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Pronunciation

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.

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 ???












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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
 
Woolsery
Puffill
but then I live i Devon, Bob. :laughing:
There is another Woolfardisworthy in Devon as far as I know which is not pronounced in the same way.
In fact there are a few places in the county with the same name. The 999 services used the telephone exchange for identification of which one it was, but with CB radio, mobile phones et al it is not always so easily identified.
Moving to other parts we have Cholmondeley, Cheshire - pronounced Chummly, Featherstonhaugh - Fanshaw and Norfolk has Wymondham - Windham.
There are loads everywhere but I wont start anymore as we have drifted away from Brum. :D
 
Last edited:
Woolsery
Puffill
but then I live i Devon, Bob. :laughing:
There is another Woolfardisworthy in Devon as far as I know which is not pronounced in the same way.
In fact there are a few places in the county with the same name. The 999 services used the telephone exchange for identification of which one it was, but with CB radio, mobile phones et al it is not always so easily identified.
Moving to other parts we have Cholmondeley, Cheshire - pronounced Chummly, Featherstonhaugh - Fanshaw and Norfolk has Wymondham - Windham.
There are loads everywhere but I wont start anymore as we have drifted away from Brum. :D
Correct though Poughill near Bude is Poyle, sorry away from subject except it shows how names can be mis translated, my wife's friend , when they came to Birmingham to teach had her first job in Cuckoo something Neckells!!! And as for Acocks Green, she could never say it without giggling and this was in the age demure, naive young ladies.
Bob
 
One of our first holidays as a family was to small place named Happisburgh on the east coast. Didn't realise until we got there that it was pronounced Hazebro. :confused:
 
Correct though Poughill near Bude is Poyle, sorry away from subject except it shows how names can be mis translated, my wife's friend , when they came to Birmingham to teach had her first job in Cuckoo something Neckells!!! And as for Acocks Green, she could never say it without giggling and this was in the age demure, naive young ladies.
Bob
My version, Bob, was from someone who was an Anglican priest in that area, but he did have a wonderful eloquence - he spoke rather like Alec Guiness. Older Anglican and Catholic priests, who had large churches, in the days before microphone use came into fashion, were always taught to project their voices to the back of the church so that all could hear. My wife has always been amused by the 'tara a bit' comment. But all areas - worldwide - have their idiosyncrasies.
 
In fact there are a few places in the county with the same name. The 999 services used the telephone exchange for identification of which one it was,
As a Brummie newly arrived in Devon call taking in the South West Ambulance Service there were times I was so glad of post codes.
I had moved from Alvechurch not Alverchurch
 
As a Brummie newly arrived in Devon call taking in the South West Ambulance Service there were times I was so glad of post codes.
I had moved from Alvechurch not Alverchurch
My uncle John Davis used to live by the canal, on Callow Hill Road in Alvechurch.
Bob
 
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
Well I always called it a forrid too as a child, haha
Another one I notice now, I have always pronounced necklace as neckless but hear others say it as its written...necklace...
 
Cholmondeley in Cheshire is pronounced Chumly. Shire is quite often pronounced sheer, as in Warwickshire.
 
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.
definitely forrid, rhymes with horrid:)
 
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