# City names: local pronunciation vs everyone else **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849 "2014-07-11T13:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/41 "2014-07-12T01:25:35Z")
Newry, Ireland Locals: Nyuhry Everyone else: New-ree Also, I’m kinda wondering how the OP skipped “Washinden Dee Cee” not to mention “The Distrit” as opposed to “Wash-ing-ton.” ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/42 "2014-07-12T01:34:41Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Spokane, WA is Spo-CANE. It’s Spo-CAN > > Yakima is not Yakeema. Also: Puyallup Sequim ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/43 "2014-07-12T02:15:05Z")
Miami, OK Not my-am-e like Florida. It’s my-am-uh ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/44 "2014-07-12T04:03:33Z")
Atlanta has an unusual one in the form of Ponce de Leon Avenue. I was quickly corrected when I asked about it, as is Ponz da LEE-on 'round these parts. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/45 "2014-07-12T06:00:31Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > In Cornwall, in the UK: > Launceston is usually pronounced “Lornston” or similar, but the locals pronounce it “Larnsten”. Generally with a piratical “arrrr” in the middle. The version of the local pronunciation given to me by a Cornish friend, was “Lanson”. I understand that Launceston in Tasmania – named after the Cornish town – is pronounced by its inhabitants and everyone else, as “Lorn-sess-ton”. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/46 "2014-07-12T06:48:02Z")
There’s a street in Chicago spelled Paulina. Out of towners pronounce it Paul-EE-na, rhyming with _Athena_. Locals know that it is pronounced Paul-EYE-nah, one of the three streets in town that rhyme with _Vagina_. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/47 "2014-07-12T09:30:01Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Locals know that it is pronounced Paul-EYE-nah, one of the three streets in town that rhyme with _Vagina_. What, that’s not pronounced va-JEE-nah? 😕 EDIT: Jus’ joke. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/48 "2014-07-12T12:47:25Z")
Nevada. Most everyone not in the SW United States assumes it’s pronounced “Ne-VAH-da” with the AH like in “father”. The locals pronounce it like the A in “and”. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/49 "2014-07-12T12:56:09Z")
To share two that I had to learn the hard way after moving to the Northwest: **Puyallup** How locals pronounce it: “Pyoo-all-ap” How I pronounced it: “Poo-yall-up” **Sequim** How locals pronounce it: “Squim” How I pronounced it: “See-quim” ---
**Author:** ![JuliaSqueezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@JuliaSqueezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JuliaSqueezer)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/50 "2014-07-12T13:09:06Z")
Charlotte, a town near Lansing, Michigan is not pronounced like the woman’s name. It sounds more like “Shuh- **LOT** ”. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/51 "2014-07-12T13:17:44Z")
I usually heard Maryville, TN pronounced “Mare-vull.” The old-timers call it “Mur-vull”. And Buena is “Byoonie”. Here in the FL panhandle we have Texar St. pronounced “Tuh-HAR”. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/52 "2014-07-12T14:17:50Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > The version of the local pronunciation given to me by a Cornish friend, was “Lanson”. I can certainly believe the total lack of stress on the T - it’s pretty much silent in a lot of local place names. But I’ve not heard it without the Arrrr. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/53 "2014-07-12T14:50:12Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > City names. Pronounced a distinctive way by residents, but a different way by everyone else. > > Examples: > > Louisville > Locals: Loo-ah-vull (kinda all muddled together) > Everyone else: Loo-ee-ville > > Others? Incorrect. Everybody who knows how the English language works pronounces it “Louis-ville.” An “s” in the middle of a name is always, always, ALWAYS pronounced, regardless of how many faux-educated people think differently. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/54 "2014-07-12T14:53:36Z")
Is the capital of Kentucky pronounced ‘loo-ah-vull’, or ‘loo-ee-vill’? It’s pronounced ‘Frankfort’. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/55 "2014-07-12T16:10:06Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Lancaster, PA. > > Locals: Lank-aster > Others: Lan-Cast-er I’m not from there, and I pronounce it the local way. > [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Newark, OH. > > Worcester, MA > > Locals: Wuhster > Others: War-chester This one drives me batty. Few Americans have problems pronouncing Worcestershire Sauce correctly, which is a bit more difficult. > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Quincy, MA > Locals: ZWIN-zee > Others: Zwin-ce “Z” at the beginning??? There’s a bunch all over New England that non-locals would never pronounce correctly. Just off the top of my head: Coventry (CAHV-entry) Pawkutet (puh-TUCK-et) Billerica (bill-RICK-uh) Warwick (WAR-ick) Thames St in Newport (THAMES, not TEHMS as in England) Waltham (WALL-than, not WALL-thum) ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/56 "2014-07-12T16:23:46Z")
It’s not a city name, but it’s such a doozie I have to include it: Schoenherr Road in Detroit. Being half German, I pronounced it something like “Schern hair.” Then I heard locals talk about “shayner road.” It took me a while to realize they were talking about Shoenherr. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/57 "2014-07-12T16:48:33Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > The version of the local pronunciation given to me by a Cornish friend, was “Lanson”. > [@Teuton](#): > > I can certainly believe the total lack of stress on the T - it’s pretty much silent in a lot of local place names. But I’ve not heard it without the Arrrr. My friend is an extremely “law-and-order” type – perhaps he was reluctant to imply any kind of approval, in any way, of pirates…? ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/58 "2014-07-12T17:02:48Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Most people would pronounce San Pedro (California) as ‘san PAY-dro’. Locals pronounce it ‘san PEE-dro’. A tad topic-drifting; but, thanks, you’ve cleared up something which was puzzling me slightly. I’m quite a big fan of Harry Turtledove’s alternative-history fiction; there’s a novel of his which is set in a time-line (with visitors from, our, “real” time-line) where a (limited) nuclear war in 1967 knocked the participants, including the USA, back into medieval conditions. Southern California, where the novel’s action is set, consists in this time-line, of numerous tiny city-states, forever squabbling with each other, and fighting wars with what feeble weaponry they can muster… one such entity, San Pedro, calls itself and is called by everyone (without explanation by the author), “Speedro”. I’d been thinking – that seems a pronunciation-type oddity, even on a post-nuclear-apocalypse scene. Your post clarifies all ! ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/59 "2014-07-12T17:08:31Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Incorrect. Everybody who knows how the English language works pronounces it “Louis-ville.” > > An “s” in the middle of a name is always, always, ALWAYS pronounced, regardless of how many faux-educated people think differently. You sound like my friend, whom I’ve mentioned on the “Beat this for hard-to-understand pronunciation” thread – convinced (or claiming to be convinced) that in English, pronunciation rigidly follows spelling. Empirically – for the great majority of users of the language, it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849/60 "2014-07-12T17:32:41Z")
The town I grew up in, you can always tell an outsider, it takes about a generation for a family to say it like a native. Waupun (Wisconsin) rhymes with a bus conductor cheefrully inviting children to “Hop on!”. Some Milwaukee news anchors come fairly close. A few towns around there also have a local nonchalance about their pronunciation that stymies outsiders – Fond du Lac, (FONDle-ac, sometimes FONNel-ac) Beaver Dam, (Never stressed on Dam) Ripon, (A factory there makes Rippin’ Good Cookies) Horicon. (Rhymes with the way Oregonians say Oregon, with even less of a middle syllable) * * * There are a couple places in Nebraska where people put in a spurious R, Norfolk (Nor-fork) Oshkosh (Arsh-karsh) Also, Beatrice – be-ATT-ris. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-names-local-pronunciation-vs-everyone-else/692849.md?page=4)