The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #157196   Message #3708502
Posted By: Steve Gardham
12-May-15 - 04:45 PM
Thread Name: Folklore: Local place names - local pronunciation
Subject: RE: Folklore: Local place names - local pronunciation
Burgh/brough/borough (the berg/borg of Scandinavia) have lots of spellings and pronunciations. The most common pronunciation is 'burra' regardless of spelling, but American tourists give us some interesting variations like 'borrow'.
Locally we have Middlesbrough, Scarborough, Flamborough, all 'burras' like Edinburgh but Brough is pronounced 'Bruff'. If the Brough comes at the beginning as in 'Broughton' it's pronounced Braw.

Wicks invariably drop the w
Alnwick=Annik
Beswick=Bezzik
Warwick=Worrik
Kilnwick=Killik