Cunning linguists
"Bath" and "Barth" - where in England does it change?
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?
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.
iwanttobemrsnorthman · 13/09/2015 22:48
Well I'm from the black country so its baff here
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.
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'
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
usual · 08/11/2015 13:39
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
Bonkerz · 08/11/2015 13:41
I from Hampshire and say Barth but now live in Leicester where they say bath.
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
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
usual · 08/11/2015 13:46
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
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.
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?
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
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.
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.
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.