Flight cancellations and mispronunciation

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

yeah but British announcers need to drop that extra syllable they put in "Nicaragua"

What's the world coming don't they know its proper name is Gatport Airwick

[Lansbury 19]

Someone once asked me at Heathrow if I could tell them how to get to low-bon-go-lew-la. How they got that out of Loughborough I don't know but they did.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

my mispronunciation of Loughborough was a source of great amusement to my former colleagues.

I take your Loughborough and raise you Wilkes-Barre, PA or maybe the Susquehanna River

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

The question is: why would anyone want to get to Loughborough?

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

very true

I seem to remember some story in the daily mail or suchlike about a woman who asked for directions in Heathrow for "Turkey" and was put on a train to Torquay

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

very true

I seem to remember some story in the daily mail or suchlike about a woman who asked for directions in Heathrow for "Turkey" and was put on a train to Torquay

Ha, I remember that one too... but wasn't it the other way around? She was directed to Victoria Coach Station and got on a coach bound for Istanbul.... And then there was the couple who booked their honeymoon in Sydney... only to find out on arrival in Canada that they had been booked for Sydney, Nova Scotia.

[Nik+Heather 121]

Ha, I remember that one too... but wasn't it the other way around? She was directed to Victoria Coach Station and got on a coach bound for Istanbul.... And then there was the couple who booked their honeymoon in Sydney... only to find out on arrival in Canada that they had been booked for Sydney, Nova Scotia.

I hope it wasn't in the northern hemisphere winter with their bags full of beach wear! But for the right couple, that could be an adventure, huh?

Edited April 15, 2010 by Nik+Heather

[Gemmie 142]

With the Gatwick thing.. in MA, there's a town called "Natick" and I was pronouncing it as the Gatwick-soundalike ("Na-tik"). But then I found that the local Americans were saying it as "Nate-ick".

So maybe that's just how they pronounce those kinda words over here.

[Nik+Heather 121]

With the Gatwick thing.. in MA, there's a town called "Natick" and I was pronouncing it as the Gatwick-soundalike ("Na-tik"). But then I found that the local Americans were saying it as "Nate-ick".

So maybe that's just how they pronounce those kinda words over here.

No, I think it goes back to the two consonants thing. See, Gatwick has the tw between the a and i, but Natick has just the t....

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

An occasional mispronunciation is one thing. Not really knowing what the name of somewhere is, calling it whatever you like that sounds vaguely like the original name, and then making a map reflecting your ignorance, and indifference to your own ignorance, that mispronunciation becoming the official name of the place despite plenty of people who are still around and know the correct name ... well, that was done by a certain country I could mention.

Not that I'm bitter, you understand.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Don't hate because I can't say Dún Laoire properly

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

Don't hate because I can't say Dún Laoire properly

Dún Laoghaire survived with it's name intact - that's why you can't pronounce it

[Justine+David 218]

Oh my goodness, the flights are still all cancelled! I feel so lucky that I got out of here just two days before this happened.

Of course...it wouldn't be bad to be stuck with David but work would probably make me use all my vacation time!

[*julez* 124]

My husband was supposed to leave for the UK this Wednesday, with me following on Friday. Its not looking good for us at the moment. If his flight ends up canceled (most likely) then we have to move our trip. The real sadness is that my husband will miss his dad's 90th birthday, which is this Thursday, and the reason he was traveling a few days ahead of me. (Its hard to get a babysitter for the amount of days we'd be gone.) So, we're really depressed about the whole thing.

[Nik+Heather 121]

Just today have I started hearing the news people attempt this word....

"Eyjafjallajokull"