How to say.... (street name)

[macroban]

Bass-ah-no

The "Bass" is not as in bass guitar nor as in bass (fish). Sorry, not very helpful. Sort of not hard and not soft.

[mikeb]

Muz-champ (with a clear "P")?

[macroban]

Muz-camp - similar to Ball-sher - the "ch" sound was not so popular round here.

It would be good to have some other old people contribute to this thread.

[professordingo]

macroban Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Bass-ah-no

>

> The "Bass" is not as in bass guitar nor as in bass

> (fish). Sorry, not very helpful. Sort of not hard

> and not soft.

So I guess you mean the vowel in 'bass' is like the vowel in 'the' (as in 'the table' not 'the apple') - so something like buh-SAA-noh? (-uh as in 'the', -aa as in 'father', -oh as in 'no'). Have I got that right?

Also, Macroban, I'm intrigued by your comments about 'ch': MUZZ-camp and BAL-sher. This is such an informative thread!

I vote that the next Forum drinks gang should grab some oldies in the pub for their opinion on some of these.

[Booboo2008]

What about Therapia Road? Ther-aaaaaaaaaaaaaa- pia or Therap-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiia?

[catriona]

Agree this is an informative thread - these bus announcers have exposed a pronunciation minefield. Makes me glad I live on Overhill Road...

[Asset]

ah, but is that OVERhill or OverHILL?

[professordingo]

I take it that's oh-VAIR-ill road... or is it OV-err-ill ? :-S

(sorry Asset, we crossed in cyberspace!)

[anna_ed]

It's not a street name but I had trouble with 'Southwark' for years. I remember trying to memorize the way the tube voice said it on the jubilee line. I have problems with 'Loughborough' as well, when I said it in a meeting they all started laughing ::o because I pronounced it 'love-borrow'. ups :-) still don't know how to say it though....

I love Spanish and German at least in those language you write what you say.. I bet they have less dyslexics.....

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Luffburra

Sahth-ak

[Asset]

I would say - Suth-uk (hard th), but then I'm posh.

[benjaminty]

I'm going to have to listen harder to the bird on the bus in the morning... the one on the 37 tonight has made me feel not to trust a single thing she says now. Brockwell Leeedo indeed! FFS it's LY-DO and we all know it....

I've lived in sarf landan all me life and it's always been "dulidj" innit

[PeckhamRose]

Suthuck (th as in with not both)

There was a Lido in Cliftonville near where I grew up (in Margit near Ramsgit) and that was Lye-dough, only the posh folk from Broadstairs called it Leedo. So we knew we were right.

[professordingo]

Ah, "lido" is an interesting one. Many pronunciation dictionaries give LEE-doh first, with LY-doh (-y as in cry) as a variant. It's from Latin, but I don't have Latin dict to hand, presumably a 'long i'? Most Brightonians call Saltdean Lido LY-doh, but LEE-doh is quite common. So I think the answer is that both pronunciations are attested and acceptable.

"Margit" and "Ramsgit" made me chuckle. Anyone been to Mousehole in Cornwall? Apparently it's MOW-zuhl (-ow as in now).

[PeckhamRose]

Yup, only posh Londoners call it MarGATE or RamsGATE as they also utter the words "How cheap are the houses and beach huts still? Amazing dahling" then buying it all sharpish so me mates kids can't afford to buy in their areas... same old same old

Now, how do you pronounce Thorncombe Road? Is it coom or cum (fner fner) or com?

[Vik]

Only posh Londoners say Sarf London, we all know it's Saaf London!

[Moos]

Michael P, did you mean Muschamp? I tend to say MUSchmp, on the grounds that one should somewhat anglecise French words requisitioned into English, and remove any vowel sounds that can possibly be squeezed out.

Also SUTHuk, deCRESSpinee, but definitely, definitely LIE-doe. And unquestionably sconn! ;-)

But what do I know, I'm neither (especially) old nor from Saaf London.

P.S. PGC gutted re Adys I thought it was named after the alcoholic syphylitic Hungarian poet!

[Asset]

Thorn-coom

[HonaloochieB]

Barry Rd. Is it Bah-ry as in the sheep noise, or Barry as in Manilow, or Bazza as in McKenzie?

[James]

I have never understood the term "Sarf" London (looks like it should rhyme with "laugh")!? Ditto "Saaf" London.

Shouldn't it be something like "Souf"?

[professordingo]

James Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I have never understood the term "Sarf" London

> (looks like it should rhyme with "laugh")!? Ditto

> "Saaf" London.

>

> Shouldn't it be something like "Souf"?

To my way of thinking, 'sarf' would be like the 'posh' 'aa' vowel you get in 'laugh' (cardinal vowel 5), whereas 'saaf' I think probably just represents better the way 'south' is said in south London, which is more like the vowel you get in 'man' (the 'ash' vowel). 'souf' would be normal in various other southern British English accents, but south London is well known as 'saaf London', especially by north Londoners - am I right in thinking that south Londoners used to say they could spot a north Londoner because the latter would say 'souf' rather than 'saaf'? (i.e. 'it's saaf London, innit!').

(BTW, I'm a fan of 'innit' - so much more logical than 'isn't it', 'aren't you', etc etc.)

[Pierre]

Wouldn't that be "Saf London" then?

Great thread this, btw!

: P

[philiphenslowe]

We're all nasal in Saaarf London

[david_carnell]

I know I moved here from Surrey darlings but can no-one just pronounce South as it's meant to be?

Sou-th.

None of this glottal-stop business.

Could a glo-al stop be self descriptive?

[Moos]

Why would there be a pause in the middle of South, D_C?