I've heard this pronounced two ways:
wor-chester-shire
and
worsh-ter-sher
Which is the correct pronunciation?
wor-chester-shire
and
worsh-ter-sher
Which is the correct pronunciation?
Worchestershire
We've had this before:
Worcestershire Sauce
John Saturday, March 13, 2004, 21:45 GMT
Worcestershire Sauce
John Saturday, March 13, 2004, 21:45 GMT
Neither is correct.
The correct spelling for the this county of England is WORCESTERSHIRE. The County Town is WORCESTER.
Pronounced as 'WOOS-tur-shire' in Scotland, and 'WOOS-tur-shear' in England itself. 'WOOS-tur" for the city.
I can understand your mis-spelling - many place names in the UK (in England mainly) have endings "chester" or "cester" - and also "caster" - the origins being Latin, from the days of the occupying Romans (54BC to 410AD). All three endings mean the same thing - a Roman encampment or fortification, and the towns and villages which later developed around these Roman settlements and the names of which became the ones that exist today, reflect their Roman connections.
Worcester * Gloucester * Leicester * Manchester * Chester itself * Lancaster * Doncaster * Cirencester * Porchester * Winchester * and so on...
The "---chester" and "-caster" endings are pronounced more or less as they are spelt, but the difficulty for foreigners (including Americans in spite of a so called common language) comes with the "-cester" endings. These are glided over so that you have "Wooster" "Gloster"
"Lester" etc.
More than once I've heard American tourists on the Northern Line tube say they will have to change at "Lie-ses-turr" Square station. Bless. :-)
The correct spelling for the this county of England is WORCESTERSHIRE. The County Town is WORCESTER.
Pronounced as 'WOOS-tur-shire' in Scotland, and 'WOOS-tur-shear' in England itself. 'WOOS-tur" for the city.
I can understand your mis-spelling - many place names in the UK (in England mainly) have endings "chester" or "cester" - and also "caster" - the origins being Latin, from the days of the occupying Romans (54BC to 410AD). All three endings mean the same thing - a Roman encampment or fortification, and the towns and villages which later developed around these Roman settlements and the names of which became the ones that exist today, reflect their Roman connections.
Worcester * Gloucester * Leicester * Manchester * Chester itself * Lancaster * Doncaster * Cirencester * Porchester * Winchester * and so on...
The "---chester" and "-caster" endings are pronounced more or less as they are spelt, but the difficulty for foreigners (including Americans in spite of a so called common language) comes with the "-cester" endings. These are glided over so that you have "Wooster" "Gloster"
"Lester" etc.
More than once I've heard American tourists on the Northern Line tube say they will have to change at "Lie-ses-turr" Square station. Bless. :-)
<<Pronounced as 'WOOS-tur-shire' in Scotland, and 'WOOS-tur-shear' in England itself. 'WOOS-tur" for the city. >>
-shear? Do you say Lan-ka-shear?
-shear? Do you say Lan-ka-shear?
I myself pronounce "Worcerstershire" as ["wUstR=SR=:] for the record. And similarly, I primarily use such in reference to the sauce, not the actual place.
I went to War-cester on my trip to the UK. We also went to Edin-borrow in Scotchland.
I pronounce "Worcestershire" as ["wUst@`SI@`]. I'm inconsistent as to whether I treat "-shire" endings as "-sheer" [SI@`] or "-shur" [S@`].
>>Edin-borrow in Scotchland.<<
That's "Edinburg" ["E:4n=:bR=:g] or ["E:4n=:bR=:k] here.
That's "Edinburg" ["E:4n=:bR=:g] or ["E:4n=:bR=:k] here.
Ed'n'bruh will do fine.
In our local Edinburgh dialect the initial E is a lot more "closed" and "long" than the guys down here say it!
With regard to the "shire" pronunciations in the names of counties in the three UK countries (discounting Irelands North and South here) it depends where you live I reckon. In Scotland many people (but not all by any means) actually pronounce it as "shire" to rhyme with "fire" - with the "R" clearly rolled. So "Worcestershire" comes out as "WOOS-turr-shire" (Rs defined) while down here in England it's something like "WOOS-tuh-shuh (Rs non existent). Posh RP English English people from Surrey or Berkshire etc may well say "WOOS-tah=shah" :-)
Berkshire is interesting - some mates and I recently went to Windsor along the A40 and the signs as we entered the county said "Welcome to the Royal County of Berkshire" but we could already see Windsor Castle on the horizon long before we came to that sign.....somewhere as we approached Slough (rhymes with "cow"). Berkshire - I say "BARK-shire" - my mates say "BARK-shuh". I'd like to hear them have a go at our own Scottish county of Kirkcudbrightshire - in Galloway region, in the SW corner of Scotland. Ha!
FYI it's pronounced "KIRK-cu-bree-shire" (the "cu" bit the same sound as the French "du"_ - or if you're English like my mates here: "KIRK-coo-bre-shuh".
The Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce (made in Worcester itself) is great sprinkled over cheese on toast or a Welsh rarebit (same as C on T but with onion and tomato added) or on a well done Aberdeen Angus sirloin or fillet steak.
I think the Americans have it right when they say "tom-ay-to" rather than out "tom-ah-to" - but where does that leave "potato"? That should stay as it is and we should go "tom-ay-to" so that it's uniformity all round. Actually some Brits (not many by any means) do say it the American way as it's more logical really. "Pot-ah-to" just sounds ludicrous....nobody says it that way as far as I know.
In our local Edinburgh dialect the initial E is a lot more "closed" and "long" than the guys down here say it!
With regard to the "shire" pronunciations in the names of counties in the three UK countries (discounting Irelands North and South here) it depends where you live I reckon. In Scotland many people (but not all by any means) actually pronounce it as "shire" to rhyme with "fire" - with the "R" clearly rolled. So "Worcestershire" comes out as "WOOS-turr-shire" (Rs defined) while down here in England it's something like "WOOS-tuh-shuh (Rs non existent). Posh RP English English people from Surrey or Berkshire etc may well say "WOOS-tah=shah" :-)
Berkshire is interesting - some mates and I recently went to Windsor along the A40 and the signs as we entered the county said "Welcome to the Royal County of Berkshire" but we could already see Windsor Castle on the horizon long before we came to that sign.....somewhere as we approached Slough (rhymes with "cow"). Berkshire - I say "BARK-shire" - my mates say "BARK-shuh". I'd like to hear them have a go at our own Scottish county of Kirkcudbrightshire - in Galloway region, in the SW corner of Scotland. Ha!
FYI it's pronounced "KIRK-cu-bree-shire" (the "cu" bit the same sound as the French "du"_ - or if you're English like my mates here: "KIRK-coo-bre-shuh".
The Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce (made in Worcester itself) is great sprinkled over cheese on toast or a Welsh rarebit (same as C on T but with onion and tomato added) or on a well done Aberdeen Angus sirloin or fillet steak.
I think the Americans have it right when they say "tom-ay-to" rather than out "tom-ah-to" - but where does that leave "potato"? That should stay as it is and we should go "tom-ay-to" so that it's uniformity all round. Actually some Brits (not many by any means) do say it the American way as it's more logical really. "Pot-ah-to" just sounds ludicrous....nobody says it that way as far as I know.
WORCESTERSHIRE
To me, the sauce is woosta-shur. (There is, after all, a "Wooster" [Worcester] in Massachusetts. So Lea and Perrins may be a UK company, but I always associate the sauce with MA.)
BERKSHIRES
The mountains in the eastern part of Massachusetts are the Berk-sheers (and gorgeous, too, I might add!) -- although my relatives in South Dartmouth (Sowth Dartmuth) would say "Bu'ksheeahs", with the ' representing the weirdness that happens when you've altered the U as before an R, but can't quite get the R itself out. You non-rhotic Brits know the sound -- it's what you all do when you say "bird".
SHIRE
THe huge draft horse is still a "shyer" -- probably the only time poor "shire" gets pronounced as spelled!
To me, the sauce is woosta-shur. (There is, after all, a "Wooster" [Worcester] in Massachusetts. So Lea and Perrins may be a UK company, but I always associate the sauce with MA.)
BERKSHIRES
The mountains in the eastern part of Massachusetts are the Berk-sheers (and gorgeous, too, I might add!) -- although my relatives in South Dartmouth (Sowth Dartmuth) would say "Bu'ksheeahs", with the ' representing the weirdness that happens when you've altered the U as before an R, but can't quite get the R itself out. You non-rhotic Brits know the sound -- it's what you all do when you say "bird".
SHIRE
THe huge draft horse is still a "shyer" -- probably the only time poor "shire" gets pronounced as spelled!