Pronouncing location names - awkward...

[dazza 38]

We spent a day or so in Hokitika once. The tourist information said it was pronounced Hook Tikka, so we proudly used the word for the whole stay, then when leaving the town in the car heard the local radio station jock sau "And now the local news from Hokytikka."

Nice place

 

 

[dazza 38]

Te anau in NZ seems to have different pronunciations.

 

 

[kaz3g]

Half way to Alice from Tennant.

 

Just me and the dog.

 

Engine starts running a little rough, fiddle with mixture, a little perturbed.

 

Engine starts running rougher, positively nervous.

 

Look at Sturt Highway in distance with road trains and caravans.

 

Big, long, black runway.

 

Think about the media.

 

Think about CASA.

 

Call MELB CENTRE

 

Kaz..."Centre, Auster BYM, g'day. Climbing through 6000 for 7500 if possible 160 miles north Alice abeam highway. Engine problems."

 

Long pause....then lady controller responds

 

Centre.."BYM, how many POB?"

 

Kaz..."one person, one dog, BYM"

 

Centre..."is that two pob?"

 

Kaz...Negative. One person, one dog. BYM

 

Centre (concern apparent) .."Is the dog alright?""........

 

I made it back to Alice where the LAME guys discovered a cracked insulator on a top plug. The dog was fine, although a bit pissed off with me for panicking.

 

And I have a permit from CASA to take her in the Aeroplane which I think I paid $160 for just to be legal.

 

Kaz

 

 

[ben87r]

Merv. That just made my day!!!

 

 

[Downunder]

[zenonie]

Oh yeah, it's all so funny the first time around! Just try listening, for the thousandth time, to some idiot mangling your local towns name, It all gets pretty boring. AND we are supposed to find it amusing. How hard is it to sound out and say Thar - go - min - dah ? Or Cunn - a -mulla? We had a dill here recently who wanted to paddle down the Darling River but couldn't remember or pronounce half of the place names along it. But I forget that there are a hell of a lot of people out there these days who really cannot read or write or spell very well at all! It doesn't hurt to do a little research before you head off into the big blue just so you don't look particularly stupid when you get there. Excuse me, but we did have some trying people visiting towards the end of our season! And Kilcowera is Kil - cow - ra.

 

Love mozarts yarn about the Bantam and the chicken - too cute!

 

 

[ayavner]

is that what comes after the 15 minutes of charm?

 

 

[facthunter]

Canowindra gets them too. Newcassel ( like hassel .It's new Carsell. remember "I'm the King of the Carrsel land YOU are the dirty rarssell" Nev

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Castlemaine in Vic is Casselmain to the locals. I've started saying it myself.

 

 

[red750]

I like Arnold Schwatzenegger's "Varga Varga" for Wagga Wagga in those TV commercials. Or the American's attempts at Woolloomooloo or Mooloolaba.

 

But how many Aussies can't pronounce Goonoo Goonoo (pronounced Gunna Gunnoo)?

 

 

[facthunter]

Whatever the locals call it is usually the place to start. (Unless a whole new lot of blow ins have taken over and then any barbarianism is possible). Nev

 

 

[ayavner]

In the US, the largest city in Texas is Houston - pronounced "Hew-stun". Over east in Georgia, there is a town called Houston - pronounced "House-ton". go figure!!

 

one thing is for sure, i'll never forget chew-mutt after this thread!!

 

 

[2tonne]

And in Victoria we have Colac, which is pronounced "Cole-ack". But, then also in Vic there is Colac Colac, which is pronounced more like "Clack Clack".

 

 

[kgwilson]

It seems like half the aerodromes in NZ have Maori names that most foreigners have the utmost difficulty in pronouncing, even the larger ones like Whangarei, Whanganui, & of course the alternate airport for Wellington, Paraparaumu. Generally if you pronounce them as they look you will be understood, although you may get some muffled laughter from the other end.

 

The worst seemed to be foreign students who had a hard enough time being able to pronounce English and be understood. Then you throw Maori aerodrome names at them which often had absolutely hilarious results. Other than the hilarity it was often not pleasant to be in the same controlled airspace as a foreign student as you could not understand their calls. It frustrated the hell out of the controllers as well.

 

 

[pmccarthy]

If they are Pakistani students they might be sent to Waikikapaki by the controller.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Wonder what they use the 160 bucks for the ripoff permit?

 

 

[Yenn]

There used to be a racing yacht Waikikamucow. Seriously there are some impossible names. Why is Talangatta pronounced differently ftom Wangarata, both in Victoria and how do victorians pronounce Coolangatta. Probably Calan gatta

 

 

[turboplanner]

Same as Wangaratta

 

 

[facthunter]

Cool an (hotta) gatta, for all the time I've known it. Nev

 

 

[planedriver]

I've heard some very strange pronounciations in the Bankstown area from overseas students as well, over the years.

 

Always wondered how the poor buggers in the tower were able to make the right decisions?

 

Maybe they train overseas too.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Y'know what I miss most since I left Australia in 1982 ? ? ? ? ? ?

 

You got it. . . . .THE PLACE NAMES. ( apart from that young lady I met from J' Ril Der Ree whilst working near Coo Na Barra Bran . . . but that's a different story. . .)

 

OK, I guess NZ can claim some interesting ones too, but Australia is BIGGER so has more of 'em, and they're a lot more varied and interesting in their pronunciation requirements. . . .

 

On a similar tack, I got caught out oop North in the UK a few years ago whilst working London Information ( Flight Service ) I was overflying a place called FEATHERSTONEHAUGH . . . . I pronounced it Featherstone Haw, Featherstone Hoff, FeatherStonnoff, Featherstone howg, and finally, the Loninfo FSO guy saved me when he said, AAAhhh, you mean . . . . . . .FANSHAW. . . . . . ? I give up.

 

 

[eightyknots]

Y'know what I miss most since I left Australia in 1982 ? ? ? ? ? ?You got it. . . . .THE PLACE NAMES. ( apart from that young lady I met from J' Ril Der Ree whilst working near Coo Na Barra Bran . . . but that's a different story. . .)

 

OK, I guess NZ can claim some interesting ones too, but Australia is BIGGER so has more of 'em, and they're a lot more varied and interesting in their pronunciation requirements. . . .

 

On a similar tack, I got caught out oop North in the UK a few years ago whilst working London Information ( Flight Service ) I was overflying a place called FEATHERSTONEHAUGH . . . . I pronounced it Featherstone Haw, Featherstone Hoff, FeatherStonnoff, Featherstone howg, and finally, the Loninfo FSO guy saved me when he said, AAAhhh, you mean . . . . . . .FANSHAW. . . . . . ? I give up.

That's crazy.

 

 

[facthunter]

No.. It's Fanshaw. Nev

 

 

[Peter008]

That is the sirname of a mate of mine - He pronounces it Feather-stone-heu.

 

 

[Yenn]

Britain must be the most varied for names. I used to live near Sloley and also Runham swim. Wymondham pronounced windham. Happisburgh and Mundelsley, hayesborough and mundsley.