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Old 07-07-2017, 12:31 PM
 
Location: Elsewhere
88,014 posts, read 83,827,560 times
Reputation: 114236

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Quote:
Originally Posted by CityGuyForLife View Post
Hockessin, DE is Hoe-kessin, not Hoc-kessin.

Houston, DE is How-ston like the street in NYC, not Hyoo-ston like the city in Texas.

Leipsic, DE is Lip-Sick, not Lipe-sick.

Lewes, DE is like "Lewis", not "Loos".

Smyrna, DE is Smur-nuh, not Smeer-nah.

Bellefonte, DE is Bell-font, not Bell-eh-font.

Rehoboth Beach, DE is Reh-hoe-both, not Ree-hoe-both.

Loockerman St in Dover is Lahk-ur-min, not Look-ur-man.
Interesting. Didn't know there was a Houston in DE. Now I know it's pronounced like the street! Thanks.
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Old 07-07-2017, 12:32 PM
 
Location: Cbus
1,719 posts, read 2,079,288 times
Reputation: 2148
Willamette Valley, OR

It's Will-AM-IT, Damn it

not Will-uh-mette
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Old 07-07-2017, 12:34 PM
 
Location: Elsewhere
88,014 posts, read 83,827,560 times
Reputation: 114236
Quote:
Originally Posted by navaphoon View Post
The two cities that come to the top of my head are:

Waukesha, WI: Pretty much every person I've talked to outside of Wisconsin about this city pronounces it like "wau-KEY-shaw". It's pronounced more like "waw-ki-shaw". They "ki" is short and most people just prolong that part like "keeey".

Kaukauna: I die every time someone tries to say this outside this region.


Check out this video for even more cities just in Wisconsin

So that you die less, how is it pronounced? Never even heard of it.
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Old 07-07-2017, 03:37 PM
 
12,769 posts, read 18,268,562 times
Reputation: 8762
Quote:
Originally Posted by UnderTheLiveOaks View Post
Both of those are alternate pronunciations. They may be less common, but the words are "actually pronounced" both ways.

Names and places are another thing, because there's a certain degree of ownership of the name. If the Carnegies say "car-NAY-gee", it's "car-NAY-gee". Their family. Their name. Their pronunciation.

Same with places. New Yorkers say Houston St is pronounced "Howston"? So be it.

One of my favorite examples is Appalachian. Most folks in the southern part of the range say "App-uh-latch-in," while folks from farther north say "App-uh-lay-shun." So which is correct? They both are!
Yup. 'Howston' it is because the man the street is named after (William Houstoun) last name was pronounced that way. The spelling has been changed to drop the 2nd 'u' but yes it is 'Howston' not 'Hyooston'.
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Old 07-08-2017, 12:02 AM
 
2,611 posts, read 2,850,914 times
Reputation: 2228
Plymouth
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Old 07-08-2017, 04:32 PM
 
Location: Albuquerque, NM
707 posts, read 740,878 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nn2036 View Post
Plymouth
I say it PLIM-mith, like the car.
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Old 07-08-2017, 07:10 PM
 
6,749 posts, read 5,429,384 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UnderTheLiveOaks View Post

One of my favorite examples is Appalachian. Most folks in the southern part of the range say "App-uh-latch-in," while folks from farther north say "App-uh-lay-shun." So which is correct? They both are!
I used to live in a small town in NY called "Apalachin" (yes ONE "P").

Wanna bet most mispronounced it?

It's pronounced "ap-uh-LAY-kin".

Humph.
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Old 07-08-2017, 07:29 PM
 
6,749 posts, read 5,429,384 times
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Another place that gets mispronounced by outsiders is Binghamton NY.

It's really simple: "BING- ham-ton".

But some call it "BinghamPton"...the "P" hasn't been there for well over a century....

Also some call it "Bimington" or Birmington", I guess they get it confused with "Birmingham" (AL).

Although admittedly we here sometimes, when we say it, sounds more like "Bingumton".

Humph.
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Old 07-09-2017, 02:16 PM
 
5,718 posts, read 7,203,819 times
Reputation: 10798
Quote:
Originally Posted by galaxyhi View Post
Another place that gets mispronounced by outsiders is Binghamton NY.

It's really simple: "BING- ham-ton".

But some call it "BinghamPton"...the "P" hasn't been there for well over a century....

Also some call it "Bimington" or Birmington", I guess they get it confused with "Birmingham" (AL).

Although admittedly we here sometimes, when we say it, sounds more like "Bingumton".

Humph.

Some folks need to see a few episodes of "McHale's Navy".
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Old 07-09-2017, 02:26 PM
 
Location: Salt Lake City
27,889 posts, read 29,685,076 times
Reputation: 13053
I work (volunteer, actually) in the tourism industry and the mispronunciations I've noticed tourists make most often when they visit Utah are these two:

Alta. People say they're coming here to ski at Alta, a resort in the mountains just east of Salt Lake City. It's not pronounced AHL-ta. The initial 'A' is pronounced is a short 'a', like the 'A' in the man's name "Albert."

The other one is Zion. Zion National Park in Southern Utah rhymes with "Lion." So it's ZI-un, not ZI-on. It also actually easier and more natural to pronounce it correctly.
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