Places that are pronounced differently to spelling

There are a number of Beauchamp roads / drives around, a colleague of mine lived on one and insisted on pronoucing it "Bow champs " in her thick essex accent, its actually pronounced "Beecham"
 
thebandit said:
There are a number of Beauchamp roads / drives around, a colleague of mine lived on one and insisted on pronoucing it "Bow champs " in her thick essex accent, its actually pronounced "Beecham"
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Beauchamp is a weird one. French origin it's actually pronounced "Beauchamp" but for a long time the English pronunciation is indeed "Beecham".
 
thebandit said:
There are a number of Beauchamp roads / drives around, a colleague of mine lived on one and insisted on pronoucing it "Bow champs " in her thick essex accent, its actually pronounced "Beecham"
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Yaayuh! said:
Beauchamp is a weird one. French origin it's actually pronounced "Beauchamp" but for a long time the English pronunciation is indeed "Beecham".
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TIL. I've always pronounced it "Bo-shamps".

Another one - Arkansas.

I am rather embarrassed to admit that I'm 38 years old and until very recently, whenever I watched an American film/TV show where someone said it out loud, I always thought to myself "Where the hell is the city of Arken-saw?"
Then, one day a few years ago, I twigged that that were talking about the state. I've always thought it was pronounced as written, "Arken-sas"
 
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Where I grew up Wymondham was pronounced win-dom

And Garboldisham was gar-bol-shum

But this is Suffolk/Norfolk. Wasn't until university when someone was disgusted in me saying "shew" as past of show!
Even though I'd always write it "shown"

Actually found it in Wikipedia (east anglia language)
Another one I saw on there we use is "abed" for "in bed"
Example - "wheres your dad? He's abed"

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413x said:
Where I grew up Wymondham was pronounced win-dom

And Garboldisham was gar-bol-shum

But this is Suffolk/Norfolk. Wasn't until university when someone was disgusted in me saying "shew" as past of show!
Even though I'd always write it "shown"
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Recently found out about "Win-dom" (my parents moved to near Thetford a couple of years back so I'm spending more time in this area).
Garboldisham as 'gar-bol-shum' is a new one to me, I've driven through it several times and always thought it a bit of a mouthful.

My aunt has lived in Suffolk much longer and insists Stowmarket is actually "St-market", although it's more contraction rather than different pronunciation.
 
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Conscript said:
Recently found out about "Win-dom" (my parents moved to near Thetford a couple of years back so I'm spending more time in this area).
Garboldisham as 'gar-bol-shum' is a new one to me, I've driven through it several times and always thought it a bit of a mouthful.
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I pronounced Wymondham as windom, but I would pronounce Garboldisham how is spelt. But my uncle. He was proper Suffolk As farmer as you get.
 
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The "Cester" thing is well established, so really the pronunciation makes sense within our own rules.

What doesn't make sense is why Cirencester is pronounced Siren Sester. I forward a motion to officially burn it to the ground and rebuild, gloriously from the ashes, with the name Sirrenster ringing out through the smoke.
 
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