The Pronunciation Thread

[Brandane]

Since it's approaching New Year, let's get Auld Lang Syne sorted out.
It is SYNE, not ZYNE. Therefore pronounced same as SIGN, as in road sign. I have inherited my dislike of this particular mispronounciation from my late father. He thanks you from the grave for your co-operation. Auld Lang SYNE!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Where do I send the candidates or do you collect?

I think we should put them in pillory shields and they be made to walk barefooted to the tower, quicker they get there the less they will have rotten fruit and veg thrown at them.

 

[stephec]

Dewsbury (West Yorkshire)
Locals use 'Doosburry, whereas others tend to pronouce it 'Jewsberry'


Another one that is better known (it's south-west of Huddersfield)
Slaithwaite (to southerners...."Slaythwayte")
Pronounced 'Slawitt (a hard 'W' as in walk)

And Linnit next door, as I found out when working there a few years ago.

 

[Gunk]

Don’t get me started on Cholmondeley

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Don’t get me started on Cholmondeley

Chumley?

 

[Toshiba Boy]

Schedule.

Everybody I know over c45 years of age, correctly pronounces this with a silent "c".

Younger than this, it tends to be pronounced with a "k".

Does my head in.

 

[Dogtrousers]

A bit like Shrewsbury. Even the residents can't decide if it's shrew or shrow.

Or indeed shew

 

[oldwheels]

Sure

Our lass pronounces it Shore, I correctly say Shoer.

and the all time classic Scone: Correctly pronounced to rhyme with gone and not cone.

At a business lunch once with some French gastronomic journalists my wife was asked for her recipe for le scone rhyming with cone. Her french was too basic and the interpreter with them was baffled by some of her ingredients.

 

[stephec]

Sure

Our lass pronounces it Shore, I correctly say Shoer.

Are you a Sean Connery impersonater?

 

[Drago]

Are you a Sean Connery impersonater?

He Ramiresz. He's Shpanish.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Are you a Sean Connery impersonater?

Only in looks and body shape, I cannae do the accent*


*Some of this statement may be a fantasy.

 

[gbb]

Living in Peterborough, so few people here can speak properly anyway. Ts are constantly dropped, so Peterborough become pee'her'burrah. Seems like a mix of Fen and London speak , awful pronunciation round here.
Think becomes fink,
Thought becomes fort.
and so on, does my head in. I even light heartedly correct my grown up children...
You know it's bad when a former manager once said to me...'you're very correct in the way you speak Colin '
I just thought I spoke properly ?

 

[stephec]

Only in looks and body shape, I cannae do the accent*


*Some of this statement may be a fantasy.

I never had you down as a syrup wearer.

 

[FrankCrank]

When back there, I do a regular trip into Oxford for a day out. One that always gets me is Magdalen, seemingly pronounced Maudelen.
Now I'm not saying it's pretentious or anything, but, you know.

During my teaching days here, I focused quite a lot on pronunciation.
A simple thing like your came up a lot, most of the students saying yewer, whereas I insisted on yaw.
Think that one varies in the UK depending on location.

Another one was the indefinite article (a/an), which they learned about in their other English lessons, but of course, they were not aware of the good old exception to the rule. An example would be 'they visited an university for a hour' - obeys the rule, but sure sounds weird.

Apparently English is one of the hardest languages to learn, so if it's your mother tongue, you're off to a good start in life

 

[PaulSB]

Should be even more interesting if our American members join in...

Too long ago, summer 1980, Mrs P and I backpacked across the States. In California we spent some time travelling to and asking for directions, often getting blank looks, to:

Yos-em-ite

until one day a kindly man quietly repeated

Yo-sem-it-ee

🤣