The Pronunciation Thread

[Ming the Merciless]

Mytholmroyd

Pronounced Hebden Bridge

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Ee-ther or eye-ther

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Lye or lee

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Wind or wined

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Min-ut or my-noot

 

[DaveReading]

Some would argue they're different: spelled is the past tense and spelt is the past participle.

I think it's generally accepted that both the simple past and past participle share the two alternative forms.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Ee-ther or eye-ther

Either will do.

(But the other one won't)

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Hawes
North Yorkshire

Pronounced just like the 'ladies of negotionable virtues' (as Terry Pratchett phrased them)
Not, as my late mother-in-law reckoned, as in a plural of "How" (as in the question)

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Either will do.

(But the other one won't)

Nee-ther or knead-her

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Laaaandaaan or Lun Dun

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

A couple of years ago, my wife was in a coach-tour office in Castleford, as she was going to take her sister away for a few days (reasonably cheap/no worries about driving or food/excursions included/etc....)

The girl at the desk told her, as she read from the screen that there was a trip to Lang Go Len
(Llangollen, in Wales)

 

[Dogtrousers]

To be fair, some Welsh place names can be challenging so I'd be inclined to give the Castleford coach rep a break.

I always try to get Welsh places right but I doubt I have much better than an 80% score for unfamiliar ones and I lived in Wales for a couple of years.

 

[Beebo]

The actor Sean Bean had an interesting few pronunciation options.
It could be
Seen Been
Or
Shorne Born

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Min-ut or my-noot

my- newt. As in pet amphibian

 

[Conrad_K]

Place names can be... odd.

There's Cairo, Illinois. Which is pronounced "kay-ro", not "ki-ro."

Then there's El Dorado, Arkansas. Which is pronounced "el-do-ray-do", not "eldo-rah-do."

For that matter, Arkansas is written as "ar-kansas", but pronounced "ark-in-saw." By proclamation of the legislature, no less.