h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A16352381 - Pronouncing British Place Names

Author: Icy North U225620


Thanks Danny - link added

The last word on Torpenhow:

Torpenhow Cumbria. Torpennoc 1163. ‘Ridge of the hill with a rocky peak’. OE torr + Celtic *penn + OE hoh.

ref: A Dictionary of British Place-Names. A. D. Mills. Oxford University Press, 2003.

I've added a footnote.

Icy

Fabulous entry - I really enjoyed reading it . I remember discussing pronunciations with my A-Level English teacher and her telling us that the only language which approaches English in its complexity to learn is Finnish.

One interesting example I've come across of two very similar *looking* names having very different pronunciations is the case of Kiveton, South Yorkshire, and Kineton, Warwickshire.

Kiveton has three syllables, with very short sounds: ki-vih-tun

Kineton, on the other hand, has only two syllables and is pronounced: kine (as in fine)-tun.

As a native of South Yorkshire, I instinctively pronounced Kineton similarly to Kiveton, and had lots of quite bemused looks from the locals .

Class stuff Icy Fantastic for an Aussie visiting. I once asked someone if I had to change trains at log-bore-ogg (Loughborough)

log-bore-ogg

Do you get unpronounceable names in Oz?

well, how would you say tamgambalanga?

Very good entry... one suggestion, for Ely there should be a footnote mentioning that this applies to Ely in Cambridgeshire as there's an Ely in Wales which I believe is pronounced how it's spelt.

Well there you go - I'd never heard of Ely in Wales. I'll look into a footnote.



Cautiously, Matt. Cautiously.

To the tune of 'Waltzing Matila'?

On the pronunciation of 'Ely': as far as I know the Welsh 'Ely' is also pronounced 'ee-lee'. Perhaps its Anglicised, and the Welsh one is 'elly'.

Possible but when I used to do customer service stuff I'd say it how it's spelt and be told "that's right".

I'll leave the 'elly' footnote in that case. Thanks, both!

...And I've discovered that you pronounce tamgambalanga as it sounds: A4187559

One of those wonderful aboriginal names, like Pommiewingee

I was right

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Yayy!! Icy!!




lil xx

Great!!