I was passing through the hamlet of Chop Gate (in North Yorkshire) the other day, and heard it referred to as "chop yat" (tʃɒp yæt). This source here concurs with that pronunciation.
Does anyone know why it is pronounced in that way (or, alternatively, why it is spelt that way)?
Best Answer
It may be because the g in Old English could be pronounced like a y when followed by an e or ea diphthong. For example, middangeard, the term used to refer to "this place right here where people live" (literally "middle earth" — so you can see where Tolkien got the term) was pronounced middahnyaird. The North Yorkshire accent may retain some vestiges of Old English pronunciation.