Aldeburgh - pronounced awlbrer
Bashingham - pronounced bazingame
Beeston - pronounced beesum
Brome - pronounced broom
Caldecote - pronounced corket
Costessey - pronounced kossy
Garboldisham - pronounced garbleshum
Happisburgh - pronounced hazeboro
Horningsea - pronounced hornsey
Letherinsett - pronounced larnsett
Norwich - pronounced norritch
Stiffkey - pronounced stewkey
St Osyth - pronounced tozey
Tivetshall - pronounced titsawl
Walberswick - pronounced wobbleswick
Wymondham - pronounced windum
In Liverpool there is an area called Gateacre pronounced gettekker. Does your area have anywhere with an unexpected pronunciation?
Not where I live, but of course there is the most famous one (for tourists, I mean): Greenwich, pronounced Grennitch.
ReplyDeleteYour list is amazing!
ReplyDeleteYou throw me for a loop here Scriptor, I'm still able to talk Dutch, but it has become very simplified, and can't think anymore in the finer nuances of the language.
How about Kirkudbright pronounced Kircoobrie?
ReplyDeleteThese are always fun. England has so many place names that lend themselves to such a list. My personal favourite is Belvoir Castle -- pronounced
ReplyDeletebeaver!
Canadian Chickadee
The only one on your list that I knew from before was Norwich. I know I've come across more English place names with unexpected pronounciation before. One I remember is the village in Yorkshire where I stayed for a month when I was 16 - Wadworth, which was pronounced something like "waddearth". Another is Gloucester which I suppose most English people just know but which is not obvious if you haven't heard it - "gloster".
ReplyDeleteI won't even attempt to give you a lesson in Swedish place names!