Funny/poncy pronunciations of places: things

[orchidsonabudget]

I watched a comedy bit once (that I now can't find) where it was talking about wanky pronunciations of places etc

Batterceya for battersea
claham instead of Clapham
St Ockwell
And they said what next?
Vauzall in stead of Vauxhall 😂

I had a posh friend who would play down shopping at the big shop in Knightsbridge (back in 80s) by calling it HA rods

What others do you know of??

Edinburgh is pronounced Edinbruh

I pronounce it as Edin-burra but I'm from heathen Doric land

Small village in Shropshire called Ratlinghope, the locals apparently pronounce it 'Ratchup'. I have only ever heard non-locals saying that though, so...

There's an area of Leeds called Harehills which we used to posh up and call "Harrah-hills".

There's a Twatling Road in a very posh village just outside Birmingham, but the locals all call it 'Twotling'. The same village also has Mearse Lane, which they say as a single syllable, to rhyme with purse, but I always pronounce it the same way that Ricky Tomlinson would

Hearse, Mearse...

I'd really like to know Hainault too please?

Hearse, Mearse...

Oh, I know, I'm not saying they're wrong at all. It's just that I'm about 9 and it seems such a brilliant missed opportunity

I believe locals pronounce Hainault as HAY-nolt - it's just that it looks like it should probably be a French word, so I think a lot of people mistakenly/pretentiously pronounce it to rhyme with Renault.

I've never understood Chapel-en-le-Frith. Why are the two little words in the middle pronounced as if they're French, when the two main words are clearly English words and are pronounced as such?!

See also Ashby-de-la-Zouch, where the last word is tweaked to make it sound French to match the little words, with the imaginary addition of an invisible 'e', but nobody ever tries to say 'Osh'bee' like Michelle from Allo Allo!

Doh! I've just realised how you want it to be said! I was thinking "meeyers"

Ah, I was thinking perhaps "Hey-no"

@BobbinThreadbare123

Try on Gateacre, Aigburth and Fazackerley from my home area...any attempts to poshify those are risible! Gattaca, Egg-bth, Faz-ack-lee.

Have you seen the ep of Location Location where Phil calls it Gate - acre all the way through?

I once had a date with guy who kept pronouncing New Zealand as New Zwayland. It sounded really nobby with his midlands accent.

Another place name that grates me is when posh people pronounce Kenya as Keenya.

I've also heard a few people call wi-fi whiffy. I want to punch them.

My Dad says Peugeot as pyew-zho rather than purr-zho

I'm in Notts so the South-well vs 'Suthall' debate still goes on!

Belvoir definitely pronounced Beaver - remember that coming up in a Jilly Cooper novel once!

I thought Ashby-de-la-Zouch rhymes with "Hooch" (appropriately perhaps) but the nearby place called Zouch I've heard like "Scotch". Also near there is Heather (Ee-ther).

We've just started a project at work near a place called "Beauchamp"/Beecham, on Teams calls there are at least 5 different pronunciations going on.

@Notmenono

It is Ashby-de-la-zooch? That's how I would pronounce it, as a Midlander.

But how do we say Meme?

I have memmay in my head every time I see it, but I'm fully aware that's wrong. I'm definitely not posh.

@impressivelycunty

I know someone who says Amazon with the emphasis on the "on" - apparently that's correct but it makes my teeth itch. And my MIL says Esha not Eesher (for Esher) and even though I used to fucking live there she still insists she's right. 😖

Amazon with the emphasis on the 'Zon' is the American pronunciation apparently, and what they call the company on the adverts.

I'll stick with the way us plucky Brits pronounce the river and the rainforest.

Definitely Hay-nolt. That’s what the Underground announcer says anyway.
Until very recently they also said Vawx-hall so a couple of mums are right!

Beauchamp Place = Beecham Place. I learnt that one recently.

Curious to know how Vauxhall is pronounced if not vorks hall. Wondering just how wrong I’ve been getting it!

Vox all

Yep it’s Vox all for me

@Larsingsong yes I agree.

@Vinorosso74

There's a place near Blyth in Northumberland called Cowpen but it's pronounced coopun.

Similar in Lincolnshire near Spalding there's Cowbit, but it's pronounced Cubbit