How do the locals pronounce Bath?

[JellySlice]

I'm a southerner, dh is a northerner. The right pronunciation IMO is how the people who actually live there pronounce it.

City of, obviously, not washing.

Bath.

Majority of people who live there say Barth, but lots of very local people (many generations lived there) say Baff

I’m northern husbands and southern pretty certain they dint pronounce it barff but don’t think they prounce it quite as sharp as northerns either ifswim.

Barth

Well im a nortjerner i say it like Cath but with a B.

It's a long a (not short like cat) but not arr.

Baaahth not Barrth or Bath.

Unless you're posh then it's Barrth.

So you think that everyone should effect the accent of locals when they are talking about place names? So everyone should effect a Northern Irish accent when pronouncing Belfast/Derry/Coleraine/Fivemiletown, or a Weegie accent when pronouncing Glasgow, or an Aberdonian accent when pronouncing Aberdeen etc etc. How would that work for London? We all know a cockney accent is quite different to south London for instance - whose is the “correct” accent.

This is weird

It's a long a (not short like cat) but not arr.

Baaahth not Barrth or Bath.

Thank you @Orlande

I came here to say exactly that. The majority of people who say Bath or Grass with a long A do not say it with an ARRRR. We are not pirates.

Like a sheep noise with a th at the end. Baa th. Both washing and place.

Trills. Not pirates BUT in west country. So potentially pirates. Arrr.

Locals with a West Country accent say it with Baa like a sheep. Locals with an RP accent pronounce it Bahth.

I think you just say it like you say it. I'm southern and I feel awkward prounouncing Newcastle "NewCASSL" as locals do, even though it's correct. I say Newcaahssel.

Does that extend to foreign places like Paris (Pareeee)?

Barth

I went to school in Bath! We did an experiment one rainy lunchtime completely not significant but this is what we found out:

Kids from Bristol said “Bath” or “”Baff” with a short “ah”

Kids from Bath said “Bawth” with a drawn out a unless they were from Twerton (a less well of area in Bath) in which case they pronounced it like the Bristolians.

I don't believe that accent comes into correct pronunciation. If you are saying the letters right eg 'Bath' and not 'thab' then you are saying it right.

I think it is relevant how the locals pronounce a place name, if someone pronounced Milngavie in a South West England accent the locals would fall about laughing.

So we're both right

Pronouncing place names the local way is not a hard and fast rule, unless you're speaking the local language. But it can be both a courtesy and sensible. My MIL practically wet herself laughing when I asked her about Garforth and Barwick - Gaff'th and Berrik. I'm a Londoner and I used to be asked for directions to places like Mary LEE-bone, Holl-Born and Lye-Chester Square (no, I don't get how they read it that way, either).

I grew up not far from there and definitely say it like "Barrrth"

Oh God here we go again with the rhotic thing

Yes. And variety is the spice of life!

Both ways are completely normal!

Pronouncing place names the local way is not a hard and fast rule, unless you're speaking the local language. But it can be both a courtesy and sensible

If you ever come to New England, you're going to love how we pronounce Calais (in Maine - it's Callus) and Haverhill (in Massachusetts - it's Hayvrel).

What about in Norfolk? Happisburg is pronounced Hayzebrugh, Costessey is Cossey, Wymondham is Windham. Should I take a 'when in Rome' approach to make sure I'm going to the right place? Or should I pronounce it in my own accent?

@KindergartenKop you're better off pronouncing them like that 😁 no one here says wymondham as it's spelt. I moved here when I was ten, been here 21 years, and it still amazes me how that's come about. It can be comedy gold though