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What is the correct pronunciation of Lerwick ?

(120 Posts)
NotAGran55 Tue 05-May-20 06:38:40

I am listening to an audiobook book by Ann Cleeves set in Shetland narrated by Kenny Blyth .

He is alternating between ‘Lerrick ‘ and ‘ Lurwick ‘ which is rather odd .

Germanshepherdsmum Sat 31-Jul-21 10:32:38

Near me in Norfolk is the village of Stiffkey, pronounced Stewky by locals and also I believe by Farrow & Ball who have a shade called Stiffkey Blue.

NotAGran55 Sat 31-Jul-21 06:22:46

lemongrove

Are we any nearer knowing the true pronunciation of Lerwick?

I think the jury is still out!

MawBe Fri 30-Jul-21 20:39:13

varian

I was watching The West Wing recently. They had an absurd character Lord someone who was supposed to be the British ambassador and told the President that he enjoyed a glass of Islay malt which he pronounced Iss- lay!

That absolutely stuck in my craw too!
It was “Lord John Marbury” and they got the title wrong too as he is described as also Earl of Croy.
Lord “John Marbury” would be the younger son of a duke or marquess.
Lord Marbury would be /marquess/earl/viscount/baron of Marbury.
The Earl of Croy would be known as Lord Croy.
The actor (dead now) was actually Welsh, Roger Rees,classically trained (poss RSC) so should have known beter ???

seacliff Fri 30-Jul-21 20:27:27

Happisburgh Norfolk is pronounced Haysborough. It will soon all have crumbled into the sea.

MamaCaz Fri 30-Jul-21 18:53:08

What about Northampton?

All of the older people I know in this area call it North-ampton, but over the thirty-odd years that I have lived in the area, almost everyone else has started calling it North-hampton, with an extra aitch.

Cherrytree59 Fri 30-Jul-21 18:44:15

Daddima my family as far back as 1800s are from Milngavie

Mill and bleach workers, farmers and weavers.
Not to mention a few in the workhouse.

Thankfully we are no longer poor wee church mice.grin

Shandy57 Fri 30-Jul-21 18:28:20

I live near Alnwick and used to say 'Alanwick' when I first moved here. Soon learnt it was 'Annick'!

Allsorts Fri 30-Jul-21 18:26:05

I am reading Raven Black by Ann Cleeve’s, I pronounce it Lerwick.

Ro60 Tue 27-Jul-21 10:21:54

- then there's Warwick! ?

derekbd Thu 15-Jul-21 18:53:22

You've made that one up to test us, right? ?

M0nica Mon 18-Jan-21 22:34:24

annodomini I did exactly the same as you - until I heard the name pronounced on the radio one day.

Burntisland is a town on the north shore of the Forth estuary directly opposite Edinburgh.

Lucca Mon 18-Jan-21 18:37:44

lemongrove

Lucca have never heard of Burntisland, is it in Scotland?
I would guess at two
Burnt island
Burnsland

Not guilty m’lud. Someone else mention Burntisland
I’d guess berland

varian Mon 18-Jan-21 16:26:12

I was watching The West Wing recently. They had an absurd character Lord someone who was supposed to be the British ambassador and told the President that he enjoyed a glass of Islay malt which he pronounced Iss- lay!

felice Mon 18-Jan-21 16:20:32

X husband always had a problem with Fochabers !!!

annodomini Mon 18-Jan-21 15:25:50

Just realised I posted much the same back in May last year. That's what comes of reviving older threads!

annodomini Mon 18-Jan-21 15:23:19

Our dad used to drive us all (3 daughters, mum and dog) to granny's in Fife. Burntisland was on our route and it wasn't until I was in my teens that I realised it was Burnt Island - not Burntis Land!

Alegrias1 Mon 18-Jan-21 14:56:59

lemongrove

Lucca have never heard of Burntisland, is it in Scotland?
I would guess at two
Burnt island
Burnsland

The first one Lemon. Its in Fife. smile

lemongrove Mon 18-Jan-21 14:49:52

Are we any nearer knowing the true pronunciation of Lerwick?

lemongrove Mon 18-Jan-21 14:48:13

Lucca have never heard of Burntisland, is it in Scotland?
I would guess at two
Burnt island
Burnsland

M0nica Mon 18-Jan-21 14:31:39

Now people move around s so much now, the old not phonetic pronounciations are now being lost.

My aunt and uncle always pronounced Cirencester 'Cissister' . I was in troubleif I said anything else.

I used to live in a village, name pronounced 'Finch'mstead. Now always called FinchHAMstead.

grumppa Mon 18-Jan-21 14:18:41

As for foreign cities, one of my favourites is Munich/München. Back in the early sixties, the local American Forces Network in Bavaria used to describe its midday records programme as “your luncheon in Muncheon”.

Alegrias1 Mon 18-Jan-21 13:24:44

Anybody want to have a go at Burntisland?

Clue - it's not, as I heard on the TV recently, Burntis-land ?

Or in a TV program last week supposedly set in Dundee; Lochee pronounced Lotch-ee, emphasis on the Lotch.

Thistlelass Mon 18-Jan-21 13:18:52

The w is silent. It is pronounced Lerick.

grandtanteJE65 Mon 18-Jan-21 12:07:12

In the Glasgow area we said Lerrick and Kir'coddy as in The De'ils deed, the De'ils deed and buried at Kir'cody
Some say he's risen agin, risen agin tae daunce the Hielan' laddie.

My father maintained he had been shown the Devil's grave in the kirkyard at Kirkcady when he was a boy.

I remember the town mainly for the smell of lino that was made there in my childhood. We drove through on our way to Pittenweem where my grandparents lived.

Lucca Mon 18-Jan-21 10:19:02

Uffam....