Archers thread #168: Near to the Maddening Crowd? Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed, and of course we are always delighted to welcome back former or occasional listeners/posters. We don't all agree on all points, although we do mostly try to be civil about it. Most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you'd like to hear more of Harrison's strange little moaning noises, or other unusual views.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please! We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4636789-the-archers-spoilers-thread-7-cant-wait-for-702pm-join-us-here, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, @DadDadDad has created this useful thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have - BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

Thanks to @OverArmour for the title suggestion!

Over to you.

My little village in France did a formal poll to ask us what we wanted to be called.....then forgot to tell us the results!

Ambridgians.

Did you hear the latest John Finnemore show? It features a village voting on how to pronounce their name.

If you want to out yourself and say the name of the French village, I'll choose you a demonym 😁

Ambridgeite or Ambridger?

Ambridgista as a derogatory term, said by other local villages who think Ambridge has got too up itself (à la Hebden Bridge).

Ambridgian for Lynda or Jim's history lectures.

Bridger for everyday use.

Dorchester people can be called Durnovarians, but I don't suppose there was a Burnovaria before Borchester.

Lynda would know.

Fink, I haven’t and I’d better not out myself with the RN on the prowl!

Shocking bad form, replying to myself, but some explanation is called for. I encountered Hartlepool on the page well before I heard it in conversation, and it was firmly established in my mind as Hartle (to rhyme with startle) Pool. Likewise, its citizens are Hartle-Pudlians.
This leads me to stupor hartlepooli, from The Lull (Saki), a suitable story for an election day.
http://www.online-literature.com/hh-munro/1838/

Allwyn?

Leodensian is from the Latin name of Leeds, Leodis. Like Olicanum for Ilkley and Wigorniensis for pertaining to Worcester.

But not all of Yorkshire speaks with the same accent! I doubt whether you’d see tge same distinction between people in E Lancs and W (in the directional not in the admin boundary sense) Yorks.

A friend of mine habitually gave his address as either “the occupied territories of Lancashire” or “Cheshire, allegedly”

In theory, there’d be something of that ilk, because chester/cester/caster is usually an indication of a Roman fort.

Back to irregularity of pronunciation - Bicester.

I don't know why people pick on Bicester. It fits with Worcester, Gloucester, and Leicester. You don't see many people complaining about their pronunciations (except Americans, and, on 4th July, surely we can all agree that their opinion doesn't count 😆).

In theory, there’d be something of that ilk, because chester/cester/caster is usually an indication of a Roman fort.

Yes. But any archaeological storylines have been limited to Ambridge.

@RegimentalSturgeon Thanks for that Saki link. Well worth the read!

I wasn’t complaining. But it is unexpected (as is Worcester to people who haven’t heard the name). Would you have been happier had I said Woolfardisworthy?

I wasn't suggesting you personally were complaining, but I do see a lot more backlash against Bicester than the others. It used to surprise me because it's so much smaller/less well known, but I then thought that it might be because people weren't as used to it, and they'd grown up with Leicester et al. But then it would still surprise me, because if someone has known of Worcester and Gloucester for years, surely if they saw Bicester written down then the pronunciation they'd naturally go for is the 'correct' one, but apparently not. I used to live in Oxfordshire, it happened several times!

Yes, I think you’re right, it’s because the others are better known, Worcester Races, Dr Foster went to Gloucester etc. But it wasn’t till I was writing the first post you responded to that I thought “wait a minute - isn’t that analogous to Worcester.” But I hit “post” anyway.

The accents in some East Lancs towns are distinct to the point of one could recognise the town from someone's accent (in the manner of 'Enry 'Iggins)

Some of the places that used to be in Lancashire but are now in Cheshire have a definite feel to them and it doesn't feel like Cheshire.

I don't think that anyone is saying that all of Yorkshire speaks with the same accent. Someone from Doncaster is unlikely to sound like someone from Skipton.

Towcester is better than Bicester. One makes me think of toast, and the other makes me think of instant gravy.

Perhaps there is a hill fort on Lakey Hill and a Roman Road that runs from Borchester towards the Fosse Way.

The sinkhole...

But not all of Yorkshire speaks with the same accent!

Where did I say they did? I said a Lancashire accent was distinct from a Yorkshire one - which it is (edited to say - wherever in Yorkshire that might be).

Susan indulged in a bit of rewriting of history in her self-righteous indignation tonight: she rejected the newborn Christopher to begin with because of his hare lip,

It will be interesting to see which way they have her swing when (if) the truth comes out: revulsion at the extent to which George has made matters worst, or minimising his actions because Alice is, at bottom, a spoilt, gutless drunk.

Yes I thought Susan was going to reference his cleft palate. Have the SWs forgotten? Excellent speech though - go Susan.

I live very close to the Yorkshire/Lancashire border and there are plenty of towns and villages where the accent is hard to place.