How Not To End Up In The Wrong Place
British people holidaying on Europe are a bit stuck when it comes to languages. Ideally, you’d learn some basic words and phrases to get along in a foreign country but your efforts are often met with an answer in English….so many Europeans now have an excellent grasp of English, which luckily for you Brits, has been adopted as the common language.
Of course in some cases, using the local language to the best of one’s ability is considered courteous and is often met with an appreciative reception from the locals. However cringe-worthy your attempts at Spanish or French, you should at least be able to pronounce the name of the place you are visiting.
The mis-pronunciation of place names, be it country, town or city happens worldwide. Here are some of the most common mispronunciations…
Marbella Spain
A favourite summer holiday destination for Brits, Marbella is located on the southern coast and is perfect for those looking to soak up some sun. It has a bit of mixed reputation as a typical package holiday destination, and you’ll often hear it referred to as mar-bell-a’ (as in a church bell). The correct pronunciation is Mar-bey-a.
Cairns Australia
Australia has plenty of oddly named places (‘Wagga Wagga’ anyone?) but it seems nothing is more difficult to pronounce than Cairns. Located in tropical north Queensland, North-Eastern Australia, Cairns is bustling city that is often used as a base by those wanting to dive the Great Barrier Reef. Commonly referred to as ‘Cans’ ‘Carns’ or even ‘Carins’. Correct pronunciation: ‘Care-ns.’
Phuket Thiland
This idyllic holiday location and buzzing party town is one of the popular in south-east Asia, it even has its own airline, all the more important to pronounce it correctly then, so it doesn’t sound like one is merely cursing under their breath. Correct pronunciation is Phoo-get.
New Foundland, Canada
This large, sparsely populated territory in North-eastern Canada is the case of dialectical dispute not because of incorrect pronunciations as such, but the emphasis put on particular parts of the name. Apparently, ‘New-FOUND-land’ is a faux pas! Correct pronunciation: New-fund-LAND.
Baja-California, Mexico
This long peninsula in Northwest Mexico has two parts to its name, one is more than familiar, while the other, ‘Baja’ is often mispronounced by those not familiar with Hispanic languages. In Spanish ‘j’ is an ‘h’ sound, making the…correct pronunciation: Baha California.
Leicester UK
Let’s look at a British place name that overseas visitors struggle to get their head around. In fairness the spelling of Leicester is perplexing! Leicester is located in the East-Midlands and it’s home to Walkers crisps and the British space exploration efforts. Correct Pronunciation: Les-ter.
New Orleans, USA
One of the most interesting cities in the U.S is New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina 2005. Its roots are based in French and Spanish culture, creating a veritable melting pot of fascinating architecture, spicy food and bluegrass jazz music. So to pronounce it properly – you would say Naw-lins.
Joe is a travel blogger and linguistic therapist. When he gets on his Thailand holidays next year he’s going to make sure he plans a trip to Wagga Wagga!
