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ArishMell · 70-79, M
You will hear many variations due to the very wide range of regional accents in Britain, but the general pronunciation of [i]Worcestershire[/i] and of its county-town (Worcester) shortens but stresses the first, and passes over the second, syllables.
Similarly with its Southerly neighbouring county and county-town, [i]Gloucestershire [/i]and [i]Gloucester[/i] - the "est" syllable left unsaid.
The neighbour to the NE, though, [i]Warkwickshire[/i], tends to be pronounced with a hard "orr" as in "on", rather than "ark+w" in the middle. I assume this is because "Warricksher / ~shire" is easier to enunciate than the purely phonetic way!
Then travelling on, Leicestershire and Leicester follow the same silent-"est", then we reach Nottinghamshire & Nottingham which most English do pronounce pretty well phonetically, fully and with first- or second- syllable stress. The "ham" syllable is always slightly weakened, often with a touch of a hard "u" to the sound.
Generally, the "shire" root is spoken as a short "sher" sound, slightly longer "shire" or a hybrid "shiur", again depending on the speaker's accent.
I have seen a SW thread titled something like "I love the British accent", prompting British readers to ask, "[i]Which[/i] British accent?". Apart from the very distinct English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish generics, there are very many regional accents and dialects. England alone would fit in a rectangle not much more than 450 miles long by 250 or so wide, but has an enormous range of accents that can differ noticeably across only a few tens of miles, or even across a conurbation like Greater London or the West Midlands county encompassing Birmingham and the Black Country. ("Black" describes its 19C industrial condition.)
'
By the way, a point sometimes missed is that not all English counties carry that "shire" suffix, originally an administrative term.
Similarly with its Southerly neighbouring county and county-town, [i]Gloucestershire [/i]and [i]Gloucester[/i] - the "est" syllable left unsaid.
The neighbour to the NE, though, [i]Warkwickshire[/i], tends to be pronounced with a hard "orr" as in "on", rather than "ark+w" in the middle. I assume this is because "Warricksher / ~shire" is easier to enunciate than the purely phonetic way!
Then travelling on, Leicestershire and Leicester follow the same silent-"est", then we reach Nottinghamshire & Nottingham which most English do pronounce pretty well phonetically, fully and with first- or second- syllable stress. The "ham" syllable is always slightly weakened, often with a touch of a hard "u" to the sound.
Generally, the "shire" root is spoken as a short "sher" sound, slightly longer "shire" or a hybrid "shiur", again depending on the speaker's accent.
I have seen a SW thread titled something like "I love the British accent", prompting British readers to ask, "[i]Which[/i] British accent?". Apart from the very distinct English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish generics, there are very many regional accents and dialects. England alone would fit in a rectangle not much more than 450 miles long by 250 or so wide, but has an enormous range of accents that can differ noticeably across only a few tens of miles, or even across a conurbation like Greater London or the West Midlands county encompassing Birmingham and the Black Country. ("Black" describes its 19C industrial condition.)
'
By the way, a point sometimes missed is that not all English counties carry that "shire" suffix, originally an administrative term.
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Bobby1123422 · M
ThePerfectUsername · 70-79, M
👍️@Ryannnnnn
Johnblackthorn · 56-60, M
Wraithorn · 51-55, M
@TryingtoLava Worst'ish ? Lol. It is one of English's worst'ish words. 🙂
Wraithorn · 51-55, M
@TryingtoLava I honestly wasn't making fun of you cuz. I was appreciating the fact that you gave me a grin. Kudos to you for making me laugh.
When I was a kid I was taught to pronounce that entire word as "Vooster". So your version is actually better than mine was.
When I was a kid I was taught to pronounce that entire word as "Vooster". So your version is actually better than mine was.
SwampFlower · 31-35, F
Crazychick · 36-40, F
Wraithorn · 51-55, M
@Crazychick Is the last part pronounced shire ? As in a hobbit's shire ?
SW-User
@TryingtoLava 😉
CheshireCatalyst · 36-40, M
CheshireCatalyst · 36-40, M
@Wraithorn the link is writing
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Gingerbreadspice · F
JupiterDreams · 31-35
Wraithorn · 51-55, M
@JupiterDreams Well that is interesting, thanks. I tried saying it like that and it takes a bit of practice.
Chevy454 · 46-50, M
I hear ya!!!@JupiterDreams
monkeysdevil007 · 46-50, M
DearAmbellina2113 · 41-45, F
NickiHijab · F
bijouxbroussard · F
Worst-i-sure (waits for @Crazychick to tell me it’s incorrect) 😅
bijouxbroussard · F
bijouxbroussard · F
@Wraithorn Do they pronounce it that way in your commercials ?