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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:
scissorsandsellotape · 31/07/2022 22:11

Glarsgo

Wouldloveanother · 31/07/2022 22:08

DasAlteLeid · 31/07/2022 22:07

@Wigeon to answer your actual question, it seems those of us with RP/southern English accents pronounce it Glarsgow (long ‘a’ sound but written with the ‘r’ to avoid confusion with a short ‘a’ sound). So YANBU.

That’s more a South Eastern accent. The south western accent has a flat ‘a’

DasAlteLeid · 31/07/2022 22:07

@Wigeon to answer your actual question, it seems those of us with RP/southern English accents pronounce it Glarsgow (long ‘a’ sound but written with the ‘r’ to avoid confusion with a short ‘a’ sound). So YANBU.

LadyLolaRuben · 31/07/2022 22:07

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

goldfinchonthelawn · 31/07/2022 22:05

landoflostcontent · 31/07/2022 20:24

Anyone else say Glaz-go

I do. Glazz-go

IncompleteSenten · 31/07/2022 22:04

landoflostcontent · 31/07/2022 20:24

Anyone else say Glaz-go

I do.

hulahooper2 · 31/07/2022 22:03

There is no r , it is glaz go , in every form of the English language

Namechange192727171 · 31/07/2022 22:03

Glaz gow

TeacupDrama · 31/07/2022 22:03

@DuesToTheDirt in some parts of Glasgow particularly late on a friday night saying Glarsgo might get you a Glasgow kiss

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.

MummyGummy · 31/07/2022 22:02

MrsMoastyToasty · 31/07/2022 21:41

DH is from Wishaw (pronounced Wishy by locals) near Glasgow. He would say Glasgae to other locals and Glarz-gow to non locals
We live in Keynsham (pronounced Cane-shum) near Bath and Glastonbury. Locals pronounce them Barf and Glaston-bree.

Depends which part of ‘Barth’ they live in 😉

MrsMoastyToasty · 31/07/2022 22:01

@manlyago no offence taken!

DH has actually lived in SW England longer than he ever lived in Scotland. I think that he's picked up the rhotic "r" that is common in Bristolian.

Bristolians also like to add the letter L to the end of words.

gracielooloo · 31/07/2022 22:00

Gles-ga up here! NE Scotland.

PuppyMonkey · 31/07/2022 21:56

manlyago · 31/07/2022 21:52

Excuse me @PuppyMonkey - it’s not “incorrect”. It’s a Scottish city and if you’re going to talk about “correct” then it’s “correct” to pronounce it with a Scottish accent not an English one.

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

dottypencilcase · 31/07/2022 21:56

Northern here now living in London.

Growing up, I'd have said 'Glazgow'. With my hybrid accent, id now say 'Glaarzgow'

DinosaurPotato · 31/07/2022 21:55

I live near Bury St Edmunds, always mispronounced on the radio, can't really get too het up about it, we all know where they mean!

RunnerDown · 31/07/2022 21:55

I live in Glasgow and it’s definitely Glazgo or Glazgay. Never heard anyone from here pronounce it with an r or a long a .

PuppyMonkey · 31/07/2022 21:54

oviraptor21 · 31/07/2022 21:35

But Glastonbury is Glastonberry (short a) in RP. Glasgow is not a short a.
And no I'm not going to say Newcastle (short a) just because the locals say it like that because I'd sound weird. Just as a northerner would sound weird pronouncing Bath correctly.

Show quote history

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

DinosaurPotato · 31/07/2022 21:54

Glars-gow and glaaahs (as in blah)-gow sound the same to me anyway.

manlyago · 31/07/2022 21:52

Excuse me @PuppyMonkey - it’s not “incorrect”. It’s a Scottish city and if you’re going to talk about “correct” then it’s “correct” to pronounce it with a Scottish accent not an English one.

TheDogsMother · 31/07/2022 21:52

Glarsgo. My father and family are from there but I have live in SE the majority of my life.

JenniferAllisonPhillipaSue · 31/07/2022 21:51

To answer the OP question, in good ol' RP it would be pronounced Glahs-go.

However hardly anybody speaks RP any more.

Me, I'd call it Glas-go. But the OP didn't ask how I'd say it.

FilePhoto · 31/07/2022 21:51

Actually the more I say it the more I'm not sure.

DinosaurPotato · 31/07/2022 21:50

Glarsgo, same as everyone else I've ever heard say (irl), I always find it strange Jeremy Vine says Glaz-go, I'm sure it's right but people don't randomly pronounce other places names in their local accent. See Newcastle for a classic example.

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.

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