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Pronunciation

Old Boy

Old Boy

master brummie
Hi All.

When I was growing up everyone I knew pronounced the word forehead as forrid.
Now on TV etc the word is being pronounced as it is spelt i.e 4 head. I still say forrid. Am I wrong ?

Old Boy
 
There was a little girl,
and she had a little curl,
right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good she was very very good,
but when she was bad , she was horrid.

I've always said "forrid" !! (I'm a Brummie!!)

rosie.
 
As Mae West used to say,

When I am good, I am good, but when I am bad, I am VERY good!!

These days I would say forehead. Probably being away from Brum for over 60 years, but when ever I return there, I naturally, and proudly, revert back to my Brummie accent, and phrasing, and I would say 'forrid'.

Eddie
 
I am only an adopted Brummie came here 64 years ago but I say Fore-head but perhaps that is a Potteries thing because I also say
break-fast whilst my sons and my husband say brekfast.
 
Forrid. ALSO Horrid as in "You are a HORRID little man" My sgt would say to me in the RAF! John Crump HORRID Old Brit. Parker. Colorado USA
 
I say forrid, but surely, rather than being a Brummie thing, its just an 'old' expression? Seamstress was Semstress, yet no-one says that now, and I am sure there are more, but I can't think of any at this precise moment.
 
There was a little girl who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forrid.
When she was good, she was very very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid.

Forehead would not be good in the above rhyme !
 
rosie said:
There was a little girl,
and she had a little curl,
right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good she was very very good,
but when she was bad , she was horrid.

I've always said "forrid" !! (I'm a Brummie!!)

rosie.
Click to expand...

I like this illustration by Rosie. It puts it into perspective.

I have always used 'forred' but spelled it correctly.

I did notice a couple of days ago that someone on BBC national news daid 'forehead'. There was a time, of course when it was very rare to hear strong regional accents on BBC news and clear, well pronounced speech was customary.
 
I have a chuckle when the words "aspect" and "aspic" are used by those who use the "long a". I don't hear "arsepect" or "arsepic", as in the case of "castle" and "grass".
 
I suppose pronounced 'forrid' and spelt forehead would be ok.

My father used to say 'smerrick' for smethwick, anyone ever heard that one?
 
We used to say Smerrick, That was in the Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath area, when my parents weren't around as I was told not to talk common!
 
My Dad who grew up near Maypole used Smerrick as did the lads I worked with at A T Gittins, Irving Street.
 
BobS said:
I always pronounce it as Smethick.
Click to expand...

That is how I always new and pronounced it. And, when all is said and done Frank Skinner who, I believe hails from there, does pronounce it that way - well he did on a recent Room 101 programme. :biggrin:

As this is a Birmingham based Forum I will not delve into the peculiarities and pitfalls of many Devonian place names and vernacular. I am sure many from the Midlands who have holidayed down in the Far West have encountered them. Cornwall can be more of a challenge!
 
I think odd pronunciation of places is due to colloquialism, and not a true pronunciation. I live in Wilnecote, Tamworth, the old locals used to call it Wincot, and some people used to say Tam'orth but I have only heard Birmingham people call it that. I have heard Smerrick before but I have always said Smethick. It seems to be a kind of laziness and I have to say I find it a tad irritating! Another that raises the blood pressure is Birminam - I have a work colleague from London who always pronounces it that way. Grrrr.
 
My late wife and all her family including her grand-mother (who was a nail-maker) pronounced Smethwick as Smerrick. This is a
common occurrence in English, there are many examples, one such is Southwark pronounced Suthuck.
 
rosie said:
There was a little girl,
and she had a little curl,
right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good she was very very good,
but when she was bad , she was horrid.

I've always said "forrid" !! (I'm a Brummie!!)

rosie.
Click to expand...

I've always said "forrid" too and I'm from Surrey. It's not really that regional.
 
I think you might find that Southwark was never pronounced any other way, same with Bicester, but I think Smerrick is just how some families pronounced it, rather than it be the 'proper' way. I used to work in Smethwick (at GKN) and don't remember anyone ever calling it anything other than Smeth'ick - which incidentially is similar to Suth'ark.
 
Solihull, was always called solyhull by my family. But most Brummies seem to say sowlihull. Another place is Edgbaston, known to me as Edgbaston - one word - but Brummies seem to say Edge Baston two words. There are others I am sure.
 
Listen to some TV presenters especially Eamond Holmes who always says Birminham, dropping the g he is not the only one some news reporters cant say Birmingham
 
We moved from Small Heath to Shirley in 1962 and I had to move from Waverley to a school in Solihull. A few months later boy arrived from Downend near Bristol. He had a very strong West country accent and in conversation with one of the other boys I said I couldn't always understand what he was saying. To my surprise the other boy replied "we couldn't understand you when you first came". Small Heath to Solihull is a bit less than 3 miles as the crow fly's.!!!

when I lived in Shirley it was Sowlyhull but since moving to Lancashire I now say Solyhull ???












.
 
Hi,

In my younger years I used to know a rather posh chap who lived
in Barston.
Looking to pull him down a peg or two I asked him what they called
a person from Barston.

"No they don't " he replied - "We're called Barstonians."

I couldn't really argue with that!

Kind regards
Dave
 
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