dawes (12/17/82)
On the subject of unexpected pronunciations of place-names in England, may I offer the following (from "The Lure of the Limerick" by W. S. Baring-Gould) There was a young fellow from Salisbury Whose manners were quite halisbury-scalisbury He wandered 'round Hampshire Without any pampshire 'Til the parson compelled him to walisbury. (Hint - the denizens of Salisbury and Hampshire pronounce those words "Sarum" and "Hants")