A small questionm of pronunciation....

[Chris Scott]

To settle a small and insignificant point of dispute between myself and a friend, what is the accepted pronunciation of LEMAN Street?
Is is pronounced the same the fruit, i.e. Lemon Street or
Is it pronunced so as to rhyme with "freeman"?
£5 rests on the answer!!!

[Debra A]

To settle a small and insignificant point of dispute between myself and a friend, what is the accepted pronunciation of LEMAN Street?
Is is pronounced the same the fruit, i.e. Lemon Street or
Is it pronunced so as to rhyme with "freeman"?
£5 rests on the answer!!!

Hi Chris,
I'd go with 'rhymes with Freeman', simply because I have neighbours with Leman as a surname and that's how they pronounce it.

[Lechmere]

Yes it is like freeman
With a short a - not a drawn out a in man.
Perhaps Leemun is the best
I can't think of a good example of the mun or man bit.
Maybe as in Munchausen - a short un - provided it's not pronounce as 'Moonchausen'!
Perhaps it is most like Boatswain which is pronounced bos'n
Where's my fiver?

[DGB]

Prehaps further muddying the waters, I say 'layman'.

But that may be pretentiousness, of pronouncing it like the Lake.

I defo wouldn't expect it to be like the fruit.

[Monty]

To settle a small and insignificant point of dispute between myself and a friend, what is the accepted pronunciation of LEMAN Street?
Is is pronounced the same the fruit, i.e. Lemon Street or
Is it pronunced so as to rhyme with "freeman"?
£5 rests on the answer!!!

Hi Chris,

I was on a training course with an Inspector who worked at Leman Street during the time of the Krays in the 60s.

He pronounced it 'Lemon Street'.

Hope that wins you a fiver.

Monty

[Debra A]

It's an even split on Forvo

http://www.forvo.com/word/leman_street/#en

The guy who worked there probably would know best though.

[Debra A]

I'm still stuck on Abberline.

...I thought it was like Maybeline...Vaseline?
I've been told it's Abber LINE and not Abber LEAN but I still struggle with it.

[Jon Guy]

I pronounce it as Throat wobbler mangrove.

[Lechmere]

Yes it's Aberline
And locals don't pronounce Leman Street as Lemon Street
It is definately Leem'n
Lee as in general Lee
The short ending 'n as in Boatswain (bos'n)

[Lechmere]

It's Aberline

I have never heard a local refer to it as Lemon Street.
It is always rendered Leem'n

Lee as in General Lee
The short 'n as in Boatswain - Bos'n.

[Fisherman]

How about "Mizen", then? Short I, like in "bit" or long, like in "mile"? Im confused by the different spellings of the man´s name, and always believed it to be a short "i", but realize that I may have to rethink it.

Anyone?

The best,
Fisherman

[Monty]

Yes it's Aberline
And locals don't pronounce Leman Street as Lemon Street
It is definately Leem'n
Lee as in general Lee
The short ending 'n as in Boatswain (bos'n)

As this guy was Bethnal Green born and bred, and worked there, you may want to tell him that.

Monty

[Jon Guy]

The Old Bailey Online is a good way to checkout pronounciations, Christer.

Fred Weir H180 refer`s to his colleague Mizen as "Missen".

Regarding Leman St - there are a number of references post 1726 which refer to Leman St as Lemon St:
eg. John Cordingly in 1726 refers to Goodmans Fields. Lemon St

[Fisherman]

Jon:

"The Old Bailey Online is a good way to checkout pronounciations, Christer.
Fred Weir H180 refer`s to his colleague Mizen as "Missen".

Seems like I´ve been on dry land all along, then. The reason I asked was because I noticed that some paper had him down as "Maizen", and that spelt another language. But "Missen" it is, then!
Many thanks, Jon!

The best,
Fisherman

[Chris Scott]

I'm still stuck on Abberline.

...I thought it was like Maybeline...Vaseline?
I've been told it's Abber LINE and not Abber LEAN but I still struggle with it.

I laughed so much when I read this I nearly had an accident! You have planted that image in my head - for me he will now forever be Inspector Vaseline.
Chris