Pronunciation of St Briavels (General)

by peteressex , Monday, May 28, 2012, 07:26 (4565 days ago) @ Jefff

Definitely Bre-valls/Brevells. I remember my Lydney grandparents correcting me in the 1950s when I, a London curiosity and fool, said "Br-eye-a-vels."

I also agree about the distinct "land" rather than "lund" in "Newland" and can also recall my grandfather's pronunciation "Roo-ar-dean" for Ruardean rather than "Rur-dean" (which might be attributable to the old spelling "Rewardine") and a fairly distinct "ford" rather than "ferd" in Coleford and Cinderford, "wall" in Milkwall, and "well" in Clearwell, and, further afield, "Boorton", never "Burton", -on-the-Water and -on-the-Hill. However, we seem to have been spared a "ham" in Newnham.

Local accents, brogues, burrs, twangs, or whatever you want to call them, are a great national treasure but diminishing with global broadcasting and, sometimes, a desire to sound educated. I shall refrain from identifying a few people I know who nowadays only become Forest boys after a few pints.

Arising from this, I think I've seen somewhere a reference to a compendium of Forest words. Can anyone point me to it, please? I can remember plimsolls being called "pumps" and that when I misbehaved I was a "young varmint" which, without undue self-deprecation, I assume was a variant of "vermin."