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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:
PuppyMonkey · 31/07/2022 21:19

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.

watcherintherye · 31/07/2022 21:19

Igotjelly · 31/07/2022 20:34

DH is Glaswegian and it’s Glazga or Glazgy depending on how drunk he is 😂

🎵 Aye bee-long tae Glazgy, dear auld Glazgy toon 🎵🍺🥃
Grin

Babdoc · 31/07/2022 21:16

The “r” is causing confusion between southerners and Scots. Southerners have a silent r - which is why they weirdly pronounce Ireland the same as “Island”, and iron as “ion”.

Scots sound the r and roll it, so are puzzled by PPs saying Glarsgow!

Watermelonsugarhighlove · 31/07/2022 21:15

sheepandcaravan · 31/07/2022 21:12

Scottish here.pronouncing wise

Glaz go

Friends there

Glaz gay

Glaswegian ,this

sheepandcaravan · 31/07/2022 21:12

Scottish here.pronouncing wise

Glaz go

Friends there

Glaz gay

Forestgate · 31/07/2022 21:09

Glaaa s go

MrsGhastlyCrumb · 31/07/2022 21:09

Gah. Mouth full of marbles: damn you, autocorrect!

MrsGhastlyCrumb · 31/07/2022 21:08

DappledThings · 31/07/2022 20:46

Glahsgo.

Ignore the r! Yet another thread which makes no sense because it takes no account of rhotic/non-rhotic accents.

If you use "ah" to demonstrate the long a sound it makes for much better comprehension than using "ar". To me ah and ar are the same but for rhotic accents it makes no sense.

Definitely this. One of my parents had an RP/standard English accent and it's not the same as the kind of posh English accent which sounds like a month full of marbles. Most confusing to me are words like protest- "pray-test" or Hugo- "he-gay". My dad always said the point of standard English was that it was 'neutral' and so easy to understand. (He was forced to learn the accent by his mum, who was a cockney- I think a lot of that generation almost learned it as second language to 'get on'...

Namerchangerextraordinaire · 31/07/2022 21:06

It's more like Glahhs goe when I say it.
I'm told I have a full on RP accent.

There is no r in the sound, it's more ahh & no w sound on the end.

Legomania · 31/07/2022 21:06

TeacupDrama · 31/07/2022 20:51

even in RP place names are pronounced how they are pronounced in the area maybe in 1950's people said glarsgo but it is incorrect and bad manners to not pronounce it in the way the locals do as if you are correcting them on not knowing how to pronounce their own location, it has smattering of snobbery and colonialism too but Glasgow has never ever been pronounced as Glarsgo in Scotland so it is incorrect. Loch Ness is not pronounced Lock Ness wherever you are from.
Not every single "A" in RP is prounonced as "AR" there is a difference in RP between cat and cart
I also don't mean shortened versions such as Brum instead of Birmingham

Southern accent here - I pronounce a place in the local accent rather than my own I feel like I'm taking the piss. My only real exception is Doncaster (which logically in my accent would be Don-cahster, but obviously I'm aware it sounds stupid)
I do say Glahsgow though, a short a sounds really hammy in RP(ish)

3peassuit · 31/07/2022 21:05

Glars (rhymes with scars ) goe (rhymes with toe).

yikesanotherbooboo · 31/07/2022 21:04

Glahs go
Epitome of RP here

randomsabreuse · 31/07/2022 21:03

RP speaker now living near Glasgow - short A, no "r". Might lengthen the "a" to longer than the northern "bath" but definitely no hint of an "r" in it.

That said I've definitely had some of the length of my "as" and some invisible "rs" disappear since I moved ... so not as pure RP as I used to be!

Rummikub · 31/07/2022 21:02

Krustykrabpizza · 31/07/2022 20:58

Yes me, but what is RP?

Show quote history

RP = Received Pronunciation .

I guess what was called BBC English

Rummikub · 31/07/2022 21:00

I’m northern but lived in a few places.

Had my accent assessed (I cant remember why- an exhibition for something)
They said my accent was RP.

And I say Glaz go
Short A.

DappledThings · 31/07/2022 20:59

Brawsome · 31/07/2022 20:57

Glaz-gow. For the others that favour Glars-go etc, Is the ‘r’ actually pronounced? And if so, why, since it isn’t there in the first place? This pronunciation thing confuses me massively. ( and, with a name that ends in the letter ‘a’, I’ve never understood why people sometimes add an ‘r’ on to the end). I tend to interpret things literally, so I find this quite confusing, regardless of region of origin.

No, see my post above. Using "ar" in this context is confusing. The sound being described is "ah". For non-rhotic accents ah and ar sound the same so people lazily use ar as the example sound when using ah would be far more widely understood.

WoodlandWalks123 · 31/07/2022 20:59

RP - Glaahhz-go

HinchcliffeandMurgatroyd · 31/07/2022 20:59

DappledThings · 31/07/2022 20:46

Glahsgo.

Ignore the r! Yet another thread which makes no sense because it takes no account of rhotic/non-rhotic accents.

If you use "ah" to demonstrate the long a sound it makes for much better comprehension than using "ar". To me ah and ar are the same but for rhotic accents it makes no sense.

Yes this.

AntlerRose · 31/07/2022 20:59

I am in surrey and say glahsgo. I'm aware i'm wrong but i feel a bit affected if i say glazgo, like saying paree for paris.

Krustykrabpizza · 31/07/2022 20:58

landoflostcontent · 31/07/2022 20:24

Anyone else say Glaz-go

Yes me, but what is RP?

theworldhas · 31/07/2022 20:58

Glarsgo sounds almost posh to me rather than simply RP (or estuary which is what most so called RP actually is these days)

Brawsome · 31/07/2022 20:57

Glaz-gow. For the others that favour Glars-go etc, Is the ‘r’ actually pronounced? And if so, why, since it isn’t there in the first place? This pronunciation thing confuses me massively. ( and, with a name that ends in the letter ‘a’, I’ve never understood why people sometimes add an ‘r’ on to the end). I tend to interpret things literally, so I find this quite confusing, regardless of region of origin.

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 31/07/2022 20:55

Homes counties - I say a short a like cat, but I also use a short a in castle - because my mum spent her childhood in the north and these are the bits of her childhood accent she retained and passed on to me.

lurchermummy · 31/07/2022 20:53

I'm from the North so I have a flat "a" in glass, bath etc so I say glas-go not glars-go

CbaThinkingOfAUsername · 31/07/2022 20:53

BeyondMyWits · 31/07/2022 20:27

Glez-go according to the posh side of the family.

Lol this is similar to how more, non posh, shall we say, Scots would say it. Glez-gay.

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