How to pronounce those airfield names
 

The English language is not the most logical of languages when it comes to pronounciation and town/village names are even worse :-) Here are a couple of pointers to the ones most often mispronounced, maybe some of you can add more?

Hawkinge = HAWKINJ
Lympne = LIM
Blenheim = BLENIM or BLENEM (I believe Germans do pronounce it BLENHIME)
Bekesbourne = BEEKSBORN (that is the actial name of the Canterbury field)
Folkstone = FOKESTON


I have a village near me that is spelled Trottiscliffe and pronounced TROSLEY so you can never be sure :-)

Roblex - I hate to correct you over what may simply be ambiguous spelling, but BBC Kent says Hawkinge is pronounced HAWKinje http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/content/ar..._feature.shtml . Without the final "e" (or use of the phonetic alphabet) your spelling is unclear because "j" can often be said as "y".
In this case the "g" is soft.

It is certainly not Hawking, as many of our US cousins say. The second syllable is similar to the placename Penge.

People might also note that Dungeness is pronounced DUNj’n ESS, rather than "English Point".

Also, the point near Ramsgate was historically called the North Foreland by pilots of the time.

56RAF_phoenix

I can vouch for Penge (penje), I was born there, not that it appears on the CoD map. Some oiks liked to humour us by calling it pengee. I have to say it's a place to come from, not go to. If you get my drift. Even after they built over all the bomb sites. Perhaps even because they built over the bomb sites.

I don't think anyone has a problem with Croydon (croyd'n) but, as we're on the subject, the general couple of miles between Croydon and Penge was locally nicknamed Croynge (croynje) and was also mentioned in the Goon show. I say this only to confuse everbody :)

I'd also tell you about Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch but the map doesn't extend to Wales.

You English guys can spell it however you want, because someone seems to have fiddled with the word's letters, when writing the (english) 'battle report'.
The actual, German name is "Blindheim" - yes, just like Blind-home.


But I didn't know about HAWKinje :eek: . Looks like it's dutch or something ;)

Landmarks such as Cape Gris Nez are bastardised online too. It's often called 'French Point' by those that don't know their geopgraphy.

Cap Gris Nez (literally cape grey nose) pronouced CAPE GRI NESS

Continuing the geography lesson, Dungeness (the headland on the coast of Kent, south of St Mary's bay) is often bastardised to 'English Point'

The English/US aren't capable to pronounce "R" the french way, so a proper pronounciation is mostly pointless anyway :P

Actually its pronounced cap gree nay (its French)

And Dungeness is dunjness

Oi! My mum was from Penge! And dad Thornton Heath (pronounced Thortun Eeef by the locals ;) ). And it's a wonderful place right now at this date because the mighty Crystal Palace FC have just hit the top of the league table :)

Never ever heard of 'croynje' though.

I can forgive mis pronunciation but what gets my goat are the nonsense:

English Point - Dungeness (Dun je ness)
French Point - Oh, you mean "Cap Gris Nez" (Kap Grin-nay)
Ramston - wtf? :confused:

The whole Ramsgate area is call North Foreland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Foreland
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._of_Thanet.jpg

But you could get away with calling it "Broadstairs" because that is the town bang in the centre of it.
http://goo.gl/maps/i5H7o

Finally in this geography lesson, Where is "Hellfire Corner"?
This is the south eastern tip of England south of Deal and east of Folkstone just out to sea in the Dover Strait. It's a nickname given by RAF pilots because it was where so much fighting too place.
http://goo.gl/maps/bf19b

Next lesson, let's visit another part of the map ;)
The Needles
http://goo.gl/maps/pauFK

The Solent
http://goo.gl/maps/UHxRf

Selsey Bill
http://goo.gl/maps/hnRfR

Beachy Head (popular suicide destination for the UK)
http://goo.gl/maps/xYFU3

The Isle of Sheppey (Eastchurch aerodrome)
http://goo.gl/maps/1r6ZJ

That'll do for now.

So, the outcrop that Broadstairs is located isn't called "The Knob"?

;)

Errmmm.... she didn't pub-crawl in mini skirts and fishnet tights with "more bang for your buck" on her hat did she? Only.....

Don't confuse Kent with Essex Klem!

I was born and raised for 5 years in a basement flat in Penge next to Crystal Palace park (Anerley Park Road). I have heard Penge residents tell people they live in New Beckenham to avoid the shame :-)

That's a lie mate, Penge is alright (in comparison with Thornton Heath at least....)

I hope you boys are Palace fans.....

That's annerlee not analee :)

Oh, I dunno know though :)

What about Tangmere?
Is it Tang-Mere as in 'tangy', or Tanjmere (as in tangerine)?

I'm actually English (shame), but living abroad since '81 (redemption).

Tangmere is pronounced with a G as in tangy.

I grew up just outside of Hawkinge and know Kent well, however it really doesn't bother me when people refer to "English Point" "French Point" etc. as there are a lot of chaps who don't have English as a first language and will struggle with pronounciation - just like I do with the French! Also, when someone says "English Point" for the most part everyone knows where that is, if they said "Dungeness headlands" lots of people would have to flick to their maps, zoom in and start scouring the map for it.

As for Broadstairs, Manston, Minster etc. - locals just call it Planet Thanet since there is a weird species of bi-ped there that no-one has yet figured out!

The main point being: as long as it is understood and assistance / interception can be actioned then surely it doesn't really matter what people call certain locations?
V

To be clear, you don't pronounce the G, its "ng" as in king or even tang: tangmeer

And please, I have an older sister who lives in Ramsgate, on Thanet Island. Biped, yes. Weird, no. Mind you she wasn't born there. She was born in Penge... just to close the circle :)

And I think it does matter what people call certain locations. Phuket can be a bit risky (that's foo-kett) ;)

...because some bloody Australian will come along a bastardise it anyway!!!!!! :)

...don't know about his mum m8, but I certainly did. Hahahah ... and you thought it was the bloody lager.

I don't care for mis-pronunciation by non-locals and non-English, even by English tbh because that happens up and down the country, but making up a name because you can't be bothered to look at a map and remember what it is called is just irritating, the sort of thing nursery kids do. Hearing this from Englishmen is just grating. Churchill confessed to being "the thickest boy in the school" but "a boy should know his English, if not I would flog him for it"

When America join the war in 2.5 years time maybe we can let them make places up, but until then they are in the RAF ;)

While researching a distant ancestor who hailed from Norwich, Norfolk I came across the Freinds Of Norfolk Dialect (F.O.N.D) - just brilliant. Then there's Cornish. I'm always intrigued by the diversity of dialect in countries like Britain or France cf NZ or Australia. (And, as a little diversion, here's something on Stonehenje. ;)

Cornish is a totally different language to English, it's not a dialect. This language is very similar to that of the people of Brittany (not French).

Being a Welshman Living in Norwich I can confirm it’s like a different language when talking to the locals! They also have confusing location names to highlight the ‘foreigners’ to their soil. Places like Happisburgh (Hayzbrugh), Wymondham (Windum) & Costessey (Cossey) all trip up the unwary to be ridiculed by the locals.

How far is it from Wooster to Worchester?

Answer: Not far.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-worcester.ogg

Dreamily spoken.

One more for the Guide as I had to listen to a squad insist on calling it le tookwet

Le Touquet = Letookay (or le 2k for the youngsters :-p)