An Informal Survey of English Speakers around the Globe

The stigma of using the "zee" pronunciation in Toronto encourages Canadian youngsters to rebel:

Zee vs. Zed

"Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead."

For those who contend that the British pronounce the language true and fair, I have but one word with which to voice my objection, and it's a proper word at that: Gloucester.

And Leicester. So I guess that would be two words. Without getting into the aluminum v. aluminium question, which I suspect should be resolved on the continent.

Beauvoir is pronounced by the English as "beaver."

The Italian city of Livorno is known to the English as "Leghorn."

Worcestershire is pronounced by the English as "woostershire."

Are these linguistic outlaws those to whom you would refer for an authoritative judgment?

I do prefer the one-syllabled Köln to the three syllabled Co-log-ne!

How about Derby... pronounced Darby?

Change "woostershire" to "roostershire" and you've got quite a set of potentially bawdy animal-themed euphemisms there.

Clerk and Berkshire, e.g. as well: pronunciation of the first vowel like in 'star'.

Ah, the old question: how come "monosyllabic" isn't?

Well, Walter, as the granddaughter of a Clark, I like pronouncing Clerk that way.

Hmmm. As an old van Dyke, I can't say I agree.



(note: not my real name. maybe.)

LOL... so I'm trying to figure out how you would like to pronounce it.

van Dack? van Deck? van Dirk? van Dork? van Duck?

A few more Hertford = Hartford
Over Peover = Over Peever
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is in Wales.

Oooh, I like van Dork.

Here, the "L" is silent in Milwaukee. Go figure.

However many examples of illogical pronunciations you can throw at us English, we will never be as bad as the Scots, Welsh or Irish at spelling things differently from how they are pronounced.

Kilquonqhuar (small village in Fife) = 'Canukka'
Any place in Wales = '........?'

Marylebone = "Marlyb'n"

An additonal complication:

Worcestershire Sauce = "Wuster Sauce" (short "u" not "ooo" and no one says the "shire" bit, when connected with the sauce!)

We don't say "ham" a the end of Birmingham, it's "Birming'm" (and similar) but we do say it in Hampshire ("Hamshur").

There are so many others, you'd hav to live here years before you got them all right!

KP

Speaking as a Bostonian, I see no reason to pronounce *anything* the way it is spelled.

Interesting about the dropping off or retaining shire in those names, KP. I've known that I should pronounce Worcestershire sauce as such (having watched plenty of Bertie Wooster), but never realized exactly that I was leaving off the "shire" on purpose. I just thought I was slurring over it.

We have town names like Puyallup (pugh al up), Sequim (squim) and Yelm (yell um) that often flummox visitors. Others, like Dosewallips, Skookumchuck, and Humptulips are pronounced just as they are spelled. In Washington we're used to these being mispronounced and don't get fussy about it. It's just funny.


George, how do you pronounce Stoneham?

Some Massachusetts place names and their pronunciation:

Stoneham: Stone'm (when we're talking amongst ourselves) or Stone-ham (when talking to non-locals)
Woburn: Woob'n (oo as hoot)
Worcester: Woosta (oo as in wood) For Bostonians, a long car ride is one that takes you westa woosta.
Billerica: Bi'rica
Chelmsford: Chimsfid (amongst themselves)
North Medford: Not Meffa
Haverhill: Hav'rill (long a)

George,

That's really New England - we have Woburn (real "O", for us), Worcester (of course), Billericay and Chelmsford are in Essex. I think we have a Haverhill as well...those founding fathers wanted reminders of home, I s'pose.

KP

A couple are traveling on the Gulf coast, and stop for a bite to eat in a fast food joint in Pascagoola, Mississippi. They think the name of the town is interesting, but are uncertain how to pronounce it . . .

"Miss, how do you pronounce the name of this place?"

"Bur-ger King."