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

'Didcot (Oxfordshire) = "Did-ct" Apparently there's no vowel between the C and T'

Are you sure? I lived in Didcot for a year, and never pronounced it (or heard it pronounced) any differently from the way it's spelt. Maybe yours is an older, dialect pronunciation..?

I used to live in Oxford, and that's how it was described to me by a colleague who lived in Didcot. Maybe it was a local thing then.

I had friends who lived there too and they used to pronounce it something like Did-kit with very little emphasis on the second 'i' rather than Did-cot, so it was very similar to how you are saying, Icy.

"Streatham = Strettum"

No mate, that's 'Saint Reatham' Just like Stockwell is "Saint Ockwell' Not forgetting Battersea - B'tterseeah.

I'll get me coat.

Wow! Maybe I just never talked to the locals

at Danny B! I do notice that on the on board train announcements, they always pronounce it Did-cot!

Southampton - South-Hampton, as far as I know no-one has ever pronounced it South-Ampton, the way it's written

You Brits don't have a lock on this phenomena.


I live in Texas on the Gulf Coast near Houston (Hyoo-Stun btw). I pronounce certain place names "correctly" even though everyone else around here bu**ers them up.

There's a street, Fuqua. I say foo-KWA. Every one else says Fyoo-Kway.

On the other side of Galveston Bay is a place that eveyone around here calls "ANN-uh-WHACK". It's spelled Anahuac. It's where the an-OW-uck indians lived.

On this side of the bay and all the way down the coast lived another tribe. After them are named various streets and a reef in the bay. Everyone pronounces Karankawa (various spellings as well) kah-RON-ka-wah. They called themselves the "CARE-un-COW-ah"

Since there are no native speakers left for the last two I can understand the mass mispronunciations. But fyoo-KWAY?

Speaking of Houston (which most Brits pronounce Hooston btw and will get them a right good ribbing if they try that in Texas), there's always Houston Street - pronounced Howston - in NYC

There is a lot of snobbery about this sort of thing though isn't there. On my first day at work near to the West Ham football ground several years ago, I asked the bus conductor how much the fare was to the Boleyn pub, pronouncing it 'B'lin', as in Ann Boleyn. I got a very theatrical and obviously rehearsed response which left me in no doubt that I was some sort of idiot who couldn't speak the Queen's English because it's pronounced 'Bo-leen', with the emphasis on the second syllable. Boy, did I feel like a muppet.

Well, no I didn't. I gave back as good as I got and told the dickhead what I thought of him

It's pronounced dih-KEED.

Fnaar.

Sure it is Like bucket is bouquet, and muppet is moopay

Speaking of which... did Richard EVER say Bookay? It was his surname.

Then there's Clapham, in South London, pronounced Clarm. Not forgetting the two Gillinghams - one in Kent, prnounced Jillingham, and one in Middlesex pronounced Gillingham with a hard G.

When pronouncing Westward Ho!, should one do so in an exclamatory manner?

RF

Yep, you most definately should

I think you should follow it with a pirate "ah-hah", too.

A few more from the South:

Herstmonceux, Sussex = "herst-mon-soo"
Beaminster, Dorset = "Bemster"
Fowey, Cornwall = "Foy"

Leaminster is pronounced Lemster

Tintagel is pronouned Tin-tag-gel..

.. not Tintaggle as my Dad once said..

Leigh the one in Lancs is pronounced something between Lee and Lay

and the one in Surrey is pronounced Lie(?)

Mousehole is Mouzal

Reading is Redding

Prinknash is Prinnish

Torpenhow is Torpenna

Godalming is God'lming

Basingstoke is Bayzingstoke

Holyhead Hollyhead

Lewes Lewis

Cambridge Caymbridge

Keswick Kezik

Bournemouth Bournem'th