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

[61653 HTAFC]

Arundel is one I'm unsure of. Is it "Arrun-DELL" or "a-rundle"? Or indeed something else entirely?

 

[anti-pacer]

Someone mentioned Mytholmroyd, so to confirm, it's pronounced "My-tham-royd". Nearby Todmorden isn't pronounced "Tod-MORden", it's "Todmer-den".

There's a village near Macclesfield called Wildboarclough. Strangely it's pronounced "Willed-ber-cluff".

Others I can think of are...

Basford in Nottingham - "Baseford"
Blidworth near Mansfield - "Blid'uth"
Rainworth near Mansfield - "Ren'uth"
Heather in Leicesteshire - "Hee-ther"
Blackley in Manchester - "Blakeley"

...and for a laugh... Newton Heath in Manchester - "New'un Eeeeef"

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I've heard Mancunians refer to "Long****e" and inhabitants of WSM to "Weston-super-Nightmare" but I don't think that's a pronunciation thing!

 

[Rover]

Rowsley north of Matlock.

Where I come from we pronouce "Row" as in rowing a boat.
Others say "Row" as in having an argument.

 

[trainophile]

For many a year I thought the automated announcement at Man Picc was saying "Newton Popeye", and only recently found out that it's Newton for Hyde.

 

[Rover]

Bolsover. Seems simple, but...

Too many syllables for the locals they just say "Bolser"

 

[Skipness]

Rowsley north of Matlock.

Where I come from we pronouce "Row" as in rowing a boat.
Others say "Row" as in having an argument.

And nearby is the tramway village at Crich, pronounced with a long i as in lighthouse (appropriate as it is overlooked by Crich Stand with a light at the top)

 

[Clansman]

For those in the Highlands and around Aberdeenshire, Perth is not pronounced "Purth"
The correct pronunciation is "Pearth" (as in "earth")

If you don't pronounce Dunkeld as "Dun-Killed" for example, then you should be able to pronounce Perth correctly.

Those who aren't familiar with these accents might want to take a wee look at this.

Other common ones up here include:

Kingussie: pronounced "King-oos-ee", not "Kin-guh-see"
Carnoustie: pronounced "Car-noos-tee", not "Car-now-stee"
Aberdeen: pronounced "A-bur-deen", not "A-bi-deen"

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Anyone brave enough to try Cwmtwrch Isaf , or Ystalyfera - or (top marks) Cwmllynfell.

 

[IanXC]

Someone mentioned Mytholmroyd, so to confirm, it's pronounced "My-tham-royd".

Hmm. I was trying to nail this one down and locals seemed to suggest "My-thum-royd" too...

For those in the Highlands and around Aberdeenshire, Perth is not pronounced "Purth" [/URL]

More like "Pear-th" as I recall?

 

[2HAP]

Twedds74 and EM2, the ancient Kentish pronunciation of Bearsted is Burr-sted!

 

[Clansman]

More like "Pear-th" as I recall?

Assuming you don't mean it as in the fruit, Pear (but rather like Earth), then yes, it's pronounced that way

Although I've not heard folk say it, I can forgive folk for thinking it's "Pear" as in the fruit, as the correct pronunciation of Perth does sound a lot like "Pear" in some English accents - but with more emphasis on the "r" and obviously the "th" on the end

 

[route:oxford]

Other common ones up here include:

Kingussie: pronounced "King-oos-ee", not "Kin-guh-see"
Carnoustie: pronounced "Car-noos-tee", not "Car-now-stee"
Aberdeen: pronounced "A-bur-deen", not "A-bi-deen"

Similarly.

Bridge of Allan: pronounced Bridge of Ahh lan not Alan

It's clearer when you speak to a local resident and they explain they live in "*Upper* Bridge of Ahh lan".

 

[hexagon789]

Kingussie is pronounced King-yoo-see not King-oos-ee

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Or Snellens in Merseyside.

.

Always heard the 't' in Sint 'Ellens

 

[A Challenge]

Same applies to Matlock Bath (located between Matlock and Cromford).
My local station is Whatstandwell, pronounced exactly as it is spelt, but have several times been asked by booking clerks how it is spelt.

It is (due to being in the south) Barth, but if you insist Matlock Bath.

My mother was born in Marylebone and always pronounced it ''Marry-le-bone'' and I don't believe she so much as visited anywhere in the Midlands in her life. Could be a class thing, may I suggest.

It is, I think Marly-bone is a Home Counties pronunciation. I thought that the local working class pronunciation was more like Marry-le-b'n.

"Incorrect" usage by outsiders can lead to a change. In the 50s Chesham was Chessam (or sometimes Chezzum) but with the infux of outsiders as the town developed after the War, and especially after electrification of the Met it became Chesh-am.

I agree with Marry-le-bone

Frome is often pronounced F-rome instead of Froom by people from outside the area. Bath is definitely pronounced Barth though, never heard anyone who isn't a Northerner say it differently!

I always thought it was -rome...

I live in Overton, about four miles from Micheldever Station, and people who were born here pronounce it Michel Devver.

I would agree. The thing that suprises me is the exsistance of a seperate place called Micheldever Station - 4 km from Micheldever. Its a more extreme version of Worplesdon (which is another place to put in this thread!)

I know someone who sometimes went to Godarlming to do their shopping - they now do it correctly though!

 

[6Gman]

Llwynypia: 'Loin-a-pier'

It simply isn't.

Really isn't.

 

[6Gman]

Anyone brave enough to try Cwmtwrch Isaf , or Ystalyfera - or (top marks) Cwmllynfell.

Easy.

Phonetic.

But in Welsh.

 

[midlandred]

Berkswell is often wrongly pronounced by visitors as Barkswell
It used to be Berkswell and Balsall Common - that's Borsawl by the way!

In the Coventry area there used to be a station at Coundon - some called it, wrongly, Coondun instead of Cowndun - and one at Foleshill, which is locally spoken as Foes-ul

Perhaps it's as well there's no local stations in Cov at Styvechale (Sty-chul), Cheylesmore (Charlsmoor), Allesley (Orsley), Finham (Finnum)

 

[IanXC]

Assuming you don't mean it as in the fruit, Pear (but rather like Earth), then yes, it's pronounced that way

Although I've not heard folk say it, I can forgive folk for thinking it's "Pear" as in the fruit, as the correct pronunciation of Perth does sound a lot like "Pear" in some English accents - but with more emphasis on the "r" and obviously the "th" on the end

Yes absolutely, my mind has gone blank since I posted that - too much Aberdeen influence subduing what I know of how a Perthite(?) would pronounce it.

 

[ValleyLines142]

It simply isn't.

Really isn't.

With a 'Ll' pronunciation it is.

 

[PHILIPE]

Anyone brave enough to try Cwmtwrch Isaf , or Ystalyfera - or (top marks) Cwmllynfell.

Coom-toorch Eesav

Us-tra-luh-vair-a

Coom-thlyn-vethl

The ll sound is difficult to "translate" into English as it spoken by manipulating the tongue behind the teeth.

 

[Dhassell]

Locally you hear Bath Spa pronounced several ways. I think again it's a class thing, Barth Spar if you're posh and Bath Spar if not. I don't recognise 'Baff' though, sounds like a Bristolian joke to me

Normally, I say Bath on its own, if it's on its own, or if I am talking about "Bath Spa", I pronounce it Barth.

inhabitants of WSM to "Weston-super-Nightmare" but I don't think that's a pronunciation thing!

Living in Weston, I have never heard anyone say that, but I have heard many call it Western which really winds me up! :P Where the hell does the ern come from!!!

 

[PHILIPE]

Normally, I say Bath on its own, if it's on its own, or if I am talking about "Bath Spa", I pronounce it Barth.



Living in Weston, I have never heard anyone say that, but I have heard many call it Western which really winds me up! :P Where the hell does the ern come from!!!

I have heard it called "Weston- Super-Donkey"

 

[rf_ioliver]

Coom-toorch Eesav

Us-tra-luh-vair-a

Coom-thlyn-vethl

The ll sound is difficult to "translate" into English as it spoken by manipulating the tongue behind the teeth.

Welsh is easy...its the English ones derived from obscure Danish/Norman French dialects with an orthography that hasn't changed as pronounciations have

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift

The "LL" in Welsh isn't that hard - the technical description however is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_dental_and_alveolar_lateral_fricatives

t.

Ian

 

[Bayum]

Apparently 'Holborn' is not pronounced 'Hol Born' and got me lots of confused looks from Londoners and tourists alike! 'Hoebun', is how they told me it should be said!

 

[ianonteesside]

Or Snellens in Merseyside.

Re the Hoathlys: am I right that one of them is Hoathlye and the other Hoathly? Ardingly is certainly Ardinglye.

Esher always used to throw me: unless you knew you would think it rhymed with fresher, not freesia. (which of course it doesn't, but I couldn't think of a word that did. Freesher of course)

Euxton looks as if it should be a near rhyme to Euston: actually it is Exton.

Thats Sint Ellins to the locals

 

[ianonteesside]

Coxhoe in Co. Durham pronounced Coxer or Coxa

Marske in Cleveland/North Yorkshire pronounced Mask

Crewkerne pronounced Crockern

 

[tsr]

Apparently 'Holborn' is not pronounced 'Hol Born' and got me lots of confused looks from Londoners and tourists alike! 'Hoebun', is how they told me it should be said!

Absolutely correct, but many many people are confused when it is said the "proper" way! "Hoeburn" is also OK.

===

On a separate note, regarding the posts upthread about Marylebone, I can assure you on really quite good authority (well, the local authority, or at least employees thereof, as well as accepted custom of at least one local university campus) that it should be "Marry-le-bone" not "Marley-bone".

The area is named after the church of St Mary le Bourne, St Mary and the Bourne (a local river) being two entirely separate entities, and as such the two parts of the word should be kept as distinct as possible.

 

[Jimini]

One from my upper school days:

Cogenhoe, in Northamptonshire.

From what I could work out from the locals (I'm from London), they pronounced it "cook-nor".

To this day that has made 0% sense to me...