Place name mispronunciation

[BurntBroccoli]

Just Googled a few of these - please add any more!

Hunstanton Norfolk
Wrong: Hun-stan-ton
Right: Hun-ston

Bedworth Warwickshire
Wrong: Bed-worth
Right: Bed-uth

Wales
Wrong: Lan-dud-no
Right: Clan-did-no

Oxford (Magdalen college)
Wrong: Mag-de-lain
Right: Maud-lin

Dumfries and Galloway
Wrong: Kir-cud-bright
Right: Kir-koo-bree

Leominster (Herefordshire)
Wrong: Lee-o-min-ster
Right: Lem-ster

Alnwick(Northumberland)
Wrong: Aln-wik
Right: An-ik

Prudhoe (Northumberland)
Wrong: Prud-hoe
Right: Prud-a

Godmanchester (Cambridgeshire)
Wrong: God-man-ches-ter
Right: Gum-ster

Cholmondeley (Cheshire)
Wrong: Chol-mon-de-lee
Right: Chum-lee

Well, it reassures me that there was more than just me running about London talking about Theydon Bwah, like I’d just come straight from the Battle of Hastings.😀

I think you are reading too much into a thread about how to say the names of some places.

I think you’re completely overlooking the context of Anglo-Welsh history, annexation, cultural suppression, othering etc.

I think it's possible to recognise those things and still expect people not to angrily berate someone for a pronunciation mistake.

Missed off the place name in my post!

Non-native speakers? What language does Keighley come from?

That’s interesting. I thought I’d heard it pronounced Keith-ly too on the rare occasions I’ve been in the vicinity, but perhaps I was mishearing (for me, it’s where the Brontes went to the library!). Might you have an audio link to someone saying it properly?

Meopham (Kent) is not Meo-fam /meo-pam/meop-ham but... Mep'um

@Mytholmroyd
Excellent name!
Thank you for the correct pronunciation! 😊

Spent a lot of time in Hunstanton, and never heard of it being pronounced the way the OP suggests . Was in Godmanchester yesterday , and again the version OP suggests is more of an archaic name , although I would say the ‘a’ has more of a ‘u’ sound when pronounced possibly .

I think it’s entirely understandable for Welsh people to expect UK-based people to know how to pronounce it. I do, and I’m not originally from the UK, and my main knowledge of Wales has been occasional weekends in Cardiff, a brief stint at the national library in Aberystwyth, and heading for the ferry at Holyhead.

Diolch yn fawr! 😘

I meant people who didn't grow up with a Yorkshire dialect/accent. I was trying to be humorous 🙄

Glottal stops are very difficult to learn how to do if you don't - as can be heard in most actors doing a cod-Yorkshire accent.

It is a pre-Norman place name.

I've always called it Keethley since I've lived in Yorkshire (as does everyone else I know)
What should it be?

😂
That's a very tricky one!

You're welcome! Made my day!

There's a Cowbit in Lincolnshire pronounced Cu- bit

Well learn it then! What’s stopping you? The only reason we still have a language is because of Welsh Government. I speak four languages and it is lazy anglicisation to pronounce Llan as Clan. When I speak French I don’t pronounce the alphabet using Welsh phonics!

"I've always called it Keethley since I've lived in Yorkshire (as does everyone else I know)
What should it be?"

Its not a sound you can write but it's absolutely not "th" or "f". Although you will hear a lot of keefli

Exactly!

I think it’s entirely understandable for Welsh people to expect UK-based people to know how to pronounce it.

I don't. Lots of people find pronunciation quite difficult, even pronunciation of slightly uncommon or tricky words in their own language. As we can see from this thread, there are plenty of place names across the British Isles which are difficult to pronounce. Anyway, expressing surprise at someone's lack of pronunciation knowledge is one thing. Being rude and aggressive about it is different and completely unnecessary. In general, berating people for not knowing things isn't very productive.

Yes I've heard Keefley a lot
Is it like a hard "kcuh" throaty sound? Trying to say it out loud now!

Anyone mentioned Shrewsbury yet? 😂😂

OK, so if I understand correctly, the place name Keighley is pronounced with a glottal stop in the middle, not a “th” sound? And the “th” myth grew up because people were saying “Keeley” so it was the best approximation of how to say it in the Yorkshire way, but isn’t right.

I’d always thought of glottal stops as being informal speech (we have them a lot in Scottish dialects too) so would have assumed that even if there was a local pronunciation with a glottal stop there was a “formal” one without it.

interesting, do you have a video?

That’s how I’

I used to have a complete brain fart over Appledurcombe [Isle of Wight] and couldn't work out the obvious, so called it Apple crumbe for ages.😁

Alcester in Warwickshire confuses me, I’ve heard it called Alster and Al-ces-ter. No idea which is correct so I avoid saying it 🤣