...and the most read article from Pronunciation Studio is... London

1. London (Pronunciation Guide)

London /ˈlʌndən/ – a pronunciation guide.

From Southwark to Borough, Cockney to Posh and food to grub – here’s the Pronunciation Studio survival guide to life in London:

Zone 1. /ˈzəʊn ˈwʌn/

Let’s start in the centre: Leicester Square /ˈlestə ˈskweə/, Grosvenor Square, /ˈgrəʊvnə ˈskweə/ and Gloucester Road /ˈglɒstə ˈrəʊd/ all have confusing silent letters. Then there’s the deceptive ‘o’, in Southwark /ˈsʌðək/, Borough /ˈbʌrə/ and… London /ˈlʌndən/, which are all pronounced /ʌ/ as in fun. Some names are plainly ridiculous like Tottenham Court Road /ˈtɒʔnəm ˈkɔːʔ ˈrəʊd/, Euston /ˈjuːstən/(which rhymes with you), and Marylebone /ˈmɑːləbəʊn/ . But what do they all have in common? A schwa sound /ə/ – so that’s the place to start.

Suburbs. /ˈsʌbɜːbz/

Moving to the suburbs, or ‘burbs’ /ˈbɜːbz/ for short, might give you more space, but it won’t solve the pronunciation issues. Starting with the silent h in Balham /ˈbæləm/, Clapham /ˈklæpəm/, Fulham /ˈfʊləm/, and Vauxhall /ˈvɒksɔːɫ/, it mixes with ‘s’ in , Lewisham /ˈluːɪʃəm/, and you do say it in West Ham /ˈwest ˈhæm/, East Ham /ˈiːst ˈhæm/ and….. Ham /ˈhæm/.  Out West you’ll find such delights as Wimbledon /ˈwɪmbɫdən/, Chiswick /ˈtʃɪzɪk/ and Ruislip /ˈraɪslɪp/, whilst East there’s Rotherhithe /ˈrɒðəraɪð/, Woolwich /ˈwʊlɪtʃ/, Surrey Quays /ˈsʌri ˈkiːz/ and Greenwich /ˈgrenɪtʃ/ by which time you might have gone Barking /ˈbɑːkɪŋ/ mad.

.

Accents. /ˈæksənts/

A typical London accent is working class, a bit of cockney /ˈkɒkni/ in there, innit /ˈɪnɪʔ/? But you’ll hear all sorts of accents in London. Very generally speaking West is posh, East is cockney, and everywhere else is in between, ranging from Estuary /ˈestʃəri/ (a bit London) to RP /ˈɑː ˈpiː/ (neutral – what they used to sound like at the BBC). In Buckingham Palace /ˈbʌkɪŋəm ˈpælɪs/ you’ll find the Queen, we all know what she sounds like. London mayor, Sadiq Kahn works in City Hall /sɪti hɔːɫ/, he has a modern, neutral accent with a hint of London. Whilst at 10 and 11 Downing Street /ˈdaʊnɪŋ striːt/, our Prime Minister and Chancellor sound… posh, they went to Eton /iːtən/. 

Food. /ˈfuːd/

Fortunately, particularly if you believe what they say about English cuisine, London has food from all over the world. You’ll find Italian, Chinese and Indian restaurants on most streets. For something different, head to Edgware Road /ˈedʒweə ˈrəʊd/ for Lebanese, Dalston /ˈd ɑːɫstən/ for Turkish, Brick Lane /ˈbrɪk ˈleɪn/ for bagels, and Stockwell /ˈstɒkweɫ/ for Portuguese. You’ll find every type of cuisine in Soho /ˈsəʊhəʊ/, Angel /ˈeɪndʒəɫ/ and Brixton /ˈbrɪkstən/: Japanese, Ethiopian, Greek, Polish, Jamaican, on a sunny day you can even sit outside with a cool glass of Sangria – you get the idea.


READ MORE...