Non-obvious placename pronunciations

[Imralu]

^WHS. I'm not an expert on German historical linguistics, but I know for a fact that those dialects had unrounded vowels "in place of" rounded vowels since at least Goethe's time, because it shows up in a lot of his poetry.

If that's your only evidence, it's not evidence. Modern German music is full of "rhymes" between rounded front vowels and their equivalent non-rounded vowel. For example, blühen with ziehen. It grates on me, but it's common enough to be a Thing.

[linguoboy]

^WHS. I'm not an expert on German historical linguistics, but I know for a fact that those dialects had unrounded vowels "in place of" rounded vowels since at least Goethe's time, because it shows up in a lot of his poetry.

If that's your only evidence, it's not evidence. Modern German music is full of "rhymes" between rounded front vowels and their equivalent non-rounded vowel. For example, blühen with ziehen. It grates on me, but it's common enough to be a Thing.

And you don't think the reason it might be a Thing is because Goethe did it? (As you may recall, he was a tiny bit influential in the domain of German poetry.)

[Zhen Lin]

But yeah, it would prevent foreigners from misreading it as /lɒndɒn/ or whatever. That's how the Japanese pronounce it, a complete spelling pronunciation but nobody seems to notice or care.

That's exactly how my officemate says it, despite having lived there for many years and pronouncing most other English words fine! Force of habit, I suppose...

Here's another local shibboleth, in the same spirit as Magdalene /ˈmɔːdlɪn/: Caius /ˈkiːz/.

[Yng]

oxbridge problems

[linguoboy]

Here's another local shibboleth, in the same spirit as Magdalene /ˈmɔːdlɪn/: Caius /ˈkiːz/.

I once participated in a reading of Coriolanus and the man who read the title role kept insisting that the proper pronunciation of Caius was /ˈgaiəs/. So at one point the script has the crowd scream his name and we all called out "Goriolanus! Goriolanus!"

[Travis B.]

Take the last name Schroeder; in-dialect it is pronounced /ˈʃreɪ̯dər/, so when I hear someone say /ˈʃroʊ̯dər/ it simply sounds wrong, as that is obviously not how it is pronounced and just screams spelling pronunciation.

/ø/ usually becomes /ɜ:/ in the UK. /'ʃrɜ:də/, /'gɜ:tə/, etc.

I have heard of not just that that, but also pronouncing /œ/ and /øː/ in NAE as /ər/ (in emulation of the pronunciation you reference), which to my ears sounds just bad and wrong, sounding nothing like the traditional pronunciation I am used to or the actual StG pronunciation. However, I never hear anyone actually use that pronunciation here with regard to Americans' last names (whereas I can see someone using that to pronounce Goethe or Schroeder when it is the last name of a German).

[Gulliver]

I just heard a BBC newsreader mispronounce the fairly small village of Chiddingly /ˈtʃɪdɪŋlaɪ/ as the more obvious /ˈtʃɪdɪŋli:/. This is a disgrace! Who do I write to about getting my licence fee back?

[Salmoneus]

I just heard a BBC newsreader mispronounce the fairly small village of Chiddingly /ˈtʃɪdɪŋlaɪ/ as the more obvious /ˈtʃɪdɪŋli:/. This is a disgrace! Who do I write to about getting my licence fee back?

The Daily Mail is traditional, although in this case the combination of Standards of English and small southern villages suggest perhaps a more receptive market may be found at the Telegraph.

[linguoboy]

Last week I visited the Missouri Leadbelt, so I was able to verify this one with a native informant: Valles Mines. Any guesses?

(We also stopped in Desloge, but this was pronounced exactly as I thought it would be, i.e. /dəˈloːʒ/.)

[Travis B.]

Last week I visited the Missouri Leadbelt, so I was able to verify this one with a native informant: Valles Mines. Any guesses?'

/ˌvælɪzˈmaɪ̯nz/? /vɑːˌleɪ̯miːˈneɪ̯/?

[linguoboy]

Last week I visited the Missouri Leadbelt, so I was able to verify this one with a native informant: Valles Mines. Any guesses?'

/ˌvælɪzˈmaɪ̯nz/? /vɑːˌleɪ̯miːˈneɪ̯/?

Split the difference: /ˈvæliːˈmaɪ̯nz/. Apparently there was an early settler named François Vallé and these were his mines.

[Pole, the]

Then there's the maybe not so surprisingly pronunced, but weirdly spelled Växjö /ˈvɛkːˈɧøː/.

What's weird about that? Does Swedish not normally have <x>, or?

Yeah, but usually for /ks/, not for /k/ and half of /ɧ/, combining even two morphemes. The expected spelling is *Väcksjö.

Well, why not? Xiądz Faust's nick here is an example of something similar in Polish.
(Namely, just like you read ‹s si-› as /s ɕ/, you would use ‹x xi-› for /ks kɕ/ in old fashioned writing.)

[KathTheDragon]

I believe I have one to trump them all. (not sure, couldn't really be bothered to read the whole thread). Happisburgh. Guess how that's said, without Google, if you can...

[Astraios]

You've clearly never been to the UK if you think that's the weirdest. I guessed it correctly.

[KathTheDragon]

You've clearly never been to the UK if you think that's the weirdest. I guessed it correctly.

Dude. I live in the UK. Your probably recognise it. I know I (and everyone I know) pronounced it way wrong first time.

[Astraios]

It wasn't my first guess, but it was the second or third possibility that I thought of. All that's weird is <addis>, and it's not a particularly big thing.

[KathTheDragon]

It wasn't my first guess, but it was the second or third possibility that I thought of. All that's weird is <addis>, and it's not a particularly big thing.

Wait, how are you pronouncing it?

[ol bofosh]

I believe I have one to trump them all. (not sure, couldn't really be bothered to read the whole thread). Happisburgh. Guess how that's said, without Google, if you can...

/"h{ps.b3:g/ rings a bell.

edit: just seen the Wiki. I like that one better than what I suggested.

[Astraios]

Wait, somehow I read it as <dd> even when I googled it and found its wiki page with the pronunciation. Sure, it's weirder if it's <pp>.

[KathTheDragon]

Wait, somehow I read it as <dd> even when I googled it and found its wiki page with the pronunciation. Sure, it's weirder if it's <pp>.

My point exactly.

[Astraios]

Obviously, that's why I corrected myself.

[KathTheDragon]

Obviously, that's why I corrected myself.

I know, I'm not having a go at you or anything.

[Astraios]

I know, I'm just being obnoxious.

[KathTheDragon]

I know, I'm just being obnoxious.

I'll commend you on your ability for that. I also hope that it's a compliment.

[Astraios]

It means I like you.