My-them-royd

Short or long 'y' at the start?

 

[hexagon789]

Short or long 'y' at the start?

"royd" as in hemorrhoids

 

[Esker-pades]

"royd" as in hemorrhoids

No - the other one! 'My' or 'Mi'?

 

[hexagon789]

No - the other one! 'My' or 'Mi'?

Apologies!

"My" to rhyme with by.

 

[Glenn1969]

And Sowerby Bridge too. or "Sorby Bridge"

My-thum-royd has also been heard for the above

We also have the non rail served village of Barkisland which is definitely Bar-kisland

 

[61653 HTAFC]

"royd" as in hemorrhoids

Which is what many an ale-trailer seems to hear (or pretend to hear) on the announcements!

 

[SteveM70]

My-them-royd, the "th" is voiced as in that, the, then.

It’s more of a My-thum-royd really.

And two stations up the valley is Tod-m’dun not the Tod-more-dun you get on some automated announcements

 

[hexagon789]

It’s more of a My-thum-royd really.

That's pretty much what I meant, but it's difficult to convey phonetics without using the IPA as different people tale slightly different pronunciations from the same spellings but the 'e' in 'them' is a shorter than sound than the 'e' in bet and 'them' seemed the closest approximate.

 

[bramling]

And Sowerby Bridge too. or "Sorby Bridge"

My-thum-royd has also been heard for the above

We also have the non rail served village of Barkisland which is definitely Bar-kisland

I've never really got Sowerby Bridge, as locals seem to say it both ways.

Another one which seems to vary is Alnmouth. Outwardly I'd have thought "All-muth" sounds logical, but there seems to be several other variations including "Al-muth" and a particularly flamboyant "Alan-muth". Any ideas which is right, if any of them?! At least Alnwick seems to be fairly clear cut, yet to further muddy the waters its pronunciation doesn't seem to transfer to Alnmouth!

 

[urbophile]

At least Alnwick seems to be fairly clear cut, yet to further muddy the waters its pronunciation doesn't seem to transfer to Alnmouth!

Well it's Annick, if you call that being clear cut. It's not the obvious pronunciation to my mind.

Barnoldswick, which hasn't been on the rail network for many years, always throws non-locals who put the stress on the first syllable. It goes on the second. (That's when you're being posh; if you are a real local it is Barlick.)

 

[transmanche]

Another one which seems to vary is Alnmouth. Outwardly I'd have thought "All-muth" sounds logical, but there seems to be several other variations including "Al-muth" and a particularly flamboyant "Alan-muth". Any ideas which is right, if any of them?! At least Alnwick seems to be fairly clear cut, yet to further muddy the waters its pronunciation doesn't seem to transfer to Alnmouth!

Alnwick seems to be odd one out here.

Most people seem to pronounce the river name as something close to A-lan or A-luhn, with the stress on the first syllable but barely a gap between the two syllables (IPA /ˈæl(ə)n/). Alnmouth follows this, but is definitely 'mouth' and not 'muth' (IPA /ˈæl(ə)nmaʊθ/).