ChatterBank0 min ago
England
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Re CJP's reply ha-bl**dy-ha. But, chimney, you might as well ask why is swan pronounced "swon"? The answer is, because it is. The name comes from the Angles, which shows up in the French for England - Angleterre. But Spain and Italy seem to follow our pronunciation, with Inglaterra and Inghilterra, respectively.
Is it pronunciation -- and by that I mean a local accent?
When I visit the British Isles, I hear ANG-lund, EEEng-lund, EYEng-lund, and then each of the above with "lahnd" (a short a instead of the short u sound).
The local accents in Britain are quite colorful, especially to an outsider's ear. Add to that the ethnic flavors and you have a wonderful mix.
(I have a question about accents that I think I will post separately.)