Unusual Place Names and Pronunciations

Mike

Mike

Well-known Member
Location
London
Prompted by the "Cockburn", thread, I thought that it would
good to list other places that we all know, that are spelled and
pronounced differently.

I give you a village in East Lothian, Scotland, South of Edinburgh,
Athelstaneford, is the spelling, but it is known as, Elshinford, no,
I have no idea why.

It was named after King Athelstane, a Saxon, it is also reputed to
be the birthplace of the Saltire, the Scottish flag, that is my Avatar.

Mike.
 

Spokane, Washington looks like it should be "spo-cane", but it's pronounced "spo-can."

Poughkeepsie, New York, if you were to pronounce it phonetically, it would be "po-keep-see", but that's not the way to say it; say "puh-kip-see."

La Jolla, California, is pronounced "la-hoy-uh."
 
Mike said:
Prompted by the "Cockburn", thread, I thought that it would
good to list other places that we all know, that are spelled and
pronounced differently.

I give you a village in East Lothian, Scotland, South of Edinburgh,
Athelstaneford, is the spelling, but it is known as, Elshinford, no,
I have no idea why.

It was named after King Athelstane, a Saxon, it is also reputed to
be the birthplace of the Saltire, the Scottish flag, that is my Avatar.

Mike.
Click to expand...
I had no idea about that. That's interesting, I must try and remember .

Where I grew up in Scotland there was road near us called Athelstane, and that's how we pronounced it.. so we were obviously all pronouncing it wrongly..
 
Bella said:
Spokane, Washington looks like it should be "spo-cane", but it's pronounced "spo-can."
Click to expand...
I've actually heard a few locals call it "spo-cane," but by locals, I mean people on the fringes of Spokane, in an area known as the Inland Empire, which unofficially reaches into the western reaches of Montana, where the brand of chainsaw you carry around is more important than pronunciation.
 
My husband, born and raised in Illinois, pronounces it "Illi-noise". I've told him a million times the "s" is silent, but....well, there ya go. So annoying.
 
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JustDave said:
I've actually heard a few locals call it "spo-cane," but by locals, I mean people on the fringes of Spokane, in an area known as the Inland Empire, which unofficially reaches into the western reaches of Montana, where the brand of chainsaw you carry around is more important than pronunciation.
Click to expand...
I was born there and have family still there and...... NO real local calls it that .... Unless ironically making fun of the many who mispronounce like national news people.

Many cities/ towns in Washington have names that people have trouble with. Sequim / Puyallip / Guemes /Pend Oreille

I listened to a true crime podcast where the host spent entire time calling 2 Washington towns incorrectly .......Chewelah and Coville which are not even difficult
 
North of Glasgow is Milngavie, pronounced 'Mull guy'.
Culzean is 'Cull ane'
Garioch is 'gearie'

Some other towns and villages are simply known by local names.. Fraserburgh is 'The Broch' and Aberchirder (silent 'c') is 'Foggie' after its original name of 'Foggieloan'.
 
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