General Chat

This is such an interesting discussion. I am sorry Tawny has to go through such hard time to give us this.

It is really making me think how I pronounce place names.

I live somewhere near where the name is the same spelling as a common word. Catches a lot of people out - especially if you read it out of context ;-)

..and Easebourne - also just outside Midurst, is pronounced 'Essborn' :-D :-D

On the way from Winchester to Sussex - Alresford is 'Allsford', and Stroud', is 'Strood'.

Weirdly,on travelling West, my sister tends to get Frome wrong (Froom), and I, Fowey (Foy)

Oh, place names are a minefield...

I grew up near Cosham, pronounced Cosh- em, but just along the coast, with just one letter difference in name, Bosham is pronounced Boz- mm.

Nearer here Lympne is pronounced to rhyme with limb.

Sometimes it's just about emphasis.
North of Cosham is Waterlooville, which locals pronounce with emphasis on the ville part of the name, rather than TV reporters, who tend to favour WaterLOO ville.

My cousin, who was born in the Channel Islands was living in Northumbria when a couple stopped to ask the way to An Wick. Having explained the pronounciation they discovered the couple lived a couple of doors down from where he grew up!

I always pronounce Easebourne as Ezzburn and have been corrected by somebody who bought a house there. My dad was the coalman round there at one time.

Another strange thing, and I am not disagreeing with Gwyn, wouldn't dare, but Fred's cousin who would be something like 120 now, moved there with her family before the first world war and she always pronounced it as Cozzam, the same as Bosham.

Anybody want to hazard a guess as to how you say 'Halnaker'?

I cheated and tried to look it up - like the idea that it comes from halfnaked :-D

My sister used to live in Easebourne, and pronounced it 'Essborn' - but then, she's probably 'posh' Sussex! :-D

When I lived in Pompey, I pronounced Cosham the way it's spelled, with a 'sh'.

However, when I wanted a bus ticket from the Dockyard, to the nearest stop to my home, which was the Fawcett Inn, 'Fawcett' was pronounced 'Fossett'. :-(
I only made the mispronunciation error once. :-0

Is Halnaker pronounced something like 'Hanker'?

It is 'Hannicker'.

There is a windmill on the hill which we locals like to call 'Winnicker Handmill'. Really, it doesn't take much!

Of course, it is pretty close to Chiddister.

Oh that was too easy. I thought it would be more complicated.

Oh come on!

This is Sussex.Do you really think we could cope with anything complicated?

Not far from us is a village called Athelstaneford that is pronounced Ailshinford, Strathaven is pronounced Strayven, Fortrose is pronounced Fortress and Milngavie is pronounced Milguy.

If you visit Gloucester (sorry, Glawster) you may come across the parish of Over and the continual debate about whether it's 'Over' or 'Oover'. Tewkesbury is called 'Chooksbree'. I live near Frome which is pronounced 'Froom'.

Last time my sister and I went through Frome, my sister pronounced it wrong, but wasn't sure if 'Froom' was right.
As we went along a street, I saw a shop called 'The Frome n' Groom', pointed this out and suggested a 'local' would pronounce it right - it was more likely to be 'The Froom n' Groom', rather than the 'Frome (her pronunciation) n' Groom' :-D :-D :-D

There was a young fellow from Salisbury,
Whose manners were halisbury scalisbury.
He wandered round Hampshire, without any pampshire.
Until the Bishop of Salisbury said "Walisbury!"

:-D :-D :-D

Even better when you shorten Hampshire to Hants! :-D

It can be a bit chilly down south ;-)

And the other abbreviations.

Oh yes! :-D :-D :-D :-D

Hint: Shortened version of Salisbury - Sarum

It's a self -aggrandising limerick :-D :-D :-D