Local and regional mispronunciations

[Mastiff]

Here's one for luckless ped: there's a lake in northern Maine named Chemquasibamticook. Good luck wrapping your mouth around that pissah!

A river runs through Houlton, ME... The Meduxnekeag River!

[Zoning Goddess]

The one everyone in FL knows is ki-SIM-ee, which tourists pronounce KISS-a-mee

I recently heard an imported newscaster call Ocala OAK-a-la instead of o-CAL-a

[Dan]

Chili, outside Rochester, is apparently CHI-LIE, not like chili as in peppers.

Don't forget the Rochester neighborhood of Charlotte, which is pronounced "shar-LOTT", It confused the hell out of Buffalonians more familiar with the traditional pronunciation of their city's exclave in North Carolina.

The name of a southwestern suburb of Kansas City also confuses the hell out of a lot of people. Non-locals often say "oh-laith" or "oh-lath", while those that live there insist it's "oh-laith-uh". However, the proper pronunciation is actually "g*****m f*****g s**tstained hell on Earth".

[Mastiff]

The name of a southwestern suburb of Kansas City also confuses the hell out of a lot of people. Non-locals often say "oh-laith" or "oh-lath", while those that live there insist it's "oh-laith-uh". However, the proper pronunciation is actually "g*****m f*****g s**tstained hell on Earth".

Don't hold back... Tell us how you really feel!

[Hceux]

I've been puzzled about how to pronounce "Yosemite" as in the national park in the US.

Can anyone help me out?

And...to make this thread a bit more interesting, I'm sure that within each group of local and regional mispronuncations, there would be "D/deaf speech" to throw things off too. The same could be said for those who speak from the side of their mouth, like Jean Chretien, a former prime minister for Canada.

[Veloise]

I've been puzzled about how to pronounce "Yosemite" as in the national park in the US.

Can anyone help me out?

yo-sem-it-ee

[former resident of Missoula, just down the road... mizz-oo-lah]

[Whose Yur Planner]

A little town in north central Indiana is gal-VEST-on, not GAL-ves-ton. Also in nc Indiana PEE-ru, not PER-ru. What can I say, not the sharpest tools in the shed up there.

[illinoisplanner]

Supposedly, it's a crime to pronounce the city of Joliet, IL as "Jolly-Et" within the city limits of said town, as opposed to the correct pronounciation "Joe-Lee-Et. I think you can get fined or something. Whether this is true or actually enforced, I don't know.

Also, everyone from Illinois can't stand people who pronounce it "Ill-uh-noize" instead of "Ill-uh-noy".

As for the city of Chicago, both "Shi-Cah-Go" and "Shi-Caw-Go" are acceptable, but the latter usually suggests a heavy Chicago accent.

Also, can't forget the rigid style of accent Chicagoans are famous for. You know, "One, Two, Tree", "Deez, Demz, and Doez", "Da Bears", etc.

Another point of interest is that DeKalb, IL is pronounced "De-KaLb", whereas DeKalb County, GA is pronounced "Dee-KaBB". Also, Des Plaines, IL is pronounced "Dess-Plains", while Des Moines, IA is pronounced "Deh-Moyn".

Finally, a little town on the Illinois River called Henry, IL is pronounced "'Enry", as opposed to "Henry".

[Tresmo]

Indianapolis--Ind-da-NAP-o-lis. The emphasis on "Nap" is entirely un-ironic, and pretty common.

That's how you know someone is from Indiana, and NOT from Indianapolis. But they might go there for exciting adventures.

[luckless pedestrian]

when we visited Ravenswood vinyard in California the sommelier was happy to see that I knew how to correctly say Lodi, as in Low-d-eye

only central/western NY-er's know that by heart

[ofos]

That's how you know someone is from Indiana, and NOT from Indianapolis. But they might go there for exciting adventures.

I've always pronounced it Indiana-no-place.

[Whose Yur Planner]

I've always pronounced it Indiana-no-place.

That's closer to the truth than you can possibly imagine.

[Planit]

The name of a southwestern suburb of Kansas City also confuses the hell out of a lot of people. Non-locals often say "oh-laith" or "oh-lath", while those that live there insist it's "oh-laith-uh". However, the proper pronunciation is actually "g*****m f*****g s**tstained hell on Earth".

My brother lives in the suburb next door...he shares your thoughts.


Tell midwesterners, is it Miss-ou-ri or Miss-ou-ra and is it Ill-i-nois or Ill-i-noy


Which politician recently said Ar-kan-sas instead of Ar-kan-saw?

[Gedunker]

I've always pronounced it Indiana-no-place.

That's closer to the truth than you can possibly imagine.

Now, now, let's not go bashing Naptown. I mean, at least it ain't Gary

It's Ne-vaa-da, not Ne-VAH-da.
Locals pronounce it Wilkes-Burrah, not Wilkes-Barry or Wilkes-Bare.
NHP can tell you it's Conc-erd not Con-cord, and like others eleswhere Burl-in, not Ber-Lin.

[luckless pedestrian]

yes Gedunker and Mastiff - I live and have lived in places with unpronounceable names

I grew up on Onondaga = ON-on-da-ga
swam in Skaneatles Lake = Skinny-ATlas

my husband attended Quinsigamond College some years back = kwi-SIG-a-mon

and my favorite lake I frequent (because I have a friend with a camp there, of course ) is Ambajejus (as spelled by the Chamber but the Native Americans had a more creative spelling which I can't find at the moment) = AmbI-jesus

[jmello]

These pronunciations may have began as Anglo butchering, but now are actually the accepted proper pronunciations for those places.

The worst perpetrator of this is Islamorada in the Florida Keys. It is pronounced eye-luh-morah-duh instead of the proper Spanish pronunciation of ees-la-morah-dah.

[craines]

I hate it when outtowners pronuce Dude as Dude when its
DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUde

Or Br'a as Braw

[Maister]

swam in Skaneatles Lake = Skinny-ATlas

Could all who swim there be said to 'skinny dip'?

[Planit]

NHP can tell you it's Conc-erd not Con-cord.

There is a Con-cord........its Concord, NC (just north of Charlotte).

[KSharpe]

My brother lives in the suburb next door...he shares your thoughts.


Tell midwesterners, is it Miss-ou-ri or Miss-ou-ra and is it Ill-i-nois or Ill-i-noy


Which politician recently said Ar-kan-sas instead of Ar-kan-saw?

If you live in Missouri, it's MissourA, if you don't, it's Missouri. You do not pronounce the "s" at the end of Illinois. Same as Des Moines.

[Whose Yur Planner]

Now, now, let's not go bashing Naptown. I mean, at least it ain't Gary

Nor is it Chicago, where I visited many more times than Indy. Besides 'dunker you live near Louisville, a pretty nice town as I remember.

[Mud Princess]

Locals pronounce it Wilkes-Burrah, not Wilkes-Barry or Wilkes-Bare.

Hmm, I did some work there recently and the locals pronounced it like Wilkes-BERRY.

[wahday]

Hmm, I did some work there recently and the locals pronounced it like Wilkes-BERRY.

Having grown up outside of Philly, I actually have heard both of these pronunciations (neither of which seem to relate well to the spelling). Add the Philly accent, though, and even "berry" becomes something like "buhrry." Confused? Absolutely.

Growing up, I actually though it was Wilkes Burrough because of Gedunker's observation that some people say "burrah." I was truly baffled the first time I saw it in print. Personally, I say Wilkes Burrah, but I never actually lived there, so I'm not a good loewcoo contact...

[MacheteJames]

Gloucester, MA: It's GLAH-sta, "glaucester"
Worcester, MA: It's WUSS-ta, not "warcester"
Peabody, MA: It's PEE-biddy, not "peaBODY"