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Author Topic: On Pronouncing Place Names  (Read 2182 times)

Ben

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On Pronouncing Place Names
« on: August 05, 2020, 08:53:08 AM »
I guess this could be politics, since they're attacking Trump, and to be fair, our side attacked Obama for "corpse man", and probably all past Presidents are attacked for minor stuff like this.

Note that I read the story on my phone, but on my computer it requires I disable the ad blocker, so if you don't want to do that, the gist of it is:

Yosemite: Some of my German relatives have used "YOseMIGHT", but most Americans I have heard call it, correctly, "YOsehmity".

Nevada: From living in the West all my life, "nehVADah" has always been correct, but I have heard plenty of people call it "nehVAHda".

Oregon: Now, though I have always lived in a border state to it,  I think  I pronounce it correctly, but I will defer to the Oregon dwellers here. I have heard "orahGONE" from East coasters. USA Today claims the correct way is "ORuhgin". I have always said it "ORuhgun", and have always heard others regionally call it that. To be fair, it sounds like more of a blending of "gun" and "gin" on the last syllable.

Anyway, pronouncing place names is interesting to me right now because I'm still learning (and being corrected on!) the proper pronunciation of many Idaho place names.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/04/trump-mispronounces-yosemite-white-house-event/3289122001/
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Fly320s

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2020, 09:10:57 AM »
I still run into pronunciation problems around here.  These Yankees sure do talk funny.   =D

In Massachusetts, the town of Worcester is pronounced as Wooster.  Haverhill is said as Havrill.  Peabody Is Pee-bah-dee.
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Brad Johnson

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2020, 09:26:51 AM »
There's a little skiiing/mountain/racehorse town in the southern New Mexico mountains name Ruidoso. Proper pronunciation is roo-ee-DOH-so. Most folks east of the NM border bastardize it tp ree-uh-DOH-suh.

My home town of Crowell, TX. Locals pronounce it crow-ull, running everything together until's verging on a single syllable. For some reason, folks everywhere else want to pronounce it crowl (like 'owl' with a cr in front).

Brad

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Ben

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #3 on: August 05, 2020, 09:48:46 AM »
Quote from: Brad Johnson on August 05, 2020, 09:26:51 AM

My home town of Crowell, TX. Locals pronounce it crow-ull, running everything together until's verging on a single syllable. For some reason, folks everywhere else want to pronounce it crowl (like 'owl' with a cr in front).

Brad


Without prior knowledge,  I would pronounce it like "owl".

In Idaho, stuff like "Boise" is easy, because everybody and their brother tells you about it. You say "boiSEE" not "boiZee". Up in Moscow, they are very particular that you don't say "cow", because they're not commies (well, it happens that they are) and you're supposed to say "Moscoe".

There's a small town in Oregon not far from me called Nyssa. I had started calling it "nihsah" just because it sounded right. Then I met an older fourth generation neighbor here who had worked at the sugar plant in Nyssa for 30 years. He called it "NEEsah".

I figured he must know, so I started calling it "NEEsah". Then one time I was talking to my cow guy who is also multi-generation local, said I was taking the dog to the vet in "NEEsah", and he laughed at me. He pronounced it "nihsah". Sometimes you just can't win.  :laugh:
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WLJ

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2020, 09:49:56 AM »




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RoadKingLarry

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #5 on: August 05, 2020, 09:51:29 AM »
Having traveled the US fairly extensively, both growing up as an Air Force brat and while I was in the Navy i always go with how the locals pronounce it.
When i was about 8 we moved from Fallon Nevada to Monmouth New Jersy. It was quite the culture shock for 8 year old me. It was annoying to have the teachers correct my pronunciation of the state I had just moved from. Caused some strife with the teachers as well when I didn't accept their declaration.
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MechAg94

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #6 on: August 05, 2020, 10:18:06 AM »
Many of the pronunciation stuff I have heard about in Texas were due to Spanish versus English pronunciation.  Towns like San Felipe, TX or Refugio, TX. 
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Brad Johnson

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #7 on: August 05, 2020, 10:28:06 AM »
Quote from: MechAg94 on August 05, 2020, 10:18:06 AM
Many of the pronunciation stuff I have heard about in Texas were due to Spanish versus English pronunciation.  Towns like San Felipe, TX or Refugio, TX. 

About an hour south of Lubbock is a place called Lamesa. Local pronounce is 'luh-MEE-suh' rather than the more correct (both grammatically and true to it's Spanish origins) 'lah-MEH-sah'.

Lubbock sits on the Llano Estacado with the first word pronounced 'YAH-no'. Nearer Austin is a town named Llano but locals there pronounce it 'LAN-oh'.

Brad
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K Frame

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #8 on: August 05, 2020, 10:33:27 AM »
The ones that get me are a couple of places in Ohio -- Vienna and Rio Grande...

VIE anna

RYE OH GRAND aaa...
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Ben

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #9 on: August 05, 2020, 10:35:33 AM »
Quote from: MechAg94 on August 05, 2020, 10:18:06 AM
Refugio, TX.  

How do Texans pronounce it? There was a Refugio up the road from where I lived in CA which was a popular beach diving spot. Locally we pronounced it "ref-U-gee-oh". Gee as in "gee whiz".
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zxcvbob

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #10 on: August 05, 2020, 10:36:28 AM »
Quote from: MechAg94 on August 05, 2020, 10:18:06 AM
Many of the pronunciation stuff I have heard about in Texas were due to Spanish versus English pronunciation.  Towns like San Felipe, TX or Refugio, TX.  

Mexia (Spanish pronunciation.)  San Jacinto and Jacinto City (English, because we won the war dammit :))
« Last Edit: August 05, 2020, 11:42:15 AM by zxcvbob »
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zxcvbob

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #11 on: August 05, 2020, 10:38:04 AM »
Quote from: Ben on August 05, 2020, 10:35:33 AM
How do Texans pronounce it? There was a Refugio up the road from where I lived in CA which was a popular beach diving spot. Locally we pronounced it "ref-U-gee-oh". Gee as in "gee whiz".

Re-FUR-e-o, or at least close to that
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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #12 on: August 05, 2020, 11:39:30 AM »

Loo-iss-vil Colorado

Loo-eee-vil Kentucky

Niew York

Noo yawk

Brooklyn Niew York

Bvooklyn Noo Yawk

For grins eery once in a whie I'd pronounce Baseline Road in Boulder as Bah-ze-lee-nee Row-ahd.

("Baseline" because it ran along the 40th parallel, a geographical base line from which legal descripions were derived.  Later more accurate surveys showed the road was off about forty feet from the exact 40° North Latitude.)
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WLJ

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #13 on: August 05, 2020, 11:46:31 AM »
Quote from: 230RN on August 05, 2020, 11:39:30 AM

Loo-eee-vil Kentucky


While the "correct" French* pronunciation of Louisville is Loo-eee-vil us natives will be heard saying Loo-a-vul by and large. You can almost always tell who's an out-of-towner because they'll say Loo-iss-vi or Loo-eee-vil.
Once got a shipment for Lewisville Ky

As a side note local pronunciation of Versailles Ky, vər-SAYLZ in local, is way off from the French pronunciation as well.

*Louisville is named for King Louis XVI.
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MechAg94

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #14 on: August 05, 2020, 11:50:14 AM »
Quote from: zxcvbob on August 05, 2020, 10:38:04 AM
Re-FUR-e-o, or at least close to that

That is what I remember.  The G is not pronounced.  I have only been through there a few times. 

And Texans who are not from the area mispronounce it as much as anyone. 
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RocketMan

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #15 on: August 05, 2020, 01:11:08 PM »
Quote from: Ben on August 05, 2020, 08:53:08 AM

Oregon: Now, though I have always lived in a border state to it,  I think  I pronounce it correctly, but I will defer to the Oregon dwellers here. I have heard "orahGONE" from East coasters. USA Today claims the correct way is "ORuhgin". I have always said it "ORuhgun", and have always heard others regionally call it that. To be fair, it sounds like more of a blending of "gun" and "gin" on the last syllable.

USA Today is FOS.  They often are.   Orygun, born and raised.  Though once in a while when I am linguistically lazy, it will come out "ORuhgun".
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Ben

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #16 on: August 05, 2020, 01:44:30 PM »
Quote from: RocketMan on August 05, 2020, 01:11:08 PM
USA Today is FOS.  They often are.   Orygun, born and raised.  Though once in a while when I am linguistically lazy, it will come out "ORuhgun".

Now that you write it that way and I repeat it out loud,  I think my "uh" might be closer to the "y" or maybe "eh".
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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #17 on: August 05, 2020, 09:21:03 PM »
Hah.  Yooz gyz should look up the names of places in Michigan (Mishgun)  There are too many to list. I'll give you one or two or three...Mackinac...Ypsilanti...Charlotte.  Oh heck...Onekama, Tahquamenon, Muskallonge, and an easy one Pine Stump Junction.
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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #18 on: August 05, 2020, 09:35:43 PM »
I live in Louisiana, bite me.  ;)
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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #19 on: August 05, 2020, 09:50:12 PM »
Quote from: Fly320s on August 05, 2020, 09:10:57 AM
I still run into pronunciation problems around here.  These Yankees sure do talk funny.   =D

In Massachusetts, the town of Worcester is pronounced as Wooster.  Haverhill is said as Havrill.  Peabody Is Pee-bah-dee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTLKfI8VToI
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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #20 on: August 05, 2020, 09:54:40 PM »
Quote from: zxcvbob on August 05, 2020, 10:38:04 AM
Re-FUR-e-o, or at least close to that

Which is how my friends from TX pronounced it.

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Perd Hapley

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #21 on: August 05, 2020, 10:21:02 PM »
Sometimes the locals just mispronounce things. There's no need to go along with them. And, no, not everyone in Missour-ee calls it Missour-uh. That would be dumb. 
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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #22 on: August 05, 2020, 10:32:18 PM »
Drive through a small city going to and from work every day.  Pataskala.  Most say "puh TAS kuh luh".  Some say "PAY task ala"
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Jim147

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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #23 on: August 05, 2020, 10:38:26 PM »
Fistful it is pronounced misery.
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Re: On Pronouncing Place Names
« Reply #24 on: August 05, 2020, 10:55:29 PM »
Louisiana Places:
Abbeville
Abita Springs
Addis
Amite City
Anacoco
Arnaudville
Basile
Bastrop
Bogalusa
Bonita
Breaux Bridge
Broussard
Brusly
Bunkie
Campti
Cankton
Carencro
Chataignier
Cheneyville
Choudrant
Colfax
Coushatta
Covington
Creola
Crowley
Delcambre
Duson
Erath
Eros
Florien
Fordoche
Grand Coteau
Grosse Tete
Gueydan
Heflin
Hosston
Houma
Terrebonne
Iota
Keachi
Krotz Springs
Lecompte
Livonia
Loreauville
Lutcher
Mamou
Mangham
Mansura
Maringouin
Mermentau
Mer Rouge
Moreauville
Natchitoches
New Llano
New Orleans
Plaquemine
Plaucheville
Ponchatoula
Port Barre
Powhatan
Rayne
Robeline
Rodessa
Saline
Sarepta
Shongaloo
Simmesport
Tallulah
Tangipahoa
Thibodaux
Tickfaw
Tullos
Urania
Varnado
Vidalia
Zwolle

I left out all the "normal" ones and the just funny ones.

Don't get me started on peoples NAMES in South Louisiana!
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