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Original poster

If your accent is RP English, how do you pronounce “Glasgow”?

388 replies

Wigeon · 31/07/2022 20:19

Settle an argument between DH and me:

YANBU: Glasgow in an RP English accent is pronounced “Glarsgow” with a long “arr” or “arh” in the middle. Like the “a” in “car” (in an RP accent).

YABU: Glasgow in an RP English accent is pronounced “Gl-ah-sgow”, with a short “ah”, like the “a” in “cat” (in an RP accent).

OP posts:
Stylishkidintheriot · 31/07/2022 22:28

its glaz-go.

im from Glasgow, therefore it should be pronounced how the locals say it is

Original poster
Wigeon · 31/07/2022 22:28

DappledThings · 31/07/2022 22:22

No. It isn't a real r. Several previous posts on the threa discuss this. The sound is ah but gets lazily written as ar by non-rhotic accented people and causes confusion galore in every accent/pronunciation thread that has ever existed.

Show quote history

Yes yes yes, I don’t have a rolled R in Glasgow and you’re right it’s more like “ahhhh” at the dentist. But that’s also like how I’d pronounce the letter “R” - as in, “R for Romeo”. So it sort of makes sense to me that there is an R in how I pronounce Glasgow. Without any technical know how about these things.

OP posts:
DoNaeWrong · 31/07/2022 22:27

If I, with my rp accent, were to start saying Newcastle or Glasgow or Paris or Barcelona the way locals say it.. it would sound stilted and odd.

I've just tried, and despite knowing the Scottish and French/Spanish accents fairly well, it definitely sounds odd. Like I'm taking the piss

I'll stick to Glasgow as in long A in glass or giraffe or laugh

user850301848172 · 31/07/2022 22:26

Glaswegian here - no r but a lot of English people pronounce it like that.

It's pronounced Glazgo

Unless you're proper central Scotland then it's Glesga pronounced Glezga

DappledThings · 31/07/2022 22:26

a long “a” in bath (ie barth), path (parth) and of course castle (carstle).
Still with the confusing use of r.

Like me you say these words as cahstle, pahth and bahth. If you use ah instead of ar to demonstrate this it makes sense in rhotic and non-rhotic accents and stops threads being derailed by r confusion.

HinchcliffeandMurgatroyd · 31/07/2022 22:26

manlyago · 31/07/2022 22:20

All these rrrrs are blowing my mind! Do you really say an r in vase/Glasgow?

Is it because your r and my Scottish r are different? I roll my rrrs so there’s no missing them!

mind blown

When we claim we are saying an “arr” sound, we are really saying an “aah” sound, but to us they are the same. Because we can’t say our Rs the way you can north of the border (or anywhere with rhotic accents).

catandcoffee · 31/07/2022 22:25

forlornlorna1 · 31/07/2022 20:28

I'm English but from a long line of Glaswegians and I say it glass go

Exactly the same as me

weebarra · 31/07/2022 22:24

I'm from near there but live in the east of Scotland now. Glazgo.

WhoopItUp · 31/07/2022 22:24

The Queen says Glarsgow (long ah sound)

manlyago · 31/07/2022 22:24

@Womencanlift too right! 😁

Although I do love to phonetically (mis)pronounce Milngavie, I don’t know why! Just gives me a wee chuckle to
myself. I wouldn’t do it in public though. 😂

Original poster
Wigeon · 31/07/2022 22:23

Ok well this HAS been interesting so far. Seems that most RP speakers say Glahsgow (like me) but a significant minority do say “Glazgow” (short a) more like people from Glasgow pronounce it. Although interesting that sone natives say Glasgay.

I think it’s a bit much to insist that everyone pronounce a place how the locals do - Newcastle is a good example from a PP, where I think I would personally sound like I was taking the piss if I said it with the short “a” when I have a long “a” in bath (ie barth), path (parth) and of course castle (carstle).

Or Liverpool, where I definitely wouldn’t say Liverpool with a Liverpool accent and would sound pretty weird if I did.

OP posts:
DappledThings · 31/07/2022 22:22

manlyago · 31/07/2022 22:20

All these rrrrs are blowing my mind! Do you really say an r in vase/Glasgow?

Is it because your r and my Scottish r are different? I roll my rrrs so there’s no missing them!

mind blown

No. It isn't a real r. Several previous posts on the threa discuss this. The sound is ah but gets lazily written as ar by non-rhotic accented people and causes confusion galore in every accent/pronunciation thread that has ever existed.

HinchcliffeandMurgatroyd · 31/07/2022 22:21

PuppyMonkey · 31/07/2022 21:56

Eh? Are you misunderstanding me? I agree it should be pronounced the Scottish way.Confused

Show quote history

I used to waver on this. Particularly Newcastle and Glasgow. It’s so pretentious, though, when you hear someone else adopt a pronunciation that differs from their natural one. Like a Brit pronouncing Paris as “Paree”. So I stopped it myself and just use my own accent for everything.

Womencanlift · 31/07/2022 22:21

Anyone putting a random ‘r’ in the middle of Glasgow would get swiftly directed back to platform 1 of Central Station and put on a train back down to the home of the “standard” (WTAF is that anyway 🙄) accent

Now for the proper test, how would someone with an RP accent pronounce Milngavie……

manlyago · 31/07/2022 22:20

All these rrrrs are blowing my mind! Do you really say an r in vase/Glasgow?

Is it because your r and my Scottish r are different? I roll my rrrs so there’s no missing them!

mind blown

nokidshere · 31/07/2022 22:20

I say Glaz-go,, I live near B-A-th (short a) and Glastonbry.

My DH & sons (southerners) say Glarsgow, Barth, Glastonberry

manlyago · 31/07/2022 22:17

@PuppyMonkey maybe crossed wires?

Glahhhzgo is incorrect imho don’t care whether you think your accent is Received Pronunciation or not. Same principle as Glastonbury. It sounds wrong Glaaaahhhstonbury.

That’s the way I pronounce it and I’m Scottish and lived in Glasgow for a long time. Thinking about it, I say it both ways with a shorter “a” too but definitely no “r”. I think I find it easier to go from the l to the s with a slightly longer a, if that’s makes sense?! Are you Glaswegian?

oviraptor21 · 31/07/2022 22:17

PuppyMonkey · 31/07/2022 21:54

Why is Glastonbury short a but Glasgow is not in RP? Confused

its almost as if the RP rules are a load of bollocks or something.Grin

Show quote history

No idea @PuppyMonkey it just is 🤷🏼‍♀️
Could say the same about so many other English words and place names.

queenmeadhbh · 31/07/2022 22:17

Wigeon · 31/07/2022 22:11

You might have noticed I said standard English, not British, and that I put “standard” in quote marks. “Standard” doesn’t mean “better” or “more correct”, but I think most native English speakers know exactly what English accent is considered “standard” in the UK.

Show quote history

i dunno about that. I’m in NI and I only know something about what different English accents sound like because I went to uni in England (and also therefore have English friends). Plenty of people here wouldn’t be able to identify Yorkshire vs south eastern vs cockney etc. They can hear the difference and might think one sounds posher than the other but I’m not sure e.g. my family members of my grandparents could confidently imagine or identify what you mean by “standard” or “RP” any more than most English people could identify Belfast vs Derry.

Original poster
Wigeon · 31/07/2022 22:15

LadyLolaRuben · 31/07/2022 22:07

RP is the Queen's English. Standard English is the next category "down". They're not the same

Well, as part of (ok, the only part of) my extensive research before posting this thread, I watched some of this from a random English teacher, and he reckons that the “standard” modern English accent is RP, and that the English the Queen speaks (eg “cet” instead of “cat”) is actually a different English. So yeah as my teen DD says.

OP posts:
EmmaGrundyForPM · 31/07/2022 22:14

I've got a fairly RP accent. I say Glars-go where the first syllable rhymes with Mars or Vase.

Tellmewhyaintnothinbutaheartbreak · 31/07/2022 22:14

Jesus.

as a Glaswegian this has opened my eyes 😂😂😂

I tend to pronounce it as “best city in the world..” 😌 but each to their own.

scissorsandsellotape · 31/07/2022 22:13

I think with RP you always pronounce the local place name in your accent
Eg I talked about reddcar Whereas folk from there would call it redkah

FilePhoto · 31/07/2022 22:12

FilePhoto · 31/07/2022 21:50

Like the a in cat.

I have friends who went to Eton and they'd say it the same as me.

This comment and my vote were opposites. And the comment iswrong.

I would say Glarsgow. With a long 'a'. Glar rhymes with car.
But I'd call someone from Glasgow 'Glaswegian' with a short 'a'

Original poster
Wigeon · 31/07/2022 22:11

Wbeezer · 31/07/2022 22:03

Why has no one else objected to OP saying RP is the standard British Accent, there's no such thing as a standard British a Accent, there are English, Welsh, Irish and Scots accents.

You might have noticed I said standard English, not British, and that I put “standard” in quote marks. “Standard” doesn’t mean “better” or “more correct”, but I think most native English speakers know exactly what English accent is considered “standard” in the UK.

OP posts:
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