Mis -pronounced names

[Truckosaurus]

Shakermaker said:

Can you enlighten us to the correct pronounciation?

I've always gone "soo-baa-roo"

The Japanese, of course, switch the R and L sounds compared to English, so the native pronunciation is more like Suba-loo.

[tomtom]

Mammasaid said:

Nike (rhymes with bike) or Nike (rhymes with crikey)?

For once let's leave our American cousins out of it, they've got enough on. I'll just leave Jag-whaar...

Nike / Crikey. Nike / Bike is 'council', to use the PH parlance.

[LordGrover]

Mammasaid said:

Too easy..

Fish

St John is pronounced?

I have a friend whose family name is StJohn-Brooks, but it's not the most obscure of the 'British' pronunciations.
How about Cholmondeley? Lieutenant?

[simoid]

Su-BAH-ru I think is being intimated. I am an apparent cretin and use the soobaroo.

[jet_noise]

kowalski655 said:

For years I pronounced Portakabin as Por-Tacker-bin, rather than porter-cabin
For some reason it never clicked what the words were in my head, despite them being portable cabins

Snap!

[djt100]

In the UK we like to confuse people with town names

Reading
Beaconsfield
Bicester
Ewell

Googles maps needs an interpreter when going to any of these places.

[Truckosaurus]

I discovered recently that the building firm 'Mitie' was in fact pronounced 'Mighty' not 'Mitty'.

[Smiler.]

E320 said:

Called Dacia Day-sher until I heard an ad pronounce it Datcha. I prefer my pronunciation.

More personally, no can pronounce my first name without a demo. Bloody foreign names...

James May used to pronounce it Day-seer on TG long ago.


I offer

Valet
Moet
but not Chalet

Also, Chorizo

[Morningside]

djt100 said:

In the UK we like to confuse people with town names

Reading
Beaconsfield
Bicester
Ewell

Googles maps needs an interpreter when going to any of these places.

Stiffkey
Happisburgh

Google maps does get Happisburgh correct.

Teac the audio company. I have always pronounced it Tee-ACK and others teak. Appears I was correct.

[lufbramatt]

St. Pancreas Station
prostrate cancer (office full of middle aged blokes)

[GroundEffect]

Morningside said:

djt100 said:

In the UK we like to confuse people with town names

Reading
Beaconsfield
Bicester
Ewell

Googles maps needs an interpreter when going to any of these places.

Stiffkey
Happisburgh

Google maps does get Happisburgh correct.

Teac the audio company. I have always pronounced it Tee-ACK and others teak. Appears I was correct.

Milngavie = Miln-Guy

[Shakermaker]

Shrewsbury?

[TooLateForAName]

Featherstonhaugh?

[TwigtheWonderkid]

djt100 said:

Beaconsfield

I work near there and there is no common agreement even by the folk that live there. Some say Beek, and some say Beck.

I've always been a Beck.

[feef]

Citroën

It's sit-roh-en
it's not sit-ron or sit-re-on


Renault

It's Ren-oh
not ren-alt

[eltawater]

tomtom said:

Nike / Crikey. Nike / Bike is 'council', to use the PH parlance.

Having actually grown up on a council estate, Nike (as in Bike) would indeed be how we would have pronounced it.

"Have you seen the new Nikey Air Max?" doesn't flow quite so well.

[TIGA84]

TooLateForAName said:

Featherstonhaugh?

Go on, I'm usually good with these but that eludes me.

[Eric Mc]

kowalski655 said:

For years I pronounced Portakabin as Por-Tacker-bin, rather than porter-cabin

Where are you getting "Porter" from.

It's "port - a".

[Eric Mc]

colin_p said:

I love deliberately doing this, dropping them into normal conversation and trying keep a straight face is great fun.

Peugeot, nope, it is Perg-eeot
Mondeo, does it end in ae, does it f***, it ends in an eee-o
Fajitas, b****ks, it is a J not an H
And yes, Dacia it is day-see-a
Grand Prix.... use your imagination
Qahqi (or whatever without a u after the q)= Cumquot / cashcow

Irish names confuse me all on their own without any deliberation, Sian, Siobahn, Sean, I can get these wrong without wanting too.

Oh what great fun this thread should be, for me anyway hoping to learn a few new ones !

Petty japes !

Sian is Welsh.

Sean is a reverse Irish/Anglicisation.

The real Irish for John is actually "Owen" (Euan in Welsh and Ian in Scotland).

Part of the problem with some English pronunciations of Irish words and names is that some vital marks are omitted when translation into English. "Sean" is actually " Seán". The / (called a "fada") over the letter "a" turns it into an "aw" sound.

[Eric Mc]

TIGA84 said:

TooLateForAName said:

Featherstonhaugh?

Go on, I'm usually good with these but that eludes me.

It translates as "Pretentious".