Re: Pronunciation

[btd@carina.cray.com (Bryan Dongray)]

> From: Craig Heath <craig@sco.COM>
> Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 21:31:07 -0400
> 
> > From: btd@carina.cray.com (Bryan Dongray)
> > Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 13:14:32 -0500 (CDT)
> 
> > PS For those who may not know "Reading" is pronounced "redding",
> > and the county "Berkshire" is pronounced "bark-sheer".
> 
> Actually, I'd say that in RP ("received pronunciation" aka BBC English)
> it's "Bark-shuh", although I'm willing to be enlightened as to the
> local dialect by a Berkshire native (I'm Warwickshire born-and-bred myself).

OK I was born in Kent, in a place called "Royal Tunbridge Wells", about
20-30 miles away from where Kate was born and lived, OK, I'm 4 years
younger, oh and no there are not too many vicars, old ladies, nor do I
know of anyone called "disgusted" where I was born. Anyway as a result
I do have quite a BBC accent. Before I moved here (Minneapolis, USA) I
lived in Camberley, about 14 miles south west of Reading, and in fact
my street address was "Berkshire Rd".

I see what you mean by "bark-shuh" (I'd have written "bark-sha" for that
pronounciation), I guess what I was pointing out was that Reading was
NOT "reeding", and the county was not combinations of "burk" or "sh-eye-er".

I've just thought that with an American accent it is best described
as "bok-sh-ear", since the short 'o' sound is said (to my ears) like
an "ah" sound by the locals here. Consider the word "box", spelled
like "boks", and remove the "s".

			Bryan Dongray

PS "Warwickshire" is pronounced (by me) "worrick-sheer".
PPS Another good one for non UK folks (apart from the "shire") is the
pronouncation of "ham", as in Birmingham, the trick to getting it in
UK speak is to slur the "ha", such as "berm-ing-um".

"What say you good people?"