Place Names Most Mispronounced By Holidaymakers
Many of us try to get our tongues around some of the local lingo whilst on holiday. But even when we think we've nailed "hello" or "thank you", we often inspire only confused looks from the natives – because we don't pronounce the words correctly.
The situation can be equally challenging when pronouncing place names, as a recent book called Sounds Interesting - Observations on English and General Phonetics (a mouthful in itself) reveals.
The book's author, Professor John Wells, told Mail Online Travel: "The problems derive mainly from the opaqueness of English spelling, which does not enable us to predict pronunciation with any certainty, and also from people's disinclination to study foreign languages."
Bangkok, Thailand
Thai is a tricky tonal language to get the hang of in general, but there are some tourist hot spot names that cause us Brits real trouble. The country's capital, Bangkok, is in fact pronounced "Bahng-gawk" by locals. However, it is really a name used by foreigners; Thais call Bangkok "Krung Thep Maha Nakhon" – which is even harder to say!
Phuket, Thailand
The Thai island of Phuket might inspire all manner of 'blue' pronunciations, but the closest we might get to the local reproduction is "pu-get".
Oaxaca, Mexico
The pronunciation of this city could be anyone's guess, but the locals actually go with "wah-ha-ca". Who'd have thunk?
Worcestershire
Closer to home we have Worcestershire, a name that even some Brits have trouble with. Go with "woosta-sheer" to blend in with the locals.
Bicester
Another 'cester' here. Take out the 'ce' and you have the correct pronunciation – 'biss-ter".
Learning some words and phrases in the language of our destination countries can add to the fun of going away, but there's no denying that pronunciation can be an issue. For instance the Thai word 'ma' can be said in three different tones, meaning three completely different things!
What words or place names in foreign languages give you the most trouble?
Getting Covered
Sadly, there's no insurance against the mishaps that could arise when words aren't pronounced properly – such as ending up in the wrong town because you mispronounced a place name, or accidentally insulting your host! But thankfully you can get cover for cancellations, delays, lost baggage, theft and illness – among other unwanted events.