How do you pronounce...

[suffolkmare]

Harhar! Eye am luvving this thred!

I also say "barth", "farst", and "grarse" but not "charf "("chaff"). The whole manege/ménage thing is just too confusing so I say "arena" (a-ree-nuh)...

 

[Lexi_]

Ha! Have just read the whole thread, chuckling muchly to myself.

To whoever mentioned Aughton, there's one of those near(ish) to me and it's quite straightforwardly pronounced Orton.

Gateacre is a good one round here (handy hint: not pronounced gate acre)

 

[Feival]

Ok so, how is mynmyned pronounced?

 

[spacefaer]

OK advice please Cherwell and Shrewsbury!

Shrowsbury if you're posh, Shrew-sbury if you're local

and just down the road from me is Ratlinghope - pronounced Rat-chup by the locals.....

 

[sasquatch]

Being in Northern Ireland, and dealing with Irish names and place names a lot of the English ones catch my out as I'm used to 'ough' as in lock and pronounce 'augh' similarly.

That said, I do love hearing people butcher Fermanagh, Armagh, Cultra, Laois, craic, Ireland, Belfast, aye and then Irish names like Tadhg, Caoimhe, Derbhail, Aoibheann etc.

Best one I have heard was at the BIHS, English commentater pronounced Lagan as 'Laah-goon' when it's said 'Lag-an' or 'Lag-en'

A lot of pronounciations are pretty regional as well, there's about 3 different ways of saying Belfast that you'll find in the city alone.

And those who say aye as 'eye' or 'i' when really it's said as it's spelt, with more of an a than an e or i sound.

 

[Nessa4]

There's a well known competition centre up here called Osbaldeston. I once knew two people nearly come to blows over whether to pronounce it

Os bald ESTON

or

Os BALDerston!

(I never know how to say the name of the gloves either even though I've worn them for years - I've always said "wreck - el" - which seems to be wrong!)

I lived there for a while as a child (farm next to Equestrian Centre), and it is Osbald ESTON - the village next door is BALDerstone.

 

[Tnavas]

My grandad used to get irate with us grandchildren saying we had done a 'drawring' for him. "It's DRAW ING" he'd growl.

Here in NZ it's quite funny hearing the NZ version of many English City names, often used as street names. Worcester Street, pronounced War ses ter.
Bed linen is always displayed in stores as Manchester.
Beaconsfield is pronounced as Bee cons field, when locals back home say Bek ons field.
Here some of the Maori names cause problems with the letters Wh being pronounced as F - Eg Whitianga is actually pronounced 'Fit e ang er'

 

[OldNag]

OK advice please Cherwell and Shrewsbury!

Can't comment on Shrewsbury but as an Oxfordshire incomer I say "Charwell". I have heard it called Charwell and Cherwell. No idea which is right.

Oh, and Bicester seems to confuse visitors!!

 

[AmieeT]

We had great fun trying to teach my brothers American friend how to pronounce Gloucestershire- his way was ' Gloss-sesster-shire ' it was hilarious- eventually we just told him to imagine the 'uce' part wasn't there- he was really confused!!

On a slightly different note, by Oma (German gran) finds it hilarious that I called Leizig 'lipe-zig - I was taught in German that the 'ei' is pronounced as an 'I' and 'ie' as an 'ee' sound! Its a running joke in my family- I just couldn't get the exception to the rule and its now more habit than anything!

Ax

 

[NZJenny]

One that has me cringing is the pronunciation of Vehicle by some American areas

Veer Hickle!

The H is silent as in hotel, herb, honour

I laugh here in NZ when New Zealanders are faced with Worcester Street - they pronounce it War-ses-ter instead of Woos-ter.

One my grandad used to get real cranky about was the pronunciation of drawing - as kids do we used to pronounce it draw-ring.

Schedule is another one - I pronounce it shedule while others skedule

route - root

Must be a NI thing - in ChCh it's never a problem and Avon is as per where the bard lived.

 

[joycec]

In the first year I taught in Hong Kong the children had to learn a case study for their geography exam. The city was Reading, which they all pronounced Reeding.

Reading isn't a city, is it?

 

[pansymouse]

What's the correct pronunciation of Kineton? I have a feeling that I'm getting it wrong.

 

[diamonddogs]

I would say "Kinny-ton".

Have we already had the American asking for directions to Looger Berooger (Loughborough)?

 

[Penny Less]

Trottiscliffe In Kent is Trossley I believe .

 

[Tnavas]

Must be a NI thing - in ChCh it's never a problem and Avon is as per where the bard lived.

I lived in Christchurch for 10 years and Worcester Street was often mispronounced - generally by NZ bred Kiwis rather than the Brits. Maybe you spent a lot of time with the British Kiwis.

 

[Capriole]

Kine like wine- ton

 

[Tnavas]

Kine like wine- ton

According to Wiki, this is the correct pronunciation.

 

[puppystitch]

Having just read through the whole thread I'm having a good old chuckle at some of the pronunciations that have been declared 'correct' and are really, really not....

 

[Tnavas]

Having just read through the whole thread I'm having a good old chuckle at some of the pronunciations that have been declared 'correct' and are really, really not....

And which might those be?

 

[Tnavas]

Reading isn't a city, is it?

You are correct, Reading is just a town, needs a cathedral to become a city.

 

[puppystitch]

And which might those be?

The one that springs to mind it 'claret'. It's an English word, so why would we be pronouncing it clar-ay? A French person would just call the wine Bordeaux.

I'm on board with the foreign brand names, and the unusual village names though, some of those are really very confusing!

 

[criso]

With Manege/Menage as most people say the latter even if it is incorrect I have given up and talk about indoor or outdoor school.

 

[Tnavas]

The one that springs to mind it 'claret'. It's an English word, so why would we be pronouncing it clar-ay? A French person would just call the wine Bordeaux.

I'm on board with the foreign brand names, and the unusual village names though, some of those are really very confusing!

Never heard anyone call Claret - Clar-ay! Sure it wasn't just someone who drops the beginning and end of words as a habit. English is full of people who do that.

 

[puppystitch]

Neither have I, but it was mentioned earlier in the thread (I think along with Moet as Mow-ay). Funny how the ones I picked up on were all alcohol related!

 

[pansymouse]

Kine like wine- ton

Oh good - that's the way I've been saying it