The Upstate NY Pronunciation Guide! (Buffalo, Rochester: middle-class, home, living)

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by Jeromeville

Pulaski... (pull-ASK-eye)

At one point I was considering relocating to Pulaski, VA, where they apparently pronounce it pull-ASK-ee. I guess I somehow found it ironic that in the South they would pronounce the name of the Polish Revolutionary War hero closer to its original Polish, than in NY.

Here's my contribution:
Tioughnioga [the river through Cortland] - tee-OFF-nee-OH-ga

[UpstaterInBklyn]

Here are some WNY small towns with unusual pronunciations:

Java (JAY-va)
Nunda (NUN-day)
Castile (CASS-tile)

I know this thread is about Upstate places, but Long Island has some real doozies. For example:

Ronkonkoma (Ron-KON-koh-ma)
Hauppauge (HAUGH-pawg)
Wyandanch (WHY-an-danch)
Syosset (sy-OSS-et)
Commack (COH-mack) (rhymes with "lowjack")

[Finger Laker]

I grew up near Campbell in the Finger Lakes region

It's pronounced with both words (Camp Bell) as opposed to what many people say throughout the nation (including soup) of "camble"

[Jeromeville]

There are often two slightly different but both acceptable pronunciations of Upstate placenames. One could be called the "TV newscaster style" and the other would be the "man on the street style."

TV newscasters say "SEER-a-kyooze" for Syracuse, but nobody in the real world would say it like that. .. although no one would laugh if you did. The man on the street is more likely to call it "SEER-a-kyooce" or maybe more commonly "SARA-kyooce."

But I know some old-timers, from the ethnic neighborhoods, who have a funny way of saying North Syracuse or East Syracuse... they say it like it's all one word... "northseer-KYOOCE" - but only older people would say that.

And really, no one in real life really calls it "The 'Cuse." Only college sports fans and SU students/professors do. (Kind of like nobody calls the Adirondacks "The Dacks" unless they're tourists/college students)

[Jeromeville]

Originally Posted by UpstaterInBklyn

Here are some WNY small towns with unusual pronunciations:

Java (JAY-va)
Nunda (NUN-day)
Castile (CASS-tile)

Heh, I totally did not know those. I will add them to the next update. Thanks for sparing me some embarrassment on my next trip to WNY.

[Mercator Projection]

Some more small towns:

Unadilla... you-na-DILL-uh (some people don't know what to do with that 'U')
Delhi... DEL-high (as opposed to DEL-ee like the Indian city)
New Berlin... new BURR-lin
Chemung... shuh-MUNG
Esopus... ee-SO-pus
Apalachin... a-puh-LAY-kin

[BuffaloTransplant]

Originally Posted by UpstaterInBklyn

Here are some WNY small towns with unusual pronunciations:

Java (JAY-va)
Nunda (NUN-day)
Castile (CASS-tile)

I know this thread is about Upstate places, but Long Island has some real doozies. For example:

Ronkonkoma (Ron-KON-koh-ma)
Hauppauge (HAUGH-pawg)
Wyandanch (WHY-an-danch)
Syosset (sy-OSS-et)
Commack (COH-mack) (rhymes with "lowjack")

I grew up on LI. The Native American names (Ronkonkoma and the like)are Algonquin (if I remember correctly from grade school, there were something like 13 tribes) and are pronounced nothing like the upstate 6 Nations pronunciations ( Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida... etc.).

[Jeromeville]

Rochester area
Chili... (CHYE-lye)
Riga... (RYE-ga)
Charlotte... (shar-LOT)
Genesee... (jenna-SEE) rhymes exactly with Tennessee

Finger Lakes area
Ithaca... (ITH-a-ka)
Keuka... (KYOO-ka)
Cayuga... two pronunciations are common... (KAY-yoo-ga) or (KYE-yoo-ga)
Canandaigua... (cannon-DAY-gwa) or (canna-DAY-gwa)
Penn Yan... the Yan rhymes with "Ann"
Honeoye... (HONEY-oy)
Campbell... (camp-BELL)

Syracuse area
Skaneateles... (skinny-ATLAS) or less commonly (skanny-ATLAS)
Brewerton... (BRUR-'n) if you want to sound like a real native
Chittenango... (chit-NANG-go)
Oswego... (ah-SWEE-go)
Schroeppel... (SCREW-pull)... just like the word "scruple"
Pompey... (POM-pee)
Constantia... (kun-STAN-sha)
Salina... (sa-LINE-a)
Onondaga... (on-un-DAH-ga) or (on-a-DAH-ga)

Albany area
Greenwich... (GREEN-wich)
Colonie... (kah-la-NEE)... like "colony" but with stress on last syllable
Rensselaer... (ren-sa-LEER)
Watervliet... (water-VLEET)
Cohoes... (ka-HOSE)

North Country
Lowville... (LAOW-ville) rhymes with "ow"
Pulaski... (pull-ASK-eye)

Southern Tier
Olean... (OH-lee-ann)
Binghamton... (BING-m-ton) - it's not one of "The Hamptons"!
Tioughnioga... (tee-OFF-nee-OH-ga)
Chemung... (sheh-MUNG)
Apalachin... (a-puh-LAY-kin)

Mohawk Valley
Canajoharie... (canna-jo-HARRY)
Utica... (YOU-tick-a)
Ilion... (ILL-ee-un)
Herkimer... (HER-k'm-er) ... seems easy but can be confusing...
Oneida... (oh-NIGH-da)
Schenectady... (skeh-NECK-ta-dee)

Chenango Valley
Chenango... (sheh-NANG-go)
Oneonta... (oh-nee-ON-ta)
Unadilla... (you-na-DILL-a)
New Berlin... (new BURR-lin)

Catskills
Delhi... (DELL-high)
Esopus... (ee-SO-pus)

Buffalo and WNY
Java... (JAY-va)
Nunda... (NUN-day)
Castile... (CASS-tile)

[Jeromeville]

PS... if in doubt about how to pronounce a name in CNY or WNY... especially if it's a classical name, or the name of a foreign country or city... just pronounce it like an illiterate 19th century farmer would! chances are, you've got it right!

[cheese9988]

Originally Posted by I'minformed2

Ro-chest-a? No way. Whoever you hear pronouncing it like that is definitely not a lifelong resident!

its Raaaah'chstr

Wierd, I hear it that way all the time. Although above it says Buffalo people pronounce Java as Jay-va, I say it as Jah-va. I grew up in Buffalo.