Ask an Englishman

[Marka Ragnos]

My questions about being English and Englishness and England never seem to stop. It's like a chronic disease. Instead of my cluttering up the General Chat with the same kind of questions, I'm proposing a contained spot where people interested might pose stupid questions that English people, especially, might have answers for. No need to take any of this seriously, of course.

[Marka Ragnos]

Here's one I've been wanting to ask for ages. When an English person uses "Soton" for Southampton, am I hearing more than two syllables being pronounced? Recently I heard an Englisjhman say "Soton," and I swear, he seemed to make the first syllable "Sot" into at least two distinct syllables -- SAH-OT then TON. What's going on here?

[TDR V2]

2 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Here's one I've been wanting to ask for ages. When an English person uses "Soton" for Southampton, am I hearing more than two syllables being pronounced? Recently I heard an Englisjhman say "Soton," and I swear, he seemed to make the first syllable "Sot" into at least two distinct syllables -- SAH-OT then TON. What's going on here?

It's the same as Hants for Hampshire, or Northants for Northamptonshire, or Berks for Berkshire and many many more (in my head anyway).

When I used Soton in my old job it was with two syllables.

 

[Seat68]

8 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Here's one I've been wanting to ask for ages. When an English person uses "Soton" for Southampton, am I hearing more than two syllables being pronounced? Recently I heard an Englisjhman say "Soton," and I swear, he seemed to make the first syllable "Sot" into at least two distinct syllables -- SAH-OT then TON. What's going on here?

For me (54, male, Stafford) it's sew-ton

[bielesibub]

5 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Here's one I've been wanting to ask for ages. When an English person uses "Soton" for Southampton, am I hearing more than two syllables being pronounced? Recently I heard an Englisjhman say "Soton," and I swear, he seemed to make the first syllable "Sot" into at least two distinct syllables -- SAH-OT then TON. What's going on here?

I've lived between Southampton and Portsmouth (Pompey) since 1994, I don't think I've ever heard anyone call Southampton, Soton, I've seen it abbreviated in text as such, but never said. I call Southampton Scumpton, but thats my marital allegiances towards Pompey shining through.

[Marka Ragnos]

8 minutes ago, bielesibub said:

I've lived between Southampton and Portsmouth (Pompey) since 1994, I don't think I've ever heard anyone call Southampton, Soton, I've seen it abbreviated in text as such, but never said. I call Southampton Scumpton, but thats my marital allegiances towards Pompey shining through.

This is clarifying! So it's a written but never spoke abbreviation. Interesting. Maybe the person I was hearing is a bit of a mumbler, and I'd simply mistaken his mumbling pronunciation to the use of "Soton."

[Jenko#4]

I’ve never heard anyone call it Soton before either. I always thought it was just a shortened version in written form, rather than spoken language. 
 

Also, why is there no ‘Noton’? I know the county of Northamptonshire is shortened to Northants, but what about the town of Northampton? 
 

Also, again. Is the Hampton that Northampton is north of, and Southampton south of, Hampton-in-Arden, or another Hampton? 

[sidcow]

37 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Here's one I've been wanting to ask for ages. When an English person uses "Soton" for Southampton, am I hearing more than two syllables being pronounced? Recently I heard an Englisjhman say "Soton," and I swear, he seemed to make the first syllable "Sot" into at least two distinct syllables -- SAH-OT then TON. What's going on here?

I've never heard anyone actually SAY Soto. Written abbreviation yes, but you'd just actually say Southampton in my experience. 

And don't put tea in the popty ping you. 

Edited November 22 by sidcow

[bickster]

1 hour ago, Marka Ragnos said:

My questions about being English and Englishness and England never seem to stop. It's like a chronic disease. Instead of my cluttering up the General Chat with the same kind of questions, I'm proposing a contained spot where people interested might pose stupid questions that English people, especially, might have answers for. No need to take any of this seriously, of course.

you really need to go on Threads, its absolutely rammed with US/UK stupid questions

[Risso]

1 hour ago, Jenko#4 said:

 
 

Also, why is there no ‘Noton’? I know the county of Northamptonshire is shortened to Northants, but what about the town of Northampton? 
 

 

It’s known locally as ‘Shithole’. Pronounced Sh-toe-lee.

[sidcow]

I got tempted to watch a YouTube video about Americans trying British Chocolate. Just 1 video, one time and now I've got a deluge of "Americans try this" videos. Pisses me off no end. 

[icouldtelltheworld]

1 hour ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Here's one I've been wanting to ask for ages. When an English person uses "Soton" for Southampton, am I hearing more than two syllables being pronounced? Recently I heard an Englisjhman say "Soton," and I swear, he seemed to make the first syllable "Sot" into at least two distinct syllables -- SAH-OT then TON. What's going on here?

I don't think I've ever heard anyone actually say 'Soton' out loud, always assumed it just functioned as a shortened version of Southampton 

[rjw63]

1 minute ago, icouldtelltheworld said:

I don't think I've ever heard anyone actually say 'Soton' out loud, always assumed it just functioned as a shortened version of Southampton 

Same, I've never said it or heard anyone else say it.

[sidcow]

Before you ask, yes I do live in a castle. 

[GarethRDR]

1 hour ago, bielesibub said:

I've lived between Southampton and Portsmouth (Pompey) since 1994, I don't think I've ever heard anyone call Southampton, Soton, I've seen it abbreviated in text as such, but never said.

This. I'm down the road from Soton, go there plenty and I've never called it anything other than shithole. Which is two syllables, to be fair.

Edited November 22 by GarethRDR

[GarethRDR]

Ha, I hadn't even seen @Risso's post when I wrote that.

[GarethRDR]

Tangentially related, I coined the term "Hantsplain" the other day whilst informing a colleague that Hook isn't in Basingstoke and that anyone from Basingstoke hearing that would laugh and anyone from Hook hearing that would probably get upset.

Edited November 22 by GarethRDR

[GarethRDR]

I've got a question for my fellow countrymen; I am, in reality, relatively indifferent to the French. Does this make me an outlier / national traitor?

[MNVillan]

Can someone explain to me why English people like brown sauce? It’s terrible

[bickster]

I see all the I live "just outside" Southampton people are outing themselves

Its a cultural desert, it makes Portsmouth look like a multicultural utopia, it is the Nice biscuit of British cities, we need to build a wall around it it, to keep the beige in,. The only  thing right about the place is the name which is olde English for Erectile Disfunction (Sammy Hagar knows this to be true), it is the English capital of cruising... the boast about it... go figure!

We could solve the prison crisis by sentencing many criminals to periods of Southampton, you know the lesser crimes where you want people to have plenty of time to reflect on what they did but still be able to go to the shop for a packet of unsalted crisps

Yeah, the SIL lives there