How does one pronounce "Methuen", as in the publishing house in the UK?

Here in Massachusetts, it is Gloss-ster if you pronounce your 'r’s, and Gloss-stuh if you pronounce your 'ah’s.

Try watching “The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming” for a unique pronunciation of Gloucester :slight_smile:

Slight hijack: Was I incorrect to say “British” instead of “English”? I have absolutely no idea which is correct, or in what context.

Thanks,
plynck

It’s Meth-YOO-en here, as in one of our local streets. But METH-yoo-en gets you by.

Here’s one for you (from the English county of Norfolk)** Happisburgh**.

Apart from GorillaMan ( who lives in the next county) I don’t think many people would guess the correct pronunciation.

I would attempt an answer if I was sure I knew what you were getting at. Are you having trouble with the difference between British and English?

Heh heh…to complement it, how about the Suffolk village of Monewden? :smiley:

This link Pronunciation of some English place names useful. Although I don’t think it has Warwick quite right. I am a native of that county and I reckon that it is more like waa-ick.

There’s several on that site that I disagree with, including Middlesbrough and Salisbury…and Norwich should be narrr-ich, with a harsh nasal whine :wink:

Not incorrect, no. ‘British English’ is used to refer to the various dialects of these isles in the same way as American English is used for all the dialects in the states; as such, it’s more useful when referring to grammar (with some exceptions) general vocabulary, and spelling. It’s not really accuratewhen referring to accents, but most people do know that when non-Brits say things like, 'they say ‘tomAhto’ in British English, what they really mean is Standard English or Standard British English. That’s the accent you’d hear from actors in general, and newsreaders.

Standard English is not the same as received pronunciation (RP). That used to be the standard for newsreaders and actors and the like, but these days it sounds terribly posh. As a guide, Orlando Bloom is Standard English (I think - I was struggling for examples that Americans would know), Prince Charles is RP, and Hugh Grant’s accent is Standard English veering towards RP.

RayneGorillaMan, I disagree with several of the pronunciations on that site too - I’d always say ‘bru’ (replace the ‘u’ with a schwa) for ‘borough,’ and '‘shu’ (again, schwa) for ‘shire.’ Plus, he didn’t tackle the 'wich’s.

What I’d like to see is a similar guide for New Zealand place names - especially Dunedin (said the Essie Summers fan).

In Rhode Island, Warwick (where the airport is) is pronounced: WAR-ick. Not too different than in England. The key to sounding at leat half-way local is to be sure not to pronounce that second “w”. Although it’s unclear why anyone would want to sound like a local there… :slight_smile:

Thank you, Axel.

Absolutely, Vetch, if that wouldn’t be too much of a hijack. I don’t mind admitting my ignorance on this subject. I had someone tell me once that “English” referred to the language, and that “British” referred to the people, possessions, culture, etc., but I’ve read enough exceptions to this to be confused.

Thanks,
plynck

Understandable! There’s hardly anything that could be described as a uniform characteristic of all British people.