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Original poster

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

388 replies

Wigeon · 31/07/2022 20:19

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).

OP posts:
Belephant · 02/08/2022 04:38

@Teddeh it's not that people are saying they hear an R - they're saying they hear a long A sound, which they're writing as "ar" because they have a non rhotic accent

RenegadeMatron · 02/08/2022 04:47

Teddeh · 02/08/2022 01:07

I posted this upthread (31/07/2022 21:22) as evidence that the Queen does NOT say Glasgow with an R. She says it at 00.17 with no R. Is there some later point at which she does say it with an R, or are people just desperate to hear R?

(Not minding the link/clip being reposted, just object to people saying there is an R when there is no R.)

Show quote history

Rhotic v non-rhotic accent……

RenegadeMatron · 02/08/2022 04:49

People with non-rhotic accents pronounce AR and AH the same.

mathanxiety · 02/08/2022 05:10

Wrt that baffling R....

People with non rhotic accents insert an R in their attempts to render their pronunciation of certain words with an 'ah' sound in them.

People with rhotic accents (the majority of the anglophone world) see the R and pronounce it as an R, not an ah sound.

It would be really helpful if people could learn to use international phonetic notation instead.

Or if the non rhotic speakers could use AH and drop the R.

BOOTS52PollyPrissyPants · 02/08/2022 05:48

Landoflostcontent I am Irish and also pronounce it as you do. Glaz go

Timeforanothername · 02/08/2022 07:49

The first option. Though I have an rp accent and consciously started pronouncing Glasgow the second way as I realised the first sounded faintly ridiculous...

Jenpeg · 02/08/2022 12:46

landoflostcontent · 31/07/2022 20:24

Anyone else say Glaz-go

Yes the people of glaz-go!!

JaneJeffer · 02/08/2022 13:18

the Queen does NOT say Glasgow with an R. She says it at 00.17 with no R. Is there some later point at which she does say it with an R, or are people just desperate to hear R?
I couldn't hear an R either Grin

FilePhoto · 02/08/2022 14:30

mathanxiety · 02/08/2022 05:10

Wrt that baffling R....

People with non rhotic accents insert an R in their attempts to render their pronunciation of certain words with an 'ah' sound in them.

People with rhotic accents (the majority of the anglophone world) see the R and pronounce it as an R, not an ah sound.

It would be really helpful if people could learn to use international phonetic notation instead.

Or if the non rhotic speakers could use AH and drop the R.

I have a non rhotic accent and read Ah and Ar differently.

That might just be me though Confused

sueelleker · 02/08/2022 15:22

SE England. I say glaz-go

Original poster
Wigeon · 02/08/2022 19:00

Well this thread has been very enlightening, especially about how people can’t believe how I can say an R in Glasgow.

I think the reason is that I say “ah” and “ar” and “the word rabbit begins with an R” all exactly the same. So in “Glasgow”, the sound I make in the middle sounds like ah, ar or the letter R. But it doesn’t sound like Rrr like the noise of a dog growling.

We all clearly need basic training on phonetic notation before any of us are allowed to post on mumsnet! Including me! Those of you who get it - you’re free to keep posting!

OP posts:
derxa · 02/08/2022 19:46

Wigeon · 02/08/2022 19:00

Well this thread has been very enlightening, especially about how people can’t believe how I can say an R in Glasgow.

I think the reason is that I say “ah” and “ar” and “the word rabbit begins with an R” all exactly the same. So in “Glasgow”, the sound I make in the middle sounds like ah, ar or the letter R. But it doesn’t sound like Rrr like the noise of a dog growling.

We all clearly need basic training on phonetic notation before any of us are allowed to post on mumsnet! Including me! Those of you who get it - you’re free to keep posting!

I could weep. Your 'ar' is a vowel sound and the /r/ at the beginning of rabbit is a consonant sound.

Glasgow is not spelt Glarsgow therefore it is pronounced with a short /a/ sound not a long one
queenmeadhbh · 02/08/2022 19:57

Wigeon · 02/08/2022 19:00

Well this thread has been very enlightening, especially about how people can’t believe how I can say an R in Glasgow.

I think the reason is that I say “ah” and “ar” and “the word rabbit begins with an R” all exactly the same. So in “Glasgow”, the sound I make in the middle sounds like ah, ar or the letter R. But it doesn’t sound like Rrr like the noise of a dog growling.

We all clearly need basic training on phonetic notation before any of us are allowed to post on mumsnet! Including me! Those of you who get it - you’re free to keep posting!

it’s not that we don’t believe it, it’s that it’s not true! You do not pronounce an R when you say Glasgow, grass, or the name of the letter R.
what you do do, is pronounce a long A vowel sound that we could maybe write as “ahh” or “aww”. So when you insert an incorrect R into how you think you should transcribe the way you pronounce Glasgow, what you really mean is “I pronounce a vowel sound that is modified in the same way that it is when it is followed by an R”.

we understand that the reason is that it sounds the same to you. But claiming that you are “pronouncing an R” is the exact opposite of true because in your accent you never pronounce the letter R when it is after a vowel (unless it is followed by another vowel i.e cart you do not pronounce the R, career you do). It’s irrelevant as far as R Is concerned that you pronounce grass or path or Glasgow with a long vowel just because you also pronounce a vowel followed by R with a long vowel!!

sorry - this just always pushes my buttons because any thread about pronunciation are always full of the non-rhotic banging on about pronouncing Rs when the key feature of their accent is that they do NOT pronounce Rs!! Grin

DappledThings · 02/08/2022 20:05

queenmeadhbh · 02/08/2022 19:57

it’s not that we don’t believe it, it’s that it’s not true! You do not pronounce an R when you say Glasgow, grass, or the name of the letter R.
what you do do, is pronounce a long A vowel sound that we could maybe write as “ahh” or “aww”. So when you insert an incorrect R into how you think you should transcribe the way you pronounce Glasgow, what you really mean is “I pronounce a vowel sound that is modified in the same way that it is when it is followed by an R”.

we understand that the reason is that it sounds the same to you. But claiming that you are “pronouncing an R” is the exact opposite of true because in your accent you never pronounce the letter R when it is after a vowel (unless it is followed by another vowel i.e cart you do not pronounce the R, career you do). It’s irrelevant as far as R Is concerned that you pronounce grass or path or Glasgow with a long vowel just because you also pronounce a vowel followed by R with a long vowel!!

sorry - this just always pushes my buttons because any thread about pronunciation are always full of the non-rhotic banging on about pronouncing Rs when the key feature of their accent is that they do NOT pronounce Rs!! Grin

Show quote history

All of this!

Original poster
Wigeon · 02/08/2022 20:15

derxa · 02/08/2022 19:46

I could weep. Your 'ar' is a vowel sound and the /r/ at the beginning of rabbit is a consonant sound.

Glasgow is not spelt Glarsgow therefore it is pronounced with a short /a/ sound not a long one
Show quote history

Ok, so I think what I mean is the letter “R”, when I recite the alphabet, sounds the same as ah and ar (in my accent). The sound R at the start of rabbit is more like rrrr like a dog growl.

However, it’s patently not the case that because Glasgow doesn’t have an R in it, it must be pronounced with a short A sound. Otherwise all of us southerners would pronounce castle, path and bath with short As, but of course it’s a completely usual English accent to pronounce them with long As (or an R in the middle, as us ignoramus non-rhotic speakers would claim! 😉).

OP posts:
Ciela · 02/08/2022 20:17

Glaz-GO but despite an RP accent my DF grew up in Ayrshire which is around 30 miles from Glasgow and it was his pronunciation that I learned.

derxa · 02/08/2022 20:38

How do people pronounce 'plaza'?

derxa · 02/08/2022 20:43

derxa · 02/08/2022 20:38

How do people pronounce 'plaza'?

Or Cath?

LakieLady · 02/08/2022 20:46

RP accent, always lived in SE England, and I say Glahhsgow.

My Croydon ILs say "Glarrsgow".

oviraptor21 · 02/08/2022 20:47

derxa · 02/08/2022 20:38

How do people pronounce 'plaza'?

Plah-za

oviraptor21 · 02/08/2022 20:47

derxa · 02/08/2022 20:43

Or Cath?

Show quote history

Like cat

oviraptor21 · 02/08/2022 20:48

Very very slight difference in the shortness of the a with cat being the slightly shorter of the two.

Carrieonmywaywardsun · 02/08/2022 20:52

Glarz-go.

DuesToTheDirt · 02/08/2022 20:55

People might like to read this about the trap-bath split.

derxa · 02/08/2022 21:48

DuesToTheDirt · 02/08/2022 20:55

People might like to read this about the trap-bath split.

Thanks for that

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