英语里很多地名常常跟直觉里的读音不同。一起来看一看这类有迷惑性的地名吧。

❶

以ham结尾的地名

规则：字母h通常不发音

 

伯明翰

Birmingham

['bərmiŋəm]

Birmingham is the second-largest city and metropolitan¹ area in England and the United Kingdom.

伯明翰是英格兰和英国的第二大城市和大都会区。

 

诺丁汉

Nottingham

['nɔtiŋəm]

On December 11, 2015, Nottingham was named a "City of Literature" by UNESCO, joining Dublin, Edinburgh, Melbourne and Prague as one of only a handful in the world.

2015年12月11日，诺丁汉被联合国教科文组织命名为“文学之都”。此外，获得这一称号的还有都柏林、爱丁堡、墨尔本和布拉格。

 

Queen Elizabeth II looks at portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert by Louis Haghe, part of the exhibition to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria, at Buckingham Palace in London on Wednesday. [Photo/Agencies]

白金汉宫

Buckingham

['bʌkiŋəm]

Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative² headquarters of the monarchy³ of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the center of state occasions and royal hospitality.

白金汉宫是英国国王位于伦敦的住所和办公场所。宫殿坐落于威斯敏斯特，是国家庆典和王室欢迎仪式举行场地。

 

考考大家，Beckham的发音还是“贝克汉姆”吗？

答案：[ˈbekəm]

 

❷

以wich、wick、wark结尾的地名

规则：字母w通常不发音

 

格林威治

Greenwich

['ɡrinidʒ]

 

Greenwich is notable for its maritime⁴ history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian⁵ (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time.

格林尼治有着悠久的海事历史，也因本初子午线（0°经线），以及格林尼治时间以其命名而闻名于世。

 

华威大学

University of Warwick

['wɔrik]

The University of Warwick is one of the UK’s leading universities: globally connected, forward-looking and entrepreneurial.

华威大学是一所英国名校。它与世界紧密相连，具有前瞻性和企业家精神。

 

Quiz：伦敦市中心与威斯敏斯特市（Westminster）隔泰晤士河相望的自治市南岸（Southwark）该怎么读？

 

南岸

Southwark

答案：['sʌðək]

 

❸

无规则

 

爱丁堡

Edinburgh

['edinbərə]

 

Before J.K. Rowling made her fortune with the Harry⁶ Potter books, J.K. Rowling would seek refuge from the cold and write her early manuscripts in Edinburgh's warm and welcoming cafés. The most notable is The Elephant House on George IV Bridge.

在《哈利·波特》为罗琳带来巨大收益之前，她经常在爱丁堡温暖的咖啡馆中躲避寒冷，完成早期的手稿。而最著名的是乔治四世桥街上的大象咖啡馆。

 

圣何塞

San Jose

[ˌsænhəʊ'zeɪ]

也有许多外国网友在美版知乎Quora发问：Why is San Jose pronounced as San Hose?

一条高赞评论这样解释：San Jose这座城市是用西班牙语命名的，而西语中，字母J的发音类似[h]。

所以，周杰伦新歌Mojito的发音并不是“莫吉托”，而是[məˈhiːtəʊ]。

 

伊利诺伊

Illinois

[ˌɪlɪ'nɔɪ]

Illinois isn't the version of the name; rather, it is the French pronunciation of the original word. The word Illinois is derived⁷ from the Native American word 'iliniwok' or 'illiniwek', which literally⁸ means 'best people'.

Illinois并非这座城市本来的名字，而是来自该原始单词的法语发音。该词源于美洲土著语中的“iliniwok”或“illiniwek”，字面意思是“最好的人”。

点击收听单词发音