Words you don't kno...
 

  You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more

[Closed] Words you don't know how to pronounce

179 Posts
85 Users
0 Reactions
813 Views
Posts: 77347
Free Member
 

Hall ith Wood in Bolton, it’s pronounced Hol if wood

It bloody isn't, it's just that Bowtoners can't speak proper.

I had a friend called Aoife

Pronounced like "Eva" only with an F instead of a V.

Up the road from me theres a farm called ‘Hillhouse’ because its on the side of a hill. However the hill is named after the nearest feature…. So it’s called ‘Hillhouse Hill’

I live near Pendle Hill. The name Pendle comes from the Cumbrian "pen" meaning "hill" and the Old English "hyll" meaning "hill." Hillhill Hill.


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 8:00 pm
Posts: 43345
Full Member
 

I live near Pendle Hill. The name Pendle comes from the Cumbrian “pen” meaning “hill” and the Old English “hyll” meaning “hill.” Hillhill Hill.

Lots of that in Gaelic English translations too.

Loch Lochy

The loch in Glen Loch near Blair Atholl called, err, Loch Loch,

And the River Avon (Avon being an Anglicization of the gaelic abhain pronounced "aven")

On a wider topic, it took me many years to realise that Carneddau in Wales was the same word as Carnethy in Scotland


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 8:07 pm
Posts: 2609
Full Member
 

Hegemony - it came up all the time when I was doing my MA


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 8:12 pm
Posts: 21016
Full Member
 

Cougar

I live near Pendle Hill. 

You live quite near Benny Hill too. 🙂


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 8:18 pm
Posts: 4170
Free Member
 

The name Pendle comes from the Cumbrian “pen” meaning “hill” and the Old English “hyll” meaning “hill.” Hillhill Hill.

The Cumbrian village of Torpenhow (aka 'Trepena') has been mentioned earlier. The hill next to it called Torpenhow Hill (=HillHillHill Hill)


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 8:20 pm
Posts: 4170
Free Member
 

Eyjafjallajökull

aka "That volcano in Iceland". Pronounce it as if you're a slightly drunk and slightly aggressive Glaswegian.


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 8:33 pm
Posts: 77347
Free Member
 

The Cumbrian village of Torpenhow (aka ‘Trepena’) has been mentioned earlier. The hill next to it called Torpenhow Hill (=HillHillHill Hill)

Ah thank you. I knew there was a 4x but couldn't remember it.


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 8:37 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Used to live down the road from a place called Aveton Gifford; so many different ways of saying that.. never worked out what was the right one.

Now I'm in Wales and my wife still rips the chronic out of me for the first time I tried to say 'Pwlldu,' well over a decade ago

Still trying to work out how to say 'that last beer may as well stay in the fridge'..


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 8:47 pm
Posts: 77347
Free Member
 

Now I’m in Wales and my wife still rips the chronic out of me for the first time I tried to say ‘Pwlldu,’ well over a decade ago

Is that something like 'puchdy'?


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 8:54 pm
Posts: 17915
Full Member
 

Ralph Fiennes.

Menzies Campbell


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 9:05 pm
Posts: 43345
Full Member
 

A lot of folk struggle with the yogh


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 9:22 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

@Cougar something between 'puth-de' and 'porth-dee'

One thing it sure as hell isnt is 'pull-doo' 😳😂


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 9:47 pm
Posts: 77347
Free Member
 

Ah yeah, 'll' in the middle of a word is slightly different to the beginning isn't it, it loses the phlegmmy bit.

FWIW, for years I thought the Welsh word for Wales was pronounced "Simroo" as I'd only ever seen it written down.


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 9:52 pm
Posts: 91000
Free Member
 

And the River Avon (Avon being an Anglicization of the gaelic abhain pronounced “aven”)

Avon is an Anglicisation of the ancient Brythonic word which gave us modern Welsh 'afon'. I expect afon and abhain are both from proto-Celtic. I doubt Avon is actually derived from Gaelic which is a Goedelic Celtic language. Before the Saxons turned up the whole of Britain south of the Highlands spoke Brythonic dialects - loads of Welsh related words up north - Cumbria/Cymru and Glas-cau/Glasgow (green hollow)

Is that something like ‘puchdy’?

The ll sound is a voiceless l. In English, th can be voiced, as in 'that' or voiceless as in 'three'. Your tongue goes in the same place, but you just blow rather than make a sound with your larynx. So ll is just that - l without the voice.

On the subject of names, I know a kid called Llinos. She'll be ok if she stays in Wales, but phone calls will always be a pain. I also had a mate at uni called Arwel. Most English people found it easy, except they didn't realise they were saying it wrong. If you don't roll the r and you're not American you just get 'awel' which means breeze.


 
Posted : 30/04/2020 9:57 pm
 Rona
Posts: 378
Full Member
 

Kilncadzow

Does that mean that the Cadzow in Cadzow Oaks - in the same neck of the woods - is pronounced the same as the cadzow in Kilncadzow? That had never occurred to me before now … off to look that up.

Do you not come from a town called ‘letmahairgrow’?

I really did laugh at loud at this :oD

The mill was originally owned by Gavin. So the place was “Mill of Gavin”.
Gavin gets shortened to “Guy”. Hence the pronunciation became “Mill-Guy”

GrahamS - thanks for the info - I remember a wee tea place called Gavin's Mill from back in the day, and didn’t realise the connection with ‘Mill-Guy’. That’s so interesting.

My own personal favourite for pronunciation anxiety is broosketta / brooshetta - love to eat it - scared to order it!


 
Posted : 01/05/2020 10:18 am
Posts: 17273
Free Member
 

Do you not come from a town called ‘letmahairgrow’?

Apropos of nothing.......the first building I ever built in my professional career was the sports pavilion in McKirdy Park in Letmahairgrow.


 
Posted : 01/05/2020 10:34 am
Posts: 17273
Free Member
 

Does that mean that the Cadzow in Cadzow Oaks – in the same neck of the woods – is pronounced the same as the cadzow in Kilncadzow?

Probably not. Cadzow Street in Hamilton is pronounced completely differently.


 
Posted : 01/05/2020 10:37 am
 Rona
Posts: 378
Full Member
 

Thanks perchypanther - forgot about Cadzow Street.

Often wondered - are you named after the pond?


 
Posted : 01/05/2020 11:21 am
Posts: 17273
Free Member
 

Often wondered – are you named after the pond?

Strictly speaking, i'm named after the big cat who was spotted near the pond, but yeah.


 
Posted : 01/05/2020 11:27 am
 Rona
Posts: 378
Full Member
 

Cool - didn't know about the panther - yikes.


 
Posted : 01/05/2020 11:40 am
Page 3 / 3

6 DAYS LEFT
We are currently at 95% of our target!