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Somebody had to bring it up, seriously. Saskatchewan's capital city has a pronunciation that has an uncanny rhyme to a word that I would imagine makes adolescents and adults alike all over Canada chuckle at once in a while. For appropriate content lets just say it sounds like angina, but you know what I'm getting at. Why the hell do they pronounce it like that and not the like female name?
Maybe only the really sophomoric ones, who think fart jokes are the epitome of humour.
I never gave it a second thought.
Point of order! Houston as pronounced by the natives is U-stun. Similar to the local's pronunciation of Trawna for the city on Lake Ontario with the giant penis building and the urinal shaped city hall.
Well, a Texas business contact, with whom I did a lot of business, lived in Houston and would pronounce it either "Hyooston" or "U-ston." The latter occurred mainly after he had had a few drinks, but I'll defer to your pronunciation.
Your point about Toronto is valid, but as one who lived for 40+ years in the Centre of the Universe (tongue firmly in cheek), I heard many pronunciations. Among them:
Trawna.
Trawnda.
Taronna.
Taronda.
Toe-ron-toe (spoken slowly and heard mainly from Americans)
Tarawda.
And of course, the shortcuts:
T.O. (Pronounced "TEE-oh." Not to be confused with Terrell Owens, and it was ours first anyway.)
T-Dot. (I don't know where this came from, but it exists.)
Hogtown. (I finally understood this one after visiting St. Clair Avenue East on business.)
GTA. (This way, residents of Stouffville, Pickering, Markham, and Oakville can also feel a part of T.O.)
Of course, the best-known Toronto street is Yonge Street, which for some reason, is pronounced "Young."
As I said, local pronunciation rules regardless of the spelling.
Mexia - Ma-haya Ancestral home of Anna Nicole Smith
Seguin - Se-geen City just outside San Antonio
Kuykendahl - Kirk-n-dall One of Houston's founding Fathers, and a major road
Mexia - Ma-haya Ancestral home of Anna Nicole Smith
Seguin - Se-geen City just outside San Antonio
Kuykendahl - Kirk-n-dall One of Houston's founding Fathers, and a major road
Pueblo of Jemez (Walatowa, pronounced / he m?s/), a sovereign nation located in Sandoval County, New Mexico
Madrid New Mexico - pronounced MAD-rid
The Rust Belt Cities had several vowel changes that make their English sound different from Canadian English and Upper Midwest English. Therefore Northern Minnesota and Californian English probably sound the most like Canadian English.
My best friend grew up in British Columbia, and lives there still. A long term live-in boyfriend of mine was from Minnesota. When I saw your thread title, my first thought was - Minnesota.
I would imagine there are different accents in Canada, as there are in the states. So, perhaps that will influence people's answers.
But, being born and raised in CA, I don't think of a California accent first, when I think of Canadians.
It depends on what part of Canada. Like the U.S., not all Canadians have the same accent.
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