How do you pronounce Southwark? I am totally confused.

Taking a stab here:

SUTH'rk

or

SUTHurk

For midwestern (US) English speakers, I think that the first syllable rhymes with druther, mother or brother.

Best wishes,

Rex

Thanks. Is not the 'r' silent?

Okay. Confession. I don't know. The "L" is (essentially) silent in Suffolk, or Norfolk.

You know that old football game cheerleader's favorite from Norfolk, right?

We're the kids from Norfolk High

Norfolk
Norfolk

We don't smoke, we don't drink

Norfolk
Norfolk



Anyhow, I think that there is a trace of an audible "R" in Southwark.

i'd say suthick.

I had a guide take me on a walking tour of the area. She pronounced it Suthick. It confused me for a while because I thought she was saying Suffolk! It was an interesting tour, by the way.

No, there's no trace of an R or a W in Southwark-as-said. The last syllable's barely voiced, just enough to get you to the K. The first syllable rhymes with the first syllable in 'southerly'.

Bulwark, not that one often gets the opportunity to say it, is quite another matter.

English pronunciation, eh? It's how we confuse potential spies and terrorists..!

well done Rex for making a decent stab at it, but Patrick's right about the barely audible 'k'. BTW I work in Suth'k.

Yes the English do have some wonderful pronounciations. Launceston, Worcester, Gloucester, Cholmondoly, and lots more. Some great place names too - did anyone read Bill Bryson's "Notes On A Small Island" in which he lists a few of the more unusual ones (plus a few of his own invention I suspect!)

Patrick has pronunciation nailed, no real indication of the second syllable at all other than the K. The vowel in the first syllable is nearer to the vowel in MUD than the usual pronunciation of SOUTH.

Lots to see in Southwark... Cathedral, Globe Theatre, one of the replicas of the Golden Hinde...

<<The vowel in the first syllable is nearer to the vowel in MUD>>

I guess that'w why I specified to midwestern (US) English speakers - - as I am not qualified to compare pronunciations for folks from Vancouver, Savannah, Brooklyn, Christchurch or Belfast - - to my ears, the following words have that same (first) vowel: mud, druther, mother, brother - - AND southerly (or southern).

Yup. That aspect of your pronunciation was correct. I guess I was joining correct pronunciation of both first and last syllable in one post.

Krish
What are you intending to visit in Southwark? It's a nice area to wonder around...

Thanks for all the responses. As it is I have a thick Indian accent and I don't want to confound my listeners by mis-pronouncing words. I intend to viist the Southwark Cathedral- and of course the Globe - in October. I am now hopeful that I will not be identified a terrorist ( the first Hindu terrorist?) by the Londoners!

Kish:

I'm sure your last remark was a joke.

But one of the few jokes that rarely go down well in London.

We obviously don't suspect all foreigners of terrorism: we're perfectly capable of producing ample numbers of terrorists from people born here.

But the nuances of South Asia's ethnic complexities are live issues here. Especially among the hundreds of thousands of Londoners - especially Sikhs and Punjabi or Kashmiri Muslims -who see themselves or their family as victims of Hindu oppression.

Many of whom - rightly or wrongly - believe there really is such a thing as a "Hindu terrorist"

Make all the jokes you like about the Royal Family (either the hereditary one or the ghastly semi-elected one), the Anglican Church, the Pope, our trains or the US President. But steer clear of anything that even hints at the Subcontinent's ethnic and religious tensions.

Because, as you'll see the instant you get off the plane, in London South Asia is not a distant exotic land.

Incidentally, with a thick Indian accent, most people will think you're a doctor.

My remark was made in jest in response to an earlier post. I am quite familiar with the ethnic profiles - and sensitivities - of South Asian Londoners.
Thanks for your kindly advice.

Well, just to touch on another potential ethnic tension, let me just confuse twoflower by remarking that Tasmanians pronounce their Launceston as it reads, rather than the English way. As would the rest of Australia, insofar as they take any notice of Tasmanians at all.