Removed #5 Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 (edited) Okay, this is foolishness, but we have a few people from towns that have interesting names. For example "Worcester" in Massachusetts is pronounced "Wooster" and "Leicester" is pronounced "Lester" ... How do you Brits pronounce them??? Edited January 20, 2014 by Al Jones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 When I lived in Providence I learned that there are a whole bunch of cities had interesting pronunciations by the locals lol. Worcester is more like "Woostah" though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted January 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 When I lived in Providence I learned that there are a whole bunch of cities had interesting pronunciations by the locals lol. Worcester is more like "Woostah" though I set corrected, you're right on that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 We pronounce them exackerly the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted January 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 We pronounce them exackerly the same and you're the type who would pronounce Worcester the same as Leicester!! Big help you are!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Andy's right. We do pronounce them the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 and you're the type who would pronounce Worcester the same as Leicester!! Big help you are!! Sorry Al' what I meant was we pronounce them the same way as you Wooster and lester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted January 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 (edited) Andy's right. We do pronounce them the same. Being a bit less of a weisenheimer - you're saying that you pronounce "Worcester" as "Woostah"?? << laughing >> Thanks Andy, didn't see your post before I replied to Emma. Edited January 20, 2014 by Al Jones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Being a bit less of a weisenheimer - you're saying that you pronounce "Worcester" as "Woostah"?? << laughing >> Thanks Andy, didn't see your post before I replied to Emma. Yep. Whether I'm pronouncing it correctly is another matter entirely. The Worst area for me is in London. "southwark" I pronounce it "Suffolk" which is of course, another area entirely, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted January 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Okay, carrying this a bit further - what's the derivation of the names? I've heard it said that they derive from Latin that the -cester is a corruption of the Latin castra; however, Leicester under Roman rule was Ratae Corieltauvorum - how does that derive? Where does the Lei part of Leicester come from. I can easily see how the -shire comes about since the shire is similar to our county and the 'county seat' often has the same name as the county. For an explanation of part of this, I enjoy reading historical fiction and the derivation of place names in England is interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Okay, carrying this a bit further - what's the derivation of the names? I've heard it said that they derive from Latin that the -cester is a corruption of the Latin castra; however, Leicester under Roman rule was Ratae Corieltauvorum - how does that derive? Where does the Lei part of Leicester come from. I can easily see how the -shire comes about since the shire is similar to our county and the 'county seat' often has the same name as the county. For an explanation of part of this, I enjoy reading historical fiction and the derivation of place names in England is interesting. I used to live in Oxford Originally Oxenford or a shallow place in the river Thames where the farmers could cross with their Oxen. Also a safe place for travellers to cross the Thames before bridges were built. and Thames is pronounced Tems Our colonial cousins delight in accidentally mispronouncing British place names. Take the County of Herefordshire, You guys would stress the Ford and Shire Whereas we pronounce it Herre Fud Shuh, Oxfordshire, Ox Fud Shuh, Leicestershire, Lester shuh. . . and so on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted January 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 (edited) and I fall smack in the middle of that ... Herefordshire would become Her-Ferd-Sher - but then I grew up where we had Hereford for milk cows. Finally Googled the right thing and came up with: Leicester: This unusual name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is a locational surname deriving from Leicester, the county town of Leicestershire. The placename is recorded in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicles" of 942 as "Ligora Ceaster", and in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Ledecestre", the derivation being from the Old English pre 7th Century tribal name "Ligore", meaning "dwellers on the river Legra" with "Ceaster" a Roman fort, from the Latin "Castra", legionary camp. and for Worcester The placename is recorded in the Saxon Chronicles as "Uueogorna ceastre" (889) and as "Wigraceaster" (904), and appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Wirecestre". The city is named from the addition of the Olde English pre 7th Century "ceaster", Roman fort, from the Latin "castra", legionary camp, to an ancient British (pre Roman) tribal name of uncertain origin, "Wigoran" or "Weogoran". The tribal name is thought to be derived from a river name identical with the Wyre in Lancashire, which means "winding river". Edited January 20, 2014 by Al Jones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkyries Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 i live in Bicester pronounced Bista Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingsolo Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Our county town is 'shrewsbury' some pronounce it shrewsbrie others shrowsbury (posh people). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I have always read "Leicester" as luh-sass-ter until Top Gear visited that town and pronounced it for me. I must say, you guys are odd LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I was interested to learn a while back that Spokane in USA is pronounced Spoke-Anne not Spoke-Ayne as many think! And now for my next bit of useless trivia ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clare70 Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Don't get me started on this French pronunciation is a nightmare of English words and their own. They pronounce Paris as Parry and The river Thames as Temise, work that one out! Any word with a 'th' in it is pronounced as just the 't' for example a town near me is spelt 'Parthenay' said as 'Part en ay' though the name Thomas is said with a silent 'h' in both French and English. Language is so interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 now that the topic has turned to city names in various languages... I'd say names in Chinese are even crazier Beijing is actually pronounced pay-cheeng instead of bei-jeeng. The catch is; every letter "B" is pronounced as "P" and every letter "P" is pronounced as "B". Even more confusing: every letter "t" is pronounced as "d", every letter "d" is pronounced as "t". Every letter "g" is pronounced as "k" and every letter "k" is pronounced "g"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike101 Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 now that the topic has turned to city names in various languages... I'd say names in Chinese are even crazier Beijing is actually pronounced pay-cheeng instead of bei-jeeng. The catch is; every letter "B" is pronounced as "P" and every letter "P" is pronounced as "B". Even more confusing: every letter "t" is pronounced as "d", every letter "d" is pronounced as "t". Every letter "g" is pronounced as "k" and every letter "k" is pronounced "g"! and you call us strange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 technically, that's not MY language Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted January 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I've often wondered, Liv, about those people who "invented" Romaji (okay, that's Japanese transliteration). They must have had a very odd 'ear'. How the city could have gone from "Peking" to"Peiping" to "Beijing" is beyond me ... I'm sure the locals all changed the way they pronounce the name. From my time in the orient, I'm all too aware that the way the western ear hears oriental sounds can be confusing, but that the government of the country authored many of these changes is way beyond "what we hear". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueWolf Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Oh, the way you all seem to pronounce 'Schiphol', 'Scheveningen' and even 'Gouda' is always interesting I just so happen to stumble upon a website where you can search for words and how they are pronounced locally and in other languages so you can hear it for yourself how its supposed to be. Schiphol, Scheveningen and Gouda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clare70 Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I think the Dutch get a really hard time for their accent in the UK, sorry Jos There are a few comedy sketches, one that springs to mind is I think the fast show, where there are 2 Dutch police men, oh I'll try to find it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) I do not have a problem with the English accent or the other way round....ok it helps that I lived there for 15/16 years altogether and that I am married to an English lady..... Edited January 21, 2014 by robke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted January 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) I have to take exception to that Clare, I had an associate whose family lives in Holland (how she landed here I have *no* idea) I was constantly amazed how unaccented their English was... There were times that they'd throw in a Dutch word or two, which would leave the rest of us stumbling. The father of the crowd was amazing, he spoke (at least) Dutch, English, German, Spanish, French and I have no idea what else! Blew all us 'mercan away!!! Edited January 21, 2014 by Al Jones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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