Tumbling_Dice

There is a Connaught Avenue (or something) in Halifax. I pronounce it as I always have, being as it is a province of Ireland. I get quizzical looks because I just can't bring myself to pronounce it "Ka- naught" (as in, alternative for zero, and with the stress on the last syllable). Beating some of my work colleagues into submission with it though.

Now Edinburgh, when I have recommended that lovely city to people, also causes problems. Apparently, it is Edin-ba-roh here.

BristolUK

Like me with Laht'ns instead of Lawtons.

It doesn't grate with me though, because I refuse to say Laht'ns. Eventually the driver will get it because they'll realise I'm talking about the big Pharmacy/clinic building.

caretaker

It's the dry winters, we Canadians just can't generate enough phlegm.

Oakvillian

Edinburgh is easy. Just imagine there's a little creature called an Edding. It lives in a burrow. It's home is therefore an Edding-burrow. And there you have the standard North American attempt at the city's pronunciation.

Mind you, there are places like Shrewsbury and Cirencester whose pronunciation is the basis of heated discussion amongst people who've lived there for decades, so perhaps we expats should be careful of the rocks we're chucking about in our glass houses...

BristolUK

Fair point, although I feel that's slightly different because we're British that's just typical differences, albeit illogical, in English pronunciation rules that are full of contradictions.

One of my favourites of that kind is a place called Woolfardisworthy which I heard was pronounced as something like Woolsery.

Atlantic Xpat

Mrs AX (born in Canada) has tremendous difficulty in pronouncing "Wablerswick" a village in Suffolk we visit when back in Blighty. "War-bulls-wick" is how it should be said but she just can't get it.
In a neighbouring Norfolk there is of course "Happisburgh" which is pronounced "Hazeborough" but frequently pismronounced.

BristolUK

I stand corrected

Partially discharged

Years ago I went to a wedding in Tottenham, Ontario. I'd known my Canadian born now wife just a couple of months at the time. Her work colleague was from there but lived in Toronto and the wedding was in her home town of Tottenham.

I made the mistake at the wedding reception of referring to the town as the way that the district in London and the football club was pronounced. Big mistake. The locals all pronounce it as 'Totten ham'

I made a similar mistake in Keswick, Ontario in which the locals in Ontario don't drop the 'w'.

Oakvillian

There's a Grosvenor Street not far from where I live. The "s" in the middle is sounded. That grates, to my ears. And yet Chisholm Street is definitely "chiz'm."

Happisburgh is where that prehistoric archaeology thing happened a couple of years ago, isn't it? Oldest evidence of human habitation in Europe, or something?

Novocastrian

There's a village in Northumberland called Ulgham (pronounced Uff'm). I'm pleased that it doesn't have a Canadian namesake, since the locals would undoubtedly choke trying to pronounce it the way it's spelled.

Tumbling_Dice

Worcestershire is the best for that. Listening to a Canadian try and get their tongues around that is funny. That said, I mangle it myself - it comes out as "Wooster".

Tumbling_Dice

We have a Berwick in NS. Gets pronounced "Burrrrrr-wick".

scrubbedexpat134

Heres a couple from my neck of the woods that Canadians wouldn't get in a month of Sundays, BICESTER and LEOMINSTER, both not pronounced as they are spelt.
Gloucester and Gloucestershire are two more that they have trouble with

MelVan

I had an experience with Japan Airlines over the weekend. My surname contains a combination of letters that only occurs in English, but the phonetic pronunciation bears little resemblance to the actual spoken pronunciation. Only UK, Irish, Australian and New Zealand English speakers get it right all the time. Former Empire Africans mostly do OK. Canadians are better than their southern neighbours, who do not pronounce the word as does virtually the rest of the English speaking world, but it can still cause trouble in Canada. But it really causes trouble for east Asians as there is an "L" in the middle. I spelled my surname using the military alphabet, but to no avail. The ticket was still issued with the wrong spelling of my surname and had to be reissued.

bats

There's an Alnwick down the road that isn't pronounced Annick. The fools. Norham is Norr Ham with a ham emphasis.
​​​​​​And of course Durham is Durr Ham.

There's a Monaghan in Peterborough that's usually a Mon A Gan and a Bethune that's neber a Beeton