There is no country called France ... and other things

[CanaBull]

Quite a few over here in Canada seem to like that I have family in Oswaldtwistle.  "How do you say that?! You Brits are weird."  Coming from country with Dildo as a town I'll take that as a compliment.  Can't deny how many places have the Raymond Luxury-Yacht thing going on though lol

[JonM]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tautological_place_names has a few good ones - Pendle Hill meaning hill hill hill, for example.

Wales largest waterfall, Pistyll Rhaeadr has two words, both of which can be translated into English as waterfall.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

2 hours ago, gingerjon said:

And now, children, settle back and learn about how the Dutch/Belgian border operates in Baarle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baarle

I particularly like "Due to legislation, there is an erotic video store in Baarle-Nassau and a fireworks store in Baarle-Hertog which is open the entire year."

This place had some interest recently as Belgium and the Netherlands had different Covid restrictions and each bit had to follow the rules of the country their bit was in.

 

I watched a programme on channel 4 about German brothels a while back, I think it's still on all4 if you want a watch. With prostitution being completely legal in German and very illegal in République française, brothel chains in Germany started opening establishments in border towns and villages and now as a result its a common characteristic of German border villages (of even just a few hundred people) that they have a brothel and are constantly inundated with horny Frenchmen. 

[JonM]

1 hour ago, shaun mc said:

Surprised the place thats at the start of the West Highland Way isn't in there...

Milngavie or "Mulgaiy"

Plenty of examples in Scotland - Kirkcudbright, Kirkcaldy, Garioch (Gee-Ree), Anstruther etc etc.

[meast]

6 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Loughborough has always been a good one for pronunciation mainly because it's got two of 'ough' in it but they are pronounced differently. 

Whilst visiting a friend who ran a pub in a well know Midlands brewery town, she was asked by an American couple if she could direct them to "Looga-Boog-Ara"

It amused us no end, still does!

[gingerjon]

9 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

I watched a programme on channel 4 about German brothels a while back, I think it's still on all4 if you want a watch. With prostitution being completely legal in German and very illegal in République française, brothel chains in Germany started opening establishments in border towns and villages and now as a result its a common characteristic of German border villages (of even just a few hundred people) that they have a brothel and are constantly inundated with horny Frenchmen. 

The fact that Duolingo hasn't yet given me the word for "germanbordervillagebrothel" is yet another reason to be annoyed at its lax standards.

[gingerjon]

9 minutes ago, JonM said:

Plenty of examples in Scotland - Kirkcudbright, Kirkcaldy, Garioch (Gee-Ree), Anstruther etc etc.

Kirkcudbright even has an old Scottish county so you have the majesty of Kirkcudbrightshire to get through.

How do you pronounce Anstruther?

[meast]

Barnoldswick anyone?

 

Ivory Coast or Cote d'Ivoire?

[Bearman]

26 minutes ago, meast said:

Barnoldswick anyone?

 

 

Just plain Barlick.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

38 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

The fact that Duolingo hasn't yet given me the word for "germanbordervillagebrothel" is yet another reason to be annoyed at its lax standards.

Deutsches Grenzdorf Bordell.

(I think, can't say I've ever used the phrase for real......... ). 

[JonM]

2 hours ago, gingerjon said:

Kirkcudbright even has an old Scottish county so you have the majesty of Kirkcudbrightshire to get through.

How do you pronounce Anstruther?

Ainster

Plenty more of those in Norfolk (Stiffkey = stewkey, Letheringsett = larnset, Wymondham = windum, Happisburgh= hazebro) of course.

[GUBRATS]

11 hours ago, Robin Evans said:

It's bad enough me coming from Wombwell.......

You have the look of a Wombwell , sorry womble

[marklaspalmas]

10 hours ago, tim2 said:

It should be Fuji not Mount Fuji as Fuji means mountain in Japanese.

Not true.

Yama is mountain, as in many Japanese names.

Many Japanese called Mt. Fuji "Fiji-Sama", sama being an honorific suffix greater than the normal 'san'

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

22 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

On pronunciations , our local former member of the NU traps plenty of visitors or TV commentators 

Tyldesley 

" Excuse me , how do I get to Tyl Des Ley ? " 

Pronounced " tilsley " , or the alternative name " bongs " especially used in conjunction with " bent " the alternative for Atherton 

So locally " Leyth , Bent and Bongs " 

 

 

 

Thanks for that, Gubrats.

For a couple of years in my early teens, my family lived just down the road, in Astley, so I knew that Tyldesley was just two syllables, but cannot recall hearing it called 'Bongs' or Atherton 'Bent'.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

4 hours ago, JonM said:

Plenty of examples in Scotland - Kirkcudbright, Kirkcaldy, Garioch (Gee-Ree), Anstruther etc etc.

And Footdee in my home city, Aberdeen, pronounced 'Fitty'.

 

6 hours ago, shaun mc said:

Surprised the place thats at the start of the West Highland Way isn't in there...

Milngavie or "Mulgaiy"

And at the end of the West Highland railway is Mallaig, in which the emphasis is on the first syllable, with the second an  'ik' sound; Gaelic is a naturally, very softly spoken language, and the second 'a' doesn't influence the sound of the second syllable, as its purpose is essentially, as far as I can see, to satisfy Gaelic spelling rules.

[Futtocks]

7 hours ago, gingerjon said:

And now, children, settle back and learn about how the Dutch/Belgian border operates in Baarle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baarle

I particularly like "Due to legislation, there is an erotic video store in Baarle-Nassau and a fireworks store in Baarle-Hertog which is open the entire year."

This place had some interest recently as Belgium and the Netherlands had different Covid restrictions and each bit had to follow the rules of the country their bit was in.

 

There were some shops in Baarle-Hertog which were partially in Belgium and partially in the Netherlands. This made things interesting during lockdown.

[Futtocks]

And, as we all know, Captain Leone Sextus Denys Oswolf Fraudatifilius Tollemache-Tollemache de Orellana Plantagenet Tollemache-Tollemache would insist on the first "Tollemache" being pronounced differently to the second, in both instances.

http://dictionary.sensagent.com/Leone Sextus Denys Oswolf Fraudatifilius Tollemache-Tollemache de Orellana Plantagenet Tollemache-Tollemache/en-en/

[Clogiron]

13 hours ago, Robin Evans said:

Butt Hole Road in Conisbrough has sadly been re-named Archer's way.

Pity that.

C ockin Lane still exists on the outskirts of Bradford between Thornton Road & Queensbury. Nutclough is on the climb out of Hebden Bridge up over the Moss to Oxenhope, would have been a great song title except it's a Hamlet not a city! And coming down Halifax Road into Keighley you pass through Hermit Hole, not a euphemism for the eye of a Camel but otherwise similar.

[Padge]

9 hours ago, voteronniegibbs said:

Fowey in Cornwall is pronounced Foy. So it's best to get this right if you don't want to stand out from the locals, other than wearing your brand new holiday shorts and complaining about the car park charges

Also in Cornwall, the fishing village of Mousehole is pronounced Muzzle.

[Padge]

Under the ...And Other Things banner of the topic.

You cannot see light.

[JohnM]

9 minutes ago, Padge said:

Under the ...And Other Things banner of the topic.

You cannot see light.

Then why did John Belushi in the Blues Brothers church scene shout "I have seen the light"

[Padge]

12 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Then why did John Belushi in the Blues Brothers church scene shout "I have seen the light"

Neither Ackroyd nor Landis are scientists, if Bob8 had written it, then it would have been correct "I have seen the absorption of light"

[Futtocks]

1 hour ago, JohnM said:

Then why did John Belushi in the Blues Brothers church scene shout "I have seen the light"

Because John Belushi had ingested so many substances by that point in his life, he probably could see light. And plenty of other things too.

[Copa]

Australia has 3 internal territories; the Northern Territory (Darwin etc), Australian Capital Territory (Canberra)  and Jervis Bay Territory.

The vast majority of Australians have no idea about the existence of Jervis Bay Territory even though it’s less than 3 hours south of Sydney and there are large signs saying “you are now leaving NSW”. Around 300 to 400 people live there.

It’s not on maps used in schools, it’s not mentioned in school classes, it’s not a drop down option for deliveries  when online shopping.  It’s the persona non grata of the Territories.

It has great camping facilities and beautiful beaches.

 

[JohnM]

11 hours ago, Padge said:

Neither Ackroyd nor Landis are scientists, if Bob8 had written it, then it would have been correct "I have seen the absorption of light"

At which point, I was led to this bizarre publication.

https://www.amazon.com/Philosophical-Rejection-Big-Bang-Theory/dp/1986907376