Pronounciation of Alcester

[db84124]

I have been to Coughton court many times - and heard staff call it CO -TON.
A few miles away there is a road called THE SLOUGH which I pronounce SL-OW (as in, ow - that hurt) but locals call it THE SLUFF which does make sense because of how you say - rough. It's a funny thing pronounciation isn't it.
Polly

Pronunciation certainly is a funny thing !!
As an individual I suppose you have every right to pronounce The Slough the way you do. After all, as you say, we say plough and bough. So why not Sl-ow?
Perhaps the local residents have a greater claim to be correct as the name could rhyme with rough or tough or the bird, the chough – so it’s Sluff.
But who decides that it doesn't rhyme with although. Why isn't it Slow?
Or indeed, Slura as in thorough or borough?
Or Slew, making it rhyme with through?
There again, there are those who may chose Sloff, because we do say cough and trough, don’t we?
If I lived in the road, I think I’d pronounce my address as The Slup. Why? Well because I know that a perfectly acceptable alterative to the spelling hiccup is hiccough (although the pronunciation is still hik’up).
I wonder what the reaction would be if, on coming out of the arrivals hall at Heathrow and having been asked by a London cabbie the ubiquitous, “Whara’ya wanna ghura, guv?”, I answered, “The ICI Dulux paint factory, Slup, please.”

 

[db84124]

Pronunciation of Alcester

While working on the above post (#31) - partly due to having been mesmerised by izzy eckerslike’s beetle !! - Darthdc posted a similar contribution. I apologise for the duplication. I do, however, include a further two pronunciations for the “+ough” combination (if, of course, you accept the hiccough spelling of hiccup !!?!) db84124

 

[Darby]

Lets go for the one that most annoys the locals Shrewsbury. DEk

My father's family are proud Salopians and in my younger days I spent a lot of time there, I always pronounce it Shewsbury.

 

[HetOranjeBeest]

I have always called it AL-CES-TER RD (I am not from Digbeth). There is a place called Alcester, Warwickshire, I pronounce this AL-CES-TER but friends who live in nearby Studly laugh and tell me it is pronounced ULSTER.
Polly

I live there, the pronunciation <Ul-ster> is that of the area of Northern Ireland. It's more like <ol-ster>. The "a" is pronounced like that in more Germanic languages, like an <o>.

The same thing is with Bicester <bi-ster>,just like how Leominster sounds more like <Lem-ster>

 

[Alberta]

How anyone from abroad learns to speak English puzzles me.
As for Alcester I have always said All -ster
So many differences
My son lives in the county of Leicester (Lester)
Belvoir Castle is Beaver
Beauchamp road is Beecham

 

[maypolebaz]

Here in Cheshire we have our fair share of weird pronounciations, (Cholmondeley = "Chumley" for example). But growing up in the Maypole, Alcester and the Alcester road was pronounced "Alster" yet , for some reason, Alcester Lanes End was pronounced as it's spelt. Unless you call it "The Nob", of course !

 

[Lloyd]

As if English isn't the most difficult language to learn for a non-english speaker anyway, some of the letter combinations 'different' pronounciations make it near impossible.
"Ghoti", for example is pronounced "Fish".
gh, pronounced 'f' as in enough;
o, pronounced 'ɪ' as in women;
ti, pronounced 'sh' as in nation.

 

[Radiorails]

I always knew it as 'Allster'. It is always vowels it seems, that make or break how words are pronounced. People who learn the English language, outside the UK, are usually taught what could be once described as a BBC style accent. There are those who learn the American pronunciation today which does seem to be more frequent. However, BBC and other radio and television announcers are not as true guide today, as they used to be, with all the regional accents (some hard on the ears) that can be heard on radio and television today.
People learning the English language, as new residents, generally pick up the local accent in their speech. There are many peculiarities, particularly places names, not just in Britain but worldwide. Closer to home you will find that France has town and city names that are pronounced not quite as they seem to appear. Flemish and Dutch, as languages, are more or less the same but have differences in some pronunciation. I guess tourists in Spain, particularly Calalunya/Catalonia can find themselves puzzled where not only Spanish but Catalan is used. Italian could be considered a little different as most of the letters in Italian words usually are pronounced, making it the expressive sounding language that it is.. There was a time, not everywhere I guess, that pronunciation and hand writing were considered an important hallmark in schools - as important in some masters eyes as other subjects where future employment was concerned.
Bringing the post to Birmingham, I would add that anyone wishing to learn, or imitate, the 'Brummy' accent (not Black Country) should find recording of the late Beryl Reid. Inn my opinion her acts portraying Brummy speech were spot on.

 

[Eric Gibson]

Comments earlier in the thread about Cirencester, the locals just call it 'siren'.

I think all the variations in the pronunciation are just down to laziness by the speakers through the years, too much trouble to use the whole name.

We have some strange ones here in the Forest, I've heard eggs called yugs, old is owd and Brummies are Vurriners.

 

[mikejee]

I may have told this story before, but remember on the BBC forces program many years ago the announcer read a letter from someone from Bosham (should be pronounced Bozzam), but pronounced it as spelled. He obviously received a number of comments, as the next week he said he was not going to make the same mistake twice, so pronounced Cosham ( about 8 miles away from Bosham) as Cozzam. Unfortunately, he was wrong, and it should be pronounced as spelled

 

[Radiorails]

Everywhere has its vernacular and can usually be a pitfall for new arrivals or visitors. It pays to listen to the locals!

 

[Lady Penelope]

Locals call Uttoxeter 'Utchetter' and in Northants Cogenhoe is Cuckner.

 

[jimbo]

Made, spade, fade pronounced as written, SADE (the singer pronounced sharday??????

 

[A Sparks]

I heard someone on the radio pronounce Nechells as Ne-shells once, made it sound quite posh!

 

[LOZELLIAN]

I live there, the pronunciation <Ul-ster> is that of the area of Northern Ireland. It's more like <ol-ster>. The "a" is pronounced like that in more Germanic languages, like an <o>.

The same thing is with Bicester <bi-ster>,just like how Leominster sounds more like <Lem-ster>

Hi HetOranjebeest,

As a former Warwickshire resident, I agree with pollypops we always used to refer to Alcester as "Ulster".

Lozellian.

 

[Edifi]

Ulsters in Ireland not just outside Brum.Get a Map

 

[LOZELLIAN]

Ulsters in Ireland not just outside Brum.Get a Map

Hi Edifi,

Tongue in cheek the gist of the post relates to pronunciations and not locations consequently, a map as you suggest is not required. I'm sure almost everyone knows where Ulster is especially if you've been in the forces & served Queen & country!


Lozellian.

 

[Radiorails]

This thread has long legs for somewhere not in Birmingham

 

[Vivienne14]

This thread is now locked as it has run it’s course in relation to the pronunciation of “Alcester” Thank you all who have contributed. Viv.