How do I pronounce this?

[starlionblue]

I noticed a pattern in the spellings of several British towns or streets ending with "ershire". I know that Leicester Square is actually pronounced lester square. So, does that apply all over England, Scotland and Wales? If I were in Lancastershire, would the name be pronounced lancashire? Also, how is Herefordshire pronounced? Do I say herfordshire or heerfordshire?

 

[wilma-bride]

There's no such county as Lancastershire or Herefordshire. There are towns called Lancaster and Hereford but 'shire' tends to be the suffix of county names.

Different people pronounce 'shire' differently, depending on what region of the UK you come from - some pronounce it like 'sure' where others say 'shyer' - we're a strange old country aren't we?

 

[carolfoy]

you poor thing - we've got a country of completely indecipherable names, try telling someone you're going to Bicester (that's 'Bister' by he way) or Birmingham (that's bur ming um not Birming Ham) don't even go to Wales where everything is a bunch of consonants and no vowels or the darkest depths of cornwall where praze an beeble is not a disease but a village and I live in Launceston, pronounced Lawn son or, if you're cornish 'lanson' but never Lawn cess ton which is the pronunciation of its son in Tasmania!

 

[wilma-bride]

you poor thing - we've got a country of completely indecipherable names, try telling someone you're going to Bicester (that's 'Bister' by he way) or Birmingham (that's bur ming um not Birming Ham) don't even go to Wales where everything is a bunch of consonants and no vowels or the darkest depths of cornwall where praze an beeble is not a disease but a village and I live in Launceston, pronounced Lawn son or, if you're cornish 'lanson' but never Lawn cess ton which is the pronunciation of its son in Tasmania!

Or Fowey which is pronounced foy - my Gran used to get really irate if people called it f-ow-ee

 

[carolfoy]

How could I forget that one Joh? my surname FOY causes great angst down here as NOBODY can spell it!

theres Fowey and a huge furniture retailers called Foye, I used to have dealings with a club in Fowey and they always referred to me as Carol from Fowey so people thought I was someone different.

and when I booked my ADRs at Disney last year I spelled my name Foxtrot Oscar Yankee as I talk in phonetics ALL the time at work and actually had a couple of my ressies down as 'Ms C Foxtrot-Oscar-Yankee' very posh, me - treble barrelled!

 

[Boss Hogg]

There's no such county as Lancastershire or Herefordshire. There are towns called Lancaster and Hereford but 'shire' tends to be the suffix of county names.

Different people pronounce 'shire' differently, depending on what region of the UK you come from - some pronounce it like 'sure' where others say 'shyer' - we're a strange old country aren't we?

Uh Joh, as you quite rightly say "shire" is added to the county town in many places and I agree with you about Lancastershire, but I think you'll be upsetting some of my relatively near neighbours by saying there is no Herefordshire - try having a look here PLONKER

Look forwward to seeing you Sunday, boy, this could take some living down

 

[Dimplenose]

Herefordshire - I pronounce it herafudsheer (e as in egg, a is in apple).

I don't think there are any real rules for pronounciation - we've been invaded so many times that we have a real mixture of Latin, French, Celtic, Saxon etc. etc. languages to blame for our place names.

Also we are pretty lazy speakers and tend not to stress the same syllables as American English speakers.

Libby

 

[wilma-bride]

Uh Joh, as you quite rightly say "shire" is added to the county town in many places and I agree with you about Lancastershire, but I think you'll be upsetting some of my relatively near neighbours by saying there is no Herefordshire - try having a look here PLONKER

Look forwward to seeing you Sunday, boy, this could take some living down

Doh!!!

 

[Boss Hogg]

Herefordshire - I pronounce it herafudsheer (e as in egg, a is in apple).

Round these 'ere parts, you might find something like urfurdshure!

 

[Goofyish]

Hawick is also a good one

 

[brightspark]

Gloucestershire (where I live) is a good one too.. heard an american call it 'gloch-es-ter-shire'... had to laugh (when I finally realised he was talking about my home) It's Glos-ter-sher to me

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

What about Loughborough and Alnwick? I remember hearing on the radio once an Australian had asked where Loogabarruga was (loughborough)

 

[starlionblue]

Look forwward to seeing you Sunday, boy, this could take some living down

Uh oh! Looks like someone will have to eat a few words!

 

[brightspark]

Also so what about Edinburgh and Queensbourgh? although I have to ask myself if I've even spelt those right... lol

 

[carolfoy]

and of course the best one....

llanfairpwllgwyngerrgogerrychwerndrobwellllantysiliogogogoch

 

[daipp]

In Norfolk probably the most well-known are Happisburgh (pronounced Hays-borough) and Costessey (pronounced Cossey).

I almost forgot Roughton (pronounced Row-ton).

David

 

[Astrid]

Reading through this thread makes me realise how confusing we must be to other countries!

Down here we've got Beaulieu - not pronounced the French way but 'Byoulee' but to confuse matters just round the corner from there is Dibden Purlieu which is pronounce 'Purlyou'! My boyfriend lives in St Denys which is said Saint Denease.

I never knew that about Fowey, I put my hands up to never having pronounced it the right way until reading this thread!