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

Speaking as a fellow Amurrican who lived in England for nearly 15 years, man and beast, I have to tell you that you probably can't pronounce Bermondsey.

Oh, the accent is on the first syllable; the vowel is mostly missing out of the middle one; and the final syllable tends to get blurred by the user licking salt off his fingers before throwing the crisp packet away.

But the first syllable is what distinguishes the Brits from all others. They really do talk without moving their upper lips. You have to lose that yankee RRRR and go for something more like a French eu, except that the Brits would rather DIE than admit any kind of relationship with the French whatever.

Actually, my take on the pronunciation is biassed somewhat by the fact that I was once married to a Brummie. I still think our divorce stemmed from the fact that I failed to learn how to say "20 Gold Leaf and a pint of Mild."

Hope this helps,
Asteroid Lil

Being English, and having worked in Bermondsey for the past year, I can give you the definitive answer here.

First syllable (stressed): Bur
Second syllable: mon
Third syllable: tsee. (That's a soft 'ts'.)

"Bur-mon-tsee." Simple!

Gah. Not even close.

Ber (as in 'burr'), Mn (just 'mn'), Zee (as in Zuider).