# Erin Burnett of CNN: Trump campaigning in "wah-KEE-sha Wisconsin" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167 "2016-09-28T23:06:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/21 "2016-09-29T10:38:27Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > Kentucky has a city called Versailles. It’s not “Vair-sigh” as in French, but “Vur-sales,” as in Kentucky-speak. Ohio’s is pronounced the same way. I wonder if there are any places named Versaille in the USA that _are_ pronounced like the French one. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/22 "2016-09-29T10:42:31Z")
The county seat of Charles County, MD, is La Plata. Pronounced luh PLAY-tuh. So, **Nava** , don’t go bringing your furrin’ pronouncin’ here! 😛 Pretty much every new newsreader hired by local stations will start out mispronouncing Towson State University. I grew up in Towson/Towson adjacent, so I always knew how to say it and I can’t see how people get it wrong. 😉 The first syllable rhymes with cow, not toe. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/23 "2016-09-29T11:03:57Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It just seems that, by now, there should be a pronunciation database for all cities in the U.S. And that the pronunciation could be indicated on the teleprompter. When it’s an uncommon or difficult word the pronunciation is usually in the prompter. It looks here like whoever wrote the script and/or the the producer didn’t put the pronounce in. Usually, as long as there’s time, an announcer looks over their scripts before the show starts. If they feel the need, they might add a phonetic pronunciation to the prompter or their paper script to help them through it. This stuff sometimes (but not often at a decent national news outfit) falls through the cracks so it’s possible she was reading it cold. If that’s the case then she didn’t do too embarrassingly bad as far as broadcast mispronunciations go. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/24 "2016-09-29T11:38:14Z")
There are probably 100,000 towns in America, maybe way more. Pronouncing them all as the locals do may be a tall order to expect. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/25 "2016-09-29T12:14:55Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Well, I didn’t know that about Les Paul and Waukesha until I actually had reason to spend a week in Waukesha this summer. It’s really not that well known a town. I was being silly. I would not expect anyone but guitar geeks like me to know that Les Paul started playing as Rhubarb Red, the Wizard of Waukesha. I agree with the post above that I assume a Google Pronounce check is required before a broadcast and a phonetic spelling on the TelePrompTer. But apparently not. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/26 "2016-09-29T12:32:12Z")
This certainly does not belong on the list of things you are surprised that people did not know. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/27 "2016-09-29T12:33:00Z")
The denizens of Oostburg, WI (home of the Oostburger, a sandwich consisting of a hamburger with a bratwurst on it) suffer from having their hometown called Ootsburg way more often than one would expect. Also Woostburg, Wootsburgs, Wotsburg, Wostburg, Whataburger, Ostburg, Otsburg, and less often, Og. ETA: pronounced Oost burg ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/28 "2016-09-29T12:36:02Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > This certainly does not belong on the list of things you are surprised that people did not know. You don’t think _CNN_ should check the pronunciation of U.S. cities they include in their newscasts? It’s fine that Erin, as a person, doesn’t know. But it just seemed slapdash. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/29 "2016-09-29T12:54:32Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’d need a link but as a lifetime Milwaukee resident (bordering Waukesha). Both pronunciations are pretty common, but it’s mostly just residents (and only IME, half at best) that say WauKEEsha) most others way WauKUHsha. > > Similarly, nearly everyone 'round here says Ruhseen, people that live in the city of Racine seem to incorrectly pronuce it like a bunch of rednecks, Rayseen. I assume the last is meant as a joke. Surely, as with people pronouncing their own name, residents of a place have a primary authority on the pronunciation of their place’s name. (From afar, but I’ve only ever heard the “redneck” version.) > [@WordMan](#): > > You don’t think _CNN_ should check the pronunciation of U.S. cities they include in their newscasts? If a significant share of Waukesha residents in fact use the pronunciation that CNN did, then maybe they _did_ check, and certainly this thread’s basis looks flimsy. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/30 "2016-09-29T13:38:51Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > I assume the last is meant as a joke. Surely, as with people pronouncing their own name, residents of a place have a primary authority on the pronunciation of their place’s name. (From afar, but I’ve only ever heard the “redneck” version.) > > If a significant share of Waukesha residents in fact use the pronunciation that CNN did, then maybe they _did_ check, and certainly this thread’s basis looks flimsy. Totally fair - if she is so “inside” that she uses a local pronunciation, cool. I had never heard of wahKEEsha’s acceptability so just assumed it was a misfire. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/31 "2016-09-29T14:04:52Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > I assume the last is meant as a joke. Surely, as with people pronouncing their own name, residents of a place have a primary authority on the pronunciation of their place’s name. (From afar, but I’ve only ever heard the “redneck” version.) Yes, it was a joke. But having never ventured out to Racine until my adult like (went to college there), I’d never heard it pronounced as RAYseen until then, even though Milwaukee borders it, I’d only heard it the other way (or not paid attention to it). As for the redneck comment, saying RAYseen, puts quite a twang on it. I’m trying to find a clip of the two different versions on youtube, but being at work is putting a damper on having the volume up _that_ loud. Any local (to Milwaukee) news station will say RUHseen and IIRC (but I may very well not be) in A League Of Their Own, they played for the RAYseen Belles (but a lot of them had that twang to begin with). Think of someone that speaks ‘normally’ 99.9% of the time but will suddenly an ethnic word (Ricotta or Mango (the fruit)) just like a someone that speaks that language fluently. It seems out of place. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/32 "2016-09-29T14:20:29Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > She doesn’t know how to pronounce Waukesha. > > ::facepalm:: > > ETA: Les Paul is the Wizard of Waukesha. How could she not know that?! Les who? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/33 "2016-09-29T15:01:33Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Les who? You stop that right now. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/34 "2016-09-29T17:37:29Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Yes, it was a joke. But having never ventured out to Racine until my adult like (went to college there), I’d never heard it pronounced as RAYseen until then, even though Milwaukee borders it, I’d only heard it the other way (or not paid attention to it). Interestingly, it seems to me that here in the Chicago area I generally hear it as RAY-seen (well, more like equal stress on both syllables), but definitely a “long A” /eɪ/ for the first syllable, not a schwa. That’s the way I say it, at least, and I assume I’ve gotten it from hearing others say it that way around here. Racine with a schwa sounds odd to me. (And I assume it’s more like ruh-SEEN and not RUH-seen. Or is it really the latter? ) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/35 "2016-09-29T18:03:53Z")
FYI, the voice system on Wave navigation calls the VA Hospital here in town the “Virginia Hospital”. I’ll be it does that in every city where there’s a VA hospital. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/36 "2016-09-29T18:28:29Z")
Austin has some funky pronunciations. Manchaca is pronounced “man-shack”. Koenig is pronounced “kay-nig”. And Loop 1 is pronounced “Mo-Pac”. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/37 "2016-09-29T20:27:26Z")
In Atlanta, GA one of the main thoroughfares is named after a famous Spanish explorer. In his native tongue the name would be pronounced POWNsay day LEHown. Around here, though, it’ universally known as Pahns duh LEEahn. Also in GA there’s the ever popular Houston County, pronounced HOWstun and Taliaferro County, pronounced Tahliver (rhymes with Oliver). We is some odd ones 'round here. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/38 "2016-09-29T20:39:25Z")
I grew up in 'Sconsin (outside Mawaukee, down by the bruries, aina?) and I never heard the pronunciation Waukeesha. Of course, the suburb my folks live in is Wauwatosa, which was supposed to be Wauwautosa, derived (I am told) from the Menomenee Indian word “Wah-wah-tay-see” which means “little firefly”, but the city clerk who filled out the charter made a mistake. So we can’t pronounce anything either. Currently I live in the Twin Cities. A famous explorer of the Midwest was a French priest named Nicollet, pronounced (by normal people) as Nee-co-lay. Not in Minneapolis. where we have a street named after him. Nicollet Mall, pronounced Nickle-ett Mall. Regards, Shodan (but it’s pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/39 "2016-09-29T22:08:22Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Currently I live in the Twin Cities. A famous explorer of the Midwest was a French priest named Nicollet, pronounced (by normal people) as Nee-co-lay. Not in Minneapolis. where we have a street named after him. Nicollet Mall, pronounced Nickle-ett Mall. Oh, we’ve got a few of those in the Chicago area. Des Plaines being the most obvious one (pronounce something like “duhsplains” or “dih-splains.”) “Bourbonnais” is pronounced by some locals (mostly older, as in the mid-70s they settled on the Frenchy pronunciation) there as “bur-BONE-iss.” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167/40 "2016-09-30T00:10:41Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > When it’s an uncommon or difficult word the pronunciation is usually in the prompter. It looks here like whoever wrote the script and/or the the producer didn’t put the pronounce in. > > Usually, as long as there’s time, an announcer looks over their scripts before the show starts. If they feel the need, they might add a phonetic pronunciation to the prompter or their paper script to help them through it. > > This stuff sometimes (but not often at a decent national news outfit) falls through the cracks so it’s possible she was reading it cold. If that’s the case then she didn’t do too embarrassingly bad as far as broadcast mispronunciations go. Interesting. So you have personal experience with this? In other words, how do you know this? I’d love to talk to people who have experience with newscasting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erin-burnett-of-cnn-trump-campaigning-in-wah-kee-sha-wisconsin/767167.md?page=3)