Phil Sayer Lost the plot?

[Oswyntail]

Why is it that we can have indignant Welsh jibberjabbering about how to pronounce their place names, but if we English do the same about their mangling of simple names like Newport and Bristol we get flamed as racists .
I used to live in a village called Trerhingyll - even the natives couldn't agree on that one.

 

[Greenback]

I would like to know where "care-swiss" came from, though. It doesn't even look like that. I would have thought that the lack of a vowel would make the "W" a vowel sound? Along the lines of "care-soohs"?

That's pretty close as far as I am concerned!

It was my over-Anglified equivalent of a few Welsh places in an attempt to prove a point about English people and Welsh place names .

And 'Puh-hlel-lee' isn't understandable as Pwllheli then? :?

It's understandable, I'd know where you were talking about but it's also funny! I was stopped in the street when I was about 17 by two Americans in a car asking for directions to laneleye - it was only when I looked at their map did I realise they wanted Llanelli!

Why is it that we can have indignant Welsh jibberjabbering about how to pronounce their place names, but if we English do the same about their mangling of simple names like Newport and Bristol we get flamed as racists .
I used to live in a village called Trerhingyll - even the natives couldn't agree on that one.

Indignant Welsh jibberjabbering?!!! I cam only speak for myself, but I was merely pointing out that to me, and to many Welsh people, the way that Phil Sayer pronounced Pontypridd was amusing! Just ass my ignorant pronunciation of Happisburgh and Potter Heigham in Norfolk produced great amusement to the natives in 1996! To further prove the difficulties, imagine the reaction I got when I tried to purchase a ticket to 'Kiley' (Keighley) at Leeds in 1985!

Just a bit of fun, as I'm sure your post is Oswyntail!

 

[Deerfold]

Why is it that we can have indignant Welsh jibberjabbering about how to pronounce their place names, but if we English do the same about their mangling of simple names like Newport and Bristol we get flamed as racists .
I used to live in a village called Trerhingyll - even the natives couldn't agree on that one.

Northern and their predecessors have been misprouncing Sowerby Bridge on their automated annoucements for about 20 years now

I mentioned it some years ago, but nothing was done. Makes me cringe everytime I hear it though.

(It's prounounced sore-bee, not s-ow-er-by).

 

[Greenback]

There we go, another one I would have got wrong!

 

[Ivo]

Well then, think about this one. The phoneme "ough" has something like eight different pronunciations. A teacher at my school placement told me that she had some American friends over once who needed to visit Slough. So guess their response:

"Oh, um, we need to get to, um, Slow? Or, Sloff? Or, Slough? Or, Slugh?"

We have so many for this one it is ridiculous. Slough aside, there are may places ending in "borough", e.g. Farnborough, we have Brough (~ Bruff I hope!) and then one I am not sure of, Burscough, which I hope is Burs-ker (but probably isn't).

Just as well we don't have "foreign" voiceovers as such I suppose. We'd be the laughing stock of all English-speaking countries' railways...

 

[Greenback]

I did read in a rail magazine many years ago that Burscough could be either Burs-ker or Bear's Coe, depending where in the area you were born!

 

[Lampshade]

How about Mytholmroyd? :P

I assumed it was Mith-olm-royd but I heard it announced at Hebden Bridge today and I was like WTF?

 

[Ivo]

There aren't any guides to settlement pronunciations out there, by chance? Mind you, the entries would be predominantly Welsh...

I remember shortly after I arrived in Bath I got on a bus to Frome. I had always thought of it as being pronounced as "FROAM" (due to the split phoneme caused by the "Magic E" - remember that? :mad, so when I showed my bus pass and declared, "FROAM please", the driver's response was, "Where?" I felt like such an idiot...

P.S.: It's FROOM.

 

[Oswyntail]

Try pronouncing Bradford and omitting the "t" if you wish to be mocked in the West Riding.

 

[Deerfold]

Try pronouncing Bradford and omitting the "t" if you wish to be mocked in the West Riding.

Or Brunley (sic) a little further west.

 

[Lampshade]

Try pronouncing Bradford and omitting the "t" if you wish to be mocked in the West Riding.

Do elaborate?

Aside from there being no 't' in Bradford :?

 

[Geezertronic]

People should try saying Birmingham properly instead of Burminum

 

[Oswyntail]

Do elaborate?

Aside from there being no 't' in Bradford :?

"Brattfud"

 

[Deerfold]

"Brattfud"

I'd say it's more "Bradtfud".

 

[Ivo]

I'd say it's more "Bradtfud".

So 95% of England can expect to be laughed at if they visit West Yorkshire's "Second City" then?

Me included...

 

[Deerfold]

So 95% of England can expect to be laughed at if they visit West Yorkshire's "Second City" then?

Me included...

Yep. Can you think of any reasons you'd need to though (and I speak as someone who spent 7 years at school there). Apart from a small music festival at the end of August. And most people who go to that are laughed at before they've opened their mouths.

 

[Lampshade]

I won't say what we call Bradford where I come from

EDIT: Wahey, I'm no longer a Signaller

 

[Ivo]

Yep. Can you think of any reasons you'd need to though (and I speak as someone who spent 7 years at school there). Apart from a small music festival at the end of August. And most people who go to that are laughed at before they've opened their mouths.

One:

It's the largest city in the UK that I've never visited (or at least passed through). Oh, how I look forward to total mockery come my first (and probably last!) visit.

 

[Drsatan]

Two: Bradford is more commonly known as Bradistan due to the large Pakistani community there.

Don't want to sound like a BNP supporter but I'd thought I'd point it out.

 

[Deerfold]

Two: Bradford is more commonly known as Bradistan due to the large Pakistani community there.

Don't want to sound like a BNP supporter but I'd thought I'd point it out.

I've heard it, but I'm not sure it's common. Actually, that's a reason to go - there's some good curry places...

 

[ChrisCooper]

Well then, think about this one. The phoneme "ough" has something like eight different pronunciations. A teacher at my school placement told me that she had some American friends over once who needed to visit Slough. So guess their response:

"Oh, um, we need to get to, um, Slow? Or, Sloff? Or, Slough? Or, Slugh?"

We have so many for this one it is ridiculous. Slough aside, there are may places ending in "borough", e.g. Farnborough, we have Brough (~ Bruff I hope!) and then one I am not sure of, Burscough, which I hope is Burs-ker (but probably isn't).

Just as well we don't have "foreign" voiceovers as such I suppose. We'd be the laughing stock of all English-speaking countries' railways...

Oh yes, "ough" is a tricky one. I'm from Loughborough, which uses two of these, the first being an "uf" and the second an "ura". Gives about 20 possible different ways to pronounce it. Of cource even the county isn't straight forwards, Leicestershire, not said Lysestershire (or would it be Leesestershire) but more Lestasha (locally anyway). Same with the likes of Bysester and Towsester and Glousester. Another funny pair locally is Zouch and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, the former Zotch, the latter Ashby (but fully would be Zoosh). Neither involve adding a Z onto Ouch (as in that hurt).

I spend a lot of time over in Norfolk which seems like it's place names are designed to trip tourists up. You've got the likes of Wymondham (Windam), Happisburg (Haysbura), Little Hautbois (Hobbis), Hunstanton (Hunston), Costessey (Cossy), and of cource Norwich itself isn't Nore-witch or Nore-wick. Then you have the local accents too, so it's not really "Norich" (unless yer a furriner) but "Naaaaridge" (the actual number of "a"s depends on which part of East Anglia you come from).

 

[Wyvern]

Oh yes, "ough" is a tricky one. I'm from Loughborough, which uses two of these, the first being an "uf" and the second an "ura". Gives about 20 possible different ways to pronounce it. Of cource even the county isn't straight forwards, Leicestershire, not said Lysestershire (or would it be Leesestershire) but more Lestasha (locally anyway).

And nearby you've got Houghton and Stoughton which are pronounced Hoe-tun and Stoe -tun.

While not more than thirty miles away there's Boughton pronounced Boo-tun.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Well then, think about this one. The phoneme "ough" has something like eight different pronunciations.

These might be the eight (pron: ate) you're looking for . . .

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, lough and through?

 

[Wyvern]

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, lough and through?

Not forgetting Houghton and Boughton

So that's ten

 

[142094]

Try Slaithwaite if you're not from round those parts!

The way they say it is Slaw-it

 

[Ivo]

Another one I like is Mousehole near Penzance. When my father took me there in 2006, I said something like, "What sort of name for a place is MOUSE HOLE?" Cue an eternity of laughter!

It's "MOUGH-ZALL". "OUGH" as in Slough.

 

[starrymarkb]

Yep. Can you think of any reasons you'd need to though (and I speak as someone who spent 7 years at school there). Apart from a small music festival at the end of August. And most people who go to that are laughed at before they've opened their mouths.

Infest perchance? - some might think the borg invasion is on if they've never seen cybers before.

And yes, my pink/black dreads (at the time) did attract some comment
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Oh and try
Woolfardisworthy

 

[90019]

Achnashellach anyone?

How about Bridge of Orchy or Falls of Cruachan?


A good one though, is Penicuik. My dad once had an American woman come to him asking about buying a house in "penny-quick"

 

[Lampshade]

There's a few places on the Isle Of Man like that, such as Maughold, which is actually pronounced 'Maccle' :?

 

[jopsuk]

Milngavie. Follows no rules of pronunciation whatsoever. Fundamentally impossible to get right without having been told how to say it.