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Cunning linguists

"Bath" and "Barth" - where in England does it change?

46 replies

FairyPenguin · 25/06/2015 14:05

I know people in Bedford and Northampton who all say "Barth". I met someone from Leicester and she says "Bath". Leicester isn't that far away from Northampton.

Whereabouts in the country does the pronunciation change?

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intheshitegardendamnit · 25/06/2015 18:38

Near Warwick here - say bath, flat vowel.

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emwithme · 25/06/2015 19:07

Grew up in Coventry - it's bath (rhymes with the American math).

Now live in Somerset where it's quite clearly Barth.

I like confusing annoying people so if I was going about my ablutions in the relevant city, I would be taking a bath (short a) in Ba(r)th.

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iwanttobemrsnorthman · 13/09/2015 22:48

Well I'm from the black country so its baff here GrinGrin

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Snossidge · 13/09/2015 22:49

Where I am it's Baaath - long a but not ar.

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Pipbin · 13/09/2015 22:50

DH is from the midlands and it's short a for him.

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TwmSionCati · 13/09/2015 22:53

somewhere around Leighton Buzzard I think

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NewLife4Me · 13/09/2015 22:54

Does the person saying Barth also have a plumb in their mouth because this narrows it down a bit.
Or do they just pronounce it Barth.

Anyway I'm from thNorth west, an I say bath pronouncing the th not ff as some do round here.

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TwmSionCati · 13/09/2015 22:56

no plum it is just barth

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BackforGood · 13/09/2015 22:58

Birmingham - I'd have a bath ~ to rhyme with Math(s)
Same as there's no 'r' in castle
or glass

All have a short 'a' sound, as in 'hat'

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TwmSionCati · 13/09/2015 23:04

while I would say glarse and carstle

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nokidshere · 08/11/2015 13:30

I'm a mancuniun living near Bath so if I am winding my (southern) children up I say Bath (short a) but if i am chatting generally I have been here long enough for it naturally to have evolved to Barth Grin

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usual · 08/11/2015 13:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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Bonkerz · 08/11/2015 13:41

I from Hampshire and say Barth but now live in Leicester where they say bath.

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Flumplet · 08/11/2015 13:43

I'm from south Oxon living in Birmingham so 'baath' dh is a Brummell so 'bath' - poor ds doesn't know whether he's coming or going and alternates betwixt the two Grin

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choccyp1g · 08/11/2015 13:44

In South Wales it is Baath. For the town and the tub.

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LittleBearPad · 08/11/2015 13:45

DH (Midlands) is deeply confused and says both Grin

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MyCatIsABiggerBastardThanYours · 08/11/2015 13:46

At Gloucester Rugby ground where they are great rivals with Bath it often sounds like "Borth" from the fans!

In Gloucester it is Barth

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usual · 08/11/2015 13:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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PuppyMonkey · 08/11/2015 13:51

Nottingham - say bath to rhyme with math too.

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Archer26 · 08/11/2015 13:52

I'm in Nottingham and it's bath with a short a here. My friend is from Wiltshire and now lives up here and is amazed at the difference in pronounciations for quite a few words.

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Lolimax · 08/11/2015 13:53

Interesting discussion here....all Welsh. Newport Welsh no 'r' sound as in Bath, Valleys Welsh a definite 'r' sound. Who knew?

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MERLYPUSSEDOFF · 08/11/2015 18:58

I live in Kent
Barth like Martha

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ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 08/11/2015 19:01

It's not barth in bath it's baath
I say Barth because I went to a posh school and my dad is posh but the local accent is baath

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Artandco · 08/11/2015 19:02

London - Barth, parth, carstle, glarss, grarss

Everyone I know from London, South East, South seem to add the 'r' sound. Everyone from south west, west and north no 'r'. Well in general from the people I know and hear, I'm sure there's variants.

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ShelaghTurner · 08/11/2015 19:02

I never thought about this until dd1 went into reception. Her teacher was from somewhere else and said bath (math). Do I correct dd1, do I not? In the event I went for "oh some people pronounce it like blah blah" but I wasn't sure what to do.

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