Aibu about how to pronounce loch

[Lime19]

Me and dh are having a disagreement about how to pronounce "loch" as in Loch Ness!

He goes all Scottish on that word and it sounds weird. It's like the ch sound in "Bach". He is a quarter Scottish but born and raised in Surrey!

I say it like "lock" because I'm English just like he is! I wouldn't say Paris or chorizo with a foreign accent.

This is light hearted but I'm right aren't I?

Is it "lock" or "loch with the ch bach sound"?

[switswoo81]

I'm with you op but I'm Irish so could be wrong. The Lough ( big city pond)in Cork is always referred to as the Lock.

[Sunbeam18]

I hope he says 'burrrrrger' too instead of 'boooger'

[JustCallMeKate]

Thanks kaytee I've always wondered why it was a lake. I really should look into it more as we live not far from it.

[Lemonnaise]

It's law-ch. I grew up in Scotland.

[cherish123]

Like Bach

[user1486076969]

ch at the end (not ck)

[thereallochnessmonster]

Oh, you English...

It's lochhhhh. Like Bach.

Not lock.

That's why it's not spelled lock....

[Lime19]

Aw I can't believe he's right! So annoying. I'll let him have this little win

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Let him win a few battles. As long as you win the war.

[Didactylos]

there is only one lake in Scotland
there are locks on the canals
but a loch is something different

[QuietNinjaTardis]

I had to stop my husband making a mistake with a client once. He pointed to her name on an email and said "is this really si o ban?" I did this look and told him how to pronounce siobhan correctly.

[dotdotdotmustdash]

He's right. I'm American, but went to university in Scotland. I pronounce it in a proper Scottish way. I certainly don't feel pretentious. I can also say Kirkcudbright and Milngavie. tbsmile

Not bad, not bad. To move up a level you must have success at Kilconquhar though...

[LynetteScavo]

Well he is right, but I can't say loch so I have to say lock.

I also say Bark because I can't say Bach properly.

[firtlebunny]

It's always a kh- type sound as in say German loch (which means 'hole'). Never the k sound in English lock.

There are two different sounds here though mandated by the phonological context. After a narrow vowel you have the "dark" ch- sound of German ich and after a broad vowel you have the "light" sound of German Bach. These correspond to the sounds in Scottish placenames Cannich, Morlich on the one hand and Braeriach, Dornoch on the other.

[deadringer]

I am a Dub and we say lock, that probably isn't much help though.

[kaytee87]

Ahh but can you pronounce colquhoun falls

[QuirstThenching]

Very impressed Seneca, Milngavie is a bizarre one. Up north we like to throw out Finzean as a test

[Brittbugs80]

SenecaFalls my Mom is from Milngavie and at my Dad's funeral, the humanitarian doing the service kept pronouncing it Mil na gav ee My Mom was torn between grief and wanting to shout at him!

[M0stlyBowlingHedgehog]

Sorry, OP, your DH is right.

Re. Lake of Menteith - one of my faves is Loch Linlithgow. Being in the lowlands, Linlithgow is an ancient British rather than Gaelic place name, so it's Lin as in the Welsh Llyn (so lake of lake of Lithgow - kind of like the River Avon).

[Lime19]

Miln-gav-ee?! Just kidding I looked it up on YouTube! Even dh didn't know that one.

[Sunbeam18]

Being v pedantic, but its known as Lonlithgow Loch not Loch Linlithgow. I live a few miles from it.

[Sunbeam18]

Linlithgow Loch!

[PacificDogwod]

Culzean as in Culzean Castle, anyone?

[Blondielongie]

When I read the thread title I read loch as in bach, but as soon as you wrote loch ness, it switched to lock ness!! haha

[MikeUniformMike]

Culzean Cull-een?
Colquhoun Cahoon?
Kilconquhar Ca Coo-har?