D&D General What's in a place name? Apparently, water.

[gamerprinter]

Manchester, Doncaster, Leicester, Chester, Winchester, Cirencester, Lancaster etc.

My curiosity would be that people in Massachussetts say Worchester as "Woosta" (or something like that) - how do Brit's say it?

 

[Mad_Jack]

For me the funny thing is the mispronunciations by locals, which you cannot tell by the spelling of a community name. Right next to me, is a small town of Marseilles, IL., but locals call it "Mar sales", even though it should be "Mar say" as the French city name.

Versailles, CT - same thing...

(On a slight tangent, Groton, CT and Croton, NY are not pronounced the same way.)

Interestingly, despite the fact that my town is named after a famous local Native American Chief who shares his name with a character in Last of the Mohicans, if you get more than three or four towns away from here you find people who have no idea how to pronounce it correctly.

 

[Tonguez]

My curiosity would be that people in Massachussetts say Worchester as "Woosta" (or something like that) - how do Brit's say it?

yeah it’s Woostuh same as Gloucester (Glostuh) and Leicester

 

[aco175]

My curiosity would be that people in Massachussetts say Worchester as "Woosta" (or something like that) - how do Brit's say it?

I'm from here and we kind of rhyme it with Mista.

 

[Dioltach]

Town and Ton, like Bryton, Charleston, and many others. And "ville" for village.

"Ville" is from the French for town.

 

[GuyBoy]

My curiosity would be that people in Massachussetts say Worchester as "Woosta" (or something like that) - how do Brit's say it?

It is indeed pronounced Woosta and Lesta.

My personal favourite weird pronunciation is the Kent village of Trotiscliffe, which is pronounced “Troslee”

 

[General_Tangent]

It is indeed pronounced Woosta and Lesta.

My personal favourite weird pronunciation is the Kent village of Trotiscliffe, which is pronounced “Troslee”

Belvoir Street always makes me giggle.

I also heard Loughborough pronounced Lowbrow

 

[General_Tangent]

You have 10 River Avons also. Welsh version of the same issue if I remember correctly.

I’m also amazed by the british Torpenhow Hill. Which is literally Hill Hill Hill Hill. I seriously urge everyone to look into that etymology.

Tom has a debunking video about the place

 

[Morrus]

I live in Southampton - South Home Town.

Used to go to school in Bournmouth -- Mouth of the River Bourne.

Grew up in New Milton -- New Middle Town.

(Ton might also mean farm)

 

[GuyBoy]

I live in Southampton - South Home Town.

Used to go to school in Bournmouth -- Mouth of the River Bourne.

Grew up in New Milton -- New Middle Town.

(Ton might also mean farm)

And Bournemouth itself is another "River River" with bourne meaning small river, as in Bournemouth, Sittingbourne, Eastbourne, Otterbourne etc.
No wonder half or rural England sounds like The Shire!

(I went to uni in Southampton btw)