*Very* OT pronunciation help, please!

[bboyminn]

---  "bboyminn" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:
>
> ---  "geoff_bannister" <gbannister10@> wrote:
> >
> > ---  "cubfanbudwoman" <susiequsie23@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hello, from a too-long lurker.
> > > 
> > > ...
> > > 
> > > So here's my pronunciation question, re: former DCFC manager Brian Clough and current DCFC manager, his son, Nigel Clough.  How the heck does one properly pronounce CLOUGH?
> > > 
> > ...
> > > 
> > > Help, please!  
> > 
> > Geoff:
> > You should ask your tame English friend... :-)
> > 
> > It's Cluff... i.e. rhyming with rough.
> > 
> > Any surname like that is usually the same: Barraclough, Brough.
> > 
> > ...

bboyminn:

Sorry, some stupid pop-up occurred from Yahoo, wondering if I wanted to send my business to everyone in the world. When I declined it would no longer allow me to hit the SEND button. So I paged back and assumed I had my post, but apparently not.

My point was, how much of that pronunciation is regional accent and how much is standard accept pronunciation?

For example, in a conversation between Tom Felton and one of his fan groups, they commented that to their ears it sounded like Tom pronounced his name as 'Fawton'. Which I attribute to an regional accent. 

If I understand correctly it is sometime next to impossible for someone in one part of England to understand someone in another part of England because the accent is so thick. Though I don't think that is limited to England. 

Of course, the obvious parallel is 'cough' as in 'cawf', so certainly 'Clawf' would be a fair pronunciation for 'Clough'. 

Though, instinctively, I would have thought it sounded like 'borough'. thereby making the pronunciation 'Cloh'. 

It was a pretty minor point. and I've already established a standard pronunciation in 'cough', but none the less, I'm still wondering if 'Clawf' or 'Cluff' is standard or a regional variation.

Steve/bboyminn