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).

The ‘a’ in Glasgow and the ‘a’ in cars is a completely different sound. Even different accents aside I cannot fathom any accent where they would sound similar

Okay, I suspect though that you’re not saying car like the Queen would!

Glasgow and cars-go sound the same in my accent, just with a “gl” instead of a “c” at the start…

m.youtube.com/watch?v=z-OSp3bkaqw

but then the Queen says "orf" instead of "off" ...

Kudos for finding a clip of HM saying it! Does she therefore vote IANBU do you reckon?! 😁

I mean to quote a PP there...

Well I don’t have the Queen’s accent, and I’m not perfect RP either, but am roughly RP.

Glahss-go would be RP

Glarz-gho would be generic home home county

Gl'rz -gah would be more estuary

Oh okay I DO say it the same way the Queen does, and OP is NOT BU.

Sorted! 😆

Glaz go

Northern English person here who'd pronounce Glasgow with a short A, but I agree with your comment.

I have family in Bath - I would never pronounce it they same way they do, (with a long A) because that would just be very odd and pretentious. In fact, my brother does sometimes pronounce it the southern way despite his northern accent, and I can tell you he sounds a right tit when he does.

Another Glazgo here. Short a.

I don't talk like the Queen though.

RP and Standard English are two different things. Standard English means grammatically “correct” English that is used for formal communication. You can speak Standard English with a Glaswegian accent and people with RP accents will regularly use non-standard English. There’s plenty of posh slang and/or jargon used by people with RP accent. Standard vs non-Standard is about what you say, not the accent you say it with.

I say Glahz-go. My accent is definitely not RP though (Essex/estuary). I think shorter A sounds more RP to me, but I think I’ve heard posh types say it with long or short As.

Do people actually call Glasgow "Glars-gow"? 😳.I am Glaswegian born and bred, in my forties and never until 5 minutes ago have I ever heard of this.

I say "Glasgow".

I’m London and put Rs in all sorts of words GlaRsgow, baRth etc

I have never, ever heard anyone pronounce it anything other than Glaz-go.
Ever.

Wikipedia says it is Glaz-goh

Me!!

I've only ever heard Glaz-go but I'm a Northerner. Not sure you should be allowed in if you put an r in it.

(Kidding. Kinda.)

I mean, this screenshot clearly lists both pronunciations doesn't it? What am I missing here lol

If you're curious about what RP is, David Crystal has a nice little explainer here:

www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2022/05/25/received-pronunciation-old-new/

Glaz Go. Not RP, brought up in the East Midlands and have lived in Sarf London for 20 years.

Yes. I'm from north of there, but have a definite RP accent.

I'm from dundee and pronounce it GLESGA if that helps