Just thinking aloud here....
With Paul (Camera) mentioning the pronunciation of a Welsh village name, I thought that there are many English and Scottish place names that folk from other parts of the world (or our local TV newsreaders) find difficult to pronounce correctly.

Places like:
Mytholmroyd and Slaithwaite, both in my county.
Cowbit, Cholmondeley, Mossley and Dukinfield elsewhere in England.
In Scotland there are Milngavie, Culross and Wemyss Bay.

Also surnames like:
Cockburn
Leveson-Gower
Featherstonehaugh.

I have not noticed such things in the USA or the Antipodes, apart from the obvious ones like Houston and Arkansas - are there others?

Don't get me started!

The map here is full of names to confuse the unwary.

In certain Nationalist areas they remove the signs or paint out the English versions which does confuse our visitors.

Every sign has to be Bilingual, but that is only the case if there is an English equivalent.
e.g Caerdydd for Cardiff
Hwlfordd for Haverfordwest and so on

There is of course:
Llanfairpwllgwyngychgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

which is a bit of a mouthful!

I live in TREBEDW which is difficult for an English speaker unless you realise that "w"s
are pronounced "u" "TRE BEDOO" tiny pause at the space

EGLWSWRW a village I go through on the way to work then becomes a lot easier!
"EGGLOOSOOROO" in fact

However Mike, your cheating a bit, because those first few are not Yorkshire names but Danish! Our lasting memory of the Danelaw.

Paul

quote:

Originally posted by Camera:
I live in TREBEDW which is difficult for an English speaker unless you realise that "w"s
are pronounced "u" "TRE BEDOO" tiny pause at the space

I first encountered that one in "Western Cwm" in John Hunt's Everest expedition, which enthralled me at about age five!

quote:

However Mike, your cheating a bit, because those first few are not Yorkshire names but Danish! Our lasting memory of the Danelaw.

Paul

Absolutely, Paul - most of the Yorkshire names are of Viking origin - Heckmondwike = "Hegmond's Wyke (smallholding)"

We'll let this one run awhile and then do the explanations!

I've been to Heckmondwike to visit a girl called Gillian Netherwood. Her dad had an amazingly boring collection of stamps...

www.titsey.com <-- good name for an English Estate!

R2

quote:

Originally posted by region2:
I've been to Heckmondwike to visit a girl called Gillian Netherwood. Her dad had an amazingly boring collection of stamps...

www.titsey.com <-- good name for an English Estate!

R2

Not seen that one before, R2 !! There is a "Jump" near Rotherham.
Was your visit to "Hecky" a recent one? We are only 3 miles away.

No she was 'me bird' at my last year at Uni - 1982 or thereabouts. Not been back since - too cold!

R2

I like Newton Poppleford in Devon - derived from New Town Pebble Ford...



Nearby is Budleigh Salterton - Salter Town derived from the salt flats (now a bird Sanctuary) where they collected salt.

R2

I kind of like: Intercourse and Bird in Hand

Try Ulgham pronounced Uffam
or Cambois pronounced Kammus
Or Alnwick pronounced Annick & compare with Alnmouth (a few miles from Alnwick) pronounced as written, with the 'l' & 'n'.

Not comparible with the Welsh though.

or Offham pronounced oaf-ham !

R2