If your accent is RP English, how do you pronounce “Glasgow”?

[Wigeon]

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).

I'm also Southern English.
I read 'ah' and 'ar' as different sounds!

Glaz-go. I've genuinely never heard anyone say Glarsgow, and we have family members from the SE who live there.

I would pronounce it the way the locals do. It is their city, they know best...

Glesga then?

Do you say Paree rather than Pariss?

But that isn't how it works. If I pronounced Glasgow as locals do I would sound as if I was taking the piss. Similarly with Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol, Paris, Barcelona etc. It sounds ridiculous or pretentious, depending on your original accent and the place you're talking about. Imagine saying something like "my daughter is hoping to go to University, she's considering Birmingham, Liverpool and Newcastle" with each of those places pronounced as the locals would.

😂

It also worth recognising that not all Glaswegians pronounce Glasgow in the same way. There are a variety of different Glasgow accents. You’ll hear Glaswegians referring to the city as Glaz-go, glass-go, glez-ga, glez-gee and various other things. Which one is the right local pronunciation?

I'd also say Glaz-go.

There was a previous poster who mentioned Wishaw is pronounced as Wishy, but actually her husband is using the Scots for Wishaw. Names like Wishaw and Glasgow read the same but are pronounced differently in Scots. Lots of people across the central belt interchange between the two which is why I think so many Scottish posters are saying they'd say it ever so slightly differently from each other.

The most accurate local pronunciation in English would be Glaz-go. The most accurate local pronunciation in Scots would be Glesca/Glez-ga.

It's just an accent!

The silly part is when you know it differs from the local way, but trying to go local also sounds daft if it doesn't match the way you speak.

And your MIL sounds daft because she's putting it on

Still makes no sound as the "a" in Glasgow is a short "a"...

Glass

Go

Or more glarze go

Its the difference between "bot" and "boat". Border and boarder. Broth and both. I didn't even know people did this until someone on here pointed it out to me! You know most European languages distinguish 3 (at least) sounds for "o"? Usually "o", "oa" and "oo"? Bot, boat and boot. Or when reading out letters from the alphabet, how you say lower case "o" and upper case "O"?

I think non-rhotic accents are a choice not to pronounce "r"s. Or at least it was once a choice to differentiate a particular way of speech which is now considered standard. Most Old Norse descended dialects are rhotic so at some point, certain English dialect speakers made the choice to speak in a non-Rhotic way (I'm not saying that all English dialects are ON influenced!)

Non-stress or pronunciation of certain letters are quite common in European languages. The Dutch don't pronounce a lot of their "n"s. The Danes don't pronounce many of their letters at all and just use them to influence what comes next A few letters in Scots are silent - the "z" comes to mind, the "t" is often a type of glottal stop...

Yes!

Or when reading out letters from the alphabet, how you say lower case "o" and upper case "O"?

Aren't these the same @AchatAVendre?

I am a Glaswegian, have heard it said in many accents but never with an R, how odd.

Glars-gow...rhymes with Mars

Not suggesting this is the 'correct' way by the way. I'm aware my Scottish family find it weird! But in my RP accent that is how it is.

Irish isn't a British accent. Northern Irish is which isn't the same as Irish at all.

Anyway, I pronounce it as "glass" and "go". I don't know anyone who does not in Scotland, Northern Ireland or south west England.

Clearly not...imagine "aw" and "oh".

How to distinguish between saying the lower case and the capital letter o? Never mind getting your borders mixed up with boarders!

Okay, I'm really confused now. I'm afraid it's not clear at all to me...
I do say borders and boarders differently.

''@Wouldloveanother · Today 09:44
''Whitehorsegirl · Today 09:26
I would pronounce it the way the locals do. It is their city, they know best...''
Do you say Paree rather than Pariss?''

Actually I do, since I am French (and British).

@EmmaGrundyForPM ''Whitehorsegirl · Today 09:26
I would pronounce it the way the locals do. It is their city, they know best...
But that isn't how it works. If I pronounced Glasgow as locals do I would sound as if I was taking the piss. Similarly with Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol, Paris, Barcelona etc. It sounds ridiculous or pretentious, depending on your original accent and the place you're talking about. Imagine saying something like "my daughter is hoping to go to University, she's considering Birmingham, Liverpool and Newcastle" with each of those places pronounced as the locals would.''

I mean seriously. How many ways can there be to pronounce Bristol, Liverpool or Manchester? pretty straightforward I would say.

I am in London. Are you suggesting the rest of the country is struggling with how to pronounce that? Good grief...

You are also confusing accent and pronunciation.

Overthinking it I would say...

I do, but I'm American.

I don't understand putting "r" in a word that doesn't have an "r?"