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What’s with the weird British pronunciations of words like Gloucester?

Why are some English names pronounced so differently than they're spelled? I'm thinking of Cholmondeley (pronounced "Chumley") and Featherstonehaugh (pronounced "Fanshaw").

Posted - January 18, 2018

Responses


  • 6477
    LOL silly you... you know we invented these words.. it ain't our fault if ferriners can't speak what should be a common language.  :P  And it ain't our fault if you guys can't be bothered to spell correctly :P
      January 18, 2018 3:28 PM MST
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  • 5835
    Same as any other language. In Russian, zdrazdvuitche is pronounced "strastitche". In American we have "gh" which pronounced a lot of ways but never "gh". 

    Now here is a young lady who is going to tell you about her bum:

      January 19, 2018 12:20 AM MST
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  • 551
    The shortened pronunciation may have evolved just out of laziness, or perhaps in some cases as a deliberate affectation by local people to distinguish themselves from outsiders.

    There is a town near to where I live whose name is spelled "Slaithwaite". It is generally pronounced "Slathwaite" (never "Slay-thwaite") in the surrounding district; there is an alternative pronunciation, "Slawit", which rarely used except by inhabitants of the town or those with a close connection to it. This post was edited by Reverend Muhammadovsky at January 19, 2018 4:03 PM MST
      January 19, 2018 8:22 AM MST
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  • 5835
    So the American is mouthing off. "You Brits are goofy. You call the front of a car "windscreen" when we call it "windshield". That's goofy. We invented the car, you know."

    The Brit replies, "That's true, but we invented the language."
      January 19, 2018 3:54 PM MST
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  • 14795
    Most likely Mr Benz first invented the automobile back in 1878.......and my teeth are quite beautiful actually.....callin'us names ain't gonna get you far either if you ever visit Blighty I mean....  Grrrrrrrrrrrr
      January 19, 2018 4:11 PM MST
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