Polmadie Pronunciation

[Andy Kirkham 2,386]

I've never known where the emphasis should go. Is it polMADDY or pol-muh-DEE?

 

I guess it might also be polMAIDY, but I simply can't imagine that spoken in a Glaswegian accent.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Andy Kirkham

[LMS2968 2,183]

I've always used the second pronunciation as I heard it on BR. But Edge Hill had few diagrams to Glasgow and Scousers have our own ways of pronunciation anyway!

[Legend 5,432]

I come from Paisley, near Glasgow and I dunno , but Id say Pol- Mad - Dee

[sulzer27jd 1,470]

The second is closer but Pol-ma-dee.

[DavidCBroad 1,803]

I always feel the Scots emphasise the second syllable so logically pol -Ma -Dee.   as in Glas -Gie but I've heard Mallaig called Mallig and Mull-Gai. Your all just rubbing salt in the wound of my not being able to go to Scotland this June after 33 years of summer solstice period holidays in the He - Lunds.

[melmerby 14,142]

8 minutes ago, DavidCBroad said:

I always feel the Scots emphasise the second syllable so logically pol -Ma -Dee.   as in Glas -Gie but I've heard Mallaig called Mallig and Mull-Gai. Your all just rubbing salt in the wound of my not being able to go to Scotland this June after 33 years of summer solstice period holidays in the He - Lunds.

I thought Milngavie was Mull-Gai?

[Bon Accord 1,857]

13 minutes ago, DavidCBroad said:

I always feel the Scots emphasise the second syllable so logically pol -Ma -Dee.   as in Glas -Gie but I've heard Mallaig called Mallig and Mull-Gai. Your all just rubbing salt in the wound of my not being able to go to Scotland this June after 33 years of summer solstice period holidays in the He - Lunds.

 

Mal-lig is the correct pronunciation, Mal-laig is generally only used by those from points south.

[benachie 133]

The name was originally 3 Gaelic words - the pool of the Son of God - so, logically each syllable has equal prominence.   In practice, the "ma" has slightly less emphasis.

Alan

[ejstubbs 1,573]

Wiki says primary stress on the final syllable.  Overall, the evidence does seem to suggest that "polmaddy" isn't correct, though I've heard it said that way.

Edited July 15, 2020 by ejstubbs

[caradoc 4,752]

During the 32 years of my railway career spent in Scotland I always said pol-muh-DEE, albeit in an English accent, and no-one ever corrected me !

[Eddie R v2.0 1,925]

Another one that rips my knitting is Tyndrum. It’s meant to be pronounced Tyne-drum rather than Tin-drum as those not local to Argyll tend to use. 
 

As for Polmadie, I’ve always used pol-mah-dee-was told that was correct to one of our retired drivers who used to be based there! 

[TheQ 59,153]

Poll Mac Dè was always pronounced Pol-ma-de at the SRPS Bo'ness.

2 hours ago, Bon Accord said:

 

Mal-lig is the correct pronunciation, Mal-laig is generally only used by those from points south.

Actually  sandy Bay, or Mel Vik in Old Norse, in Gaidhlig is pronounced more like Mal lik as ending "G"s often are in Gaidhlig

 However AI is much more random and seems to change from word to word, I can't get my brain around whether it's An A, Ai , or  I in the Gaelic. 

Edited July 15, 2020 by TheQ

[Ohmisterporter 4,361]

Speaking of Gaelic, should it be pronounced Gay-lick or Ga-lick? I hear both versions used by Scots.

 

Edited July 15, 2020 by Ohmisterporter

[burgundy 2,678]

As a native Gaelic speaker, my mother always said Ga-lic - with a long, soft "a". 

Best wishes

Eric 

[TheQ 59,153]

Ga lik is the closest I can type, as the Gaels would say it.    that's ga not garh .

 

Of course the Gaels are not Scots...

 

 

[ejstubbs 1,573]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

Actually  sandy Bay, or Mel Vik in Old Norse

 

As also in Melvich in Sutherland (it's on the NC500 if you're in to that sort of thing).

 

I would tentatively suggest that Melvich has rather more of a sandy bay then Mallaig does (these days - maybe it was more attractive before the railway turned it in to a commercial harbour).

 

Actually, the Wiki article for both places has "mel vik" as "sand dune bay".  There are certainly dunes at Melvich - I've walked through them!

 

Edited July 15, 2020 by ejstubbs

[TheQ 59,153]

2 minutes ago, ejstubbs said:

 

As also in Melvich in Sutherland (it's on the NC500 if you're in to that sort of thing).

 

I would tentatively suggest that Melvich has rather more of a sandy bay then Mallaig does (these days - maybe it was more attractive before the railway turned it in to a commercial harbour).

Sailed past it, didn't stop, it was a bit windy, we put into Scrabster for sail repairs...

Edited July 15, 2020 by TheQ

[ardbealach 962]

Polmadie - as Legend says is pronounced "Pol -Ma -Dee"  - as spoken by the locals.   But it needs to be said in the right rhythym - as in the rhythym "Dum dee Dum".     No emphasis on any syllable.  Just "Pol- Ma- Dee".                                                 

 

Another local pronunciation by the locals is the first station over the border going south on the West Coast Main Line.  It is pronounced "Kir - Lyle"  with the emphasis on the second syllable. (AM)

 

 

 

[Steamport Southport 11,119]

It's pronounced Sixty Six A....   

 

 

I would just go with the way it's spelt and you would get away with it - Pol Mad E or Pol Ma Dee (saying them quick sounds similar). It seems some Scots agree. So that would be good enough for me. 

 

 

It can sometimes be a bit patronising to the locals when "foreigners" start using local pronunciations and accents though. You don't go to Newcastle and start saying "I'm gannin' doon t' Toon", do you? You say I'm going to town.

 

 

Or 27A if you have an LMS leaning. but that's more associated with Bank Hall now.

 

 

 

Jason

[flubrush 280]

7 hours ago, DavidCBroad said:

I always feel the Scots emphasise the second syllable so logically pol -Ma -Dee.   as in Glas -Gie but I've heard Mallaig called Mallig and Mull-Gai.

 

As someone born in Glasgow and brought up on Clydeside, my recollection is that the city was never called "Glas-Gie" in local dialect,  but "Glesga" with equal weight on both syllables.   Edinburgh was called "Embra". :-)

 

https://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glesga

 

Jim

Edited July 15, 2020 by flubrush

[luckymucklebackit 9,032]

5 hours ago, melmerby said:

I thought Milngavie was Mull-Gai?

 

Not unless you are one of those posh folk who pronounce it Mill-Guy and think sex is what you take the rubbish out to the midding.

 

You could always tell folk from the village that I used to stay in, they pronounced it Eagles-ham, the outsiders called it Eagle-sham.

 

Jim

[Luke Piewalker 200]

And we haven't got to Strathaven or Athelstaneford yet...

[keefer 2,176]

As Victoria Wood once said 'all Scottish place names are spelled Ecclefechan and pronounced Kirkcudbright' 

[Luke Piewalker 200]

Ecclefechan isn't really that hard... I've never understood why radio traffic reporters have such trouble with it.

[westie7 267]

Pol mah Dee.

 

And don't get me startd on some of the announcements at Glasgow Queen St.

 

Aaargh