How many US cities share a common (but mispronounced) name with a world city?

Colorado has Buena Vista, pronounced throughout the state as Byue-na Vista.

Clemson != KLEM-son.

Clemson = KLEMP-zen.

Marseilles (pronounced Mar-Sails), Illinois

Ohio is one more state with a BER lin.

Ohio also has a:
Mantua ==> MAN o way
Rio Grande ==> RYE oh grand (grandee?) (Home of Bob Evans sausage)
Medina ==> Me DYE na
Mesopotamia ==> MESS poh

Milan, MI is another MY lin.

(And a bit off topic, in that I don’t know another city with the same name, but the township of Orion and village of Lake Orion, MI are pronounced OH ree on instead of oh RYE on. I have heard, but cannot confirm, that OH ree on is a British pronunciation for the constellation.)

The way the locals pronounce it can’t adequately be reproduced on screen, but the rest of us say NOR-f’k, with a schwa in the second syllable.

No, it’s or-EYE-un here.

Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The stress is put on the first syllable instead of the last.

I quite liked the “possible urban legend” theory posted earlier re. changing names of places so as not to be like them pesky Nazis. It made sense enough for me, until I realised it does not help at all with this eeming obsession with “Versails” etc.

Of course, right now, all those eating “Freedom Fries” might want to make sure nothing wounds remotely French. :slight_smile:

Incidentally, more of a question that a contribution, but - even if it is not a city - how is the university/college/whtever Bryn Mawr pronounced in the States?

And I know there places with names like Glasgow, and Aberdeen and Inverness - is anything different done to their pronunciation?

A malt whisky to the first person to say “GLES-ca”.

Just north of Berlin NH is Milan, also pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable. I’ve heard the WWII story ever since I started going up there 20 years ago, but have never seen any documentation. I just emailed the town manager to see if they can back up or refute the story.

Shrewsbury in Mass is one that springs readily to mind. Heving grown up on a steady diet of BBC radio, I always thought that it was pronounced as Shrows’ bury…with the first syllable sounding similar to sow.

But learnt that most locals pronounce it the way its spelt …Shroos’ bury. I checked online for the way the English pronounce and apparently the townsfolk in the English town of the same name do it both ways!

An interesting link http://www.worcestermass.com/pronounce/worcestercounty.shtm

IMHO, it 's pronounced “Nor-fuk.” It isn’t a city, by the way, it’s a county, with county town of Norwich (pronounced Norritch). Isn’t there an American town with this name, only pronounced the way it’s spelt? I can’t remember…

I’ve always heard, and said, “Brinn Marr”. Is this laughable? How are you supposed to say it?

Madrid, Iowa, pronounced as MAD-rid, has already been mentioned. We also have:

Nevada, pronounced Nuh-VADE-uh

Traer, pronounced tr-AIR, not “trer”

Buena Vista County, pronounced Buna Vist-ah

Quasqueton and Maquoketa, Allamakee County, Winneshiek County, and Keosaqua, all pronounced God knows how.

Keokuk, pronounced Key-cuk, or Key-OH-cook, as the fancy hits. A cross-eyed person is said to have “one eye toward Key-cuk.” Elgin is pronounced El-jin, as in cotton gin, not El-ghin with a hard G.

Childhood memories tell me that Bellefountaine, Ohio, is pronounced Bell-fontain, like water fountain. Remember Ohio people pronounce all words without moving their lips—like”king.”

Rio, Wisconsin (rye-o)
Nevada, Iowa (Ne-VAY-duh)

And a Dresden. But it’s not pronounced that differently, I suppose, just with a southern accent…“DRAYZZZZZZ-din”

There is also a “Hay-tie” (Haiti), Missouri, but I’m not sure that the spelling is the same as the country.

Indeed, it’s pronounced BELL-fountain in Ohio.

There is also a BER-lin in OHIO.

Also a CAY-ro (Cairo) about 15 miles from me.

My hometown of Valparaiso, IN (AKA Valpo). I have no idea of how the name of the same town in Florida is pronounced, but the one in Indiana is Val-pa-RAY-so, and I’m pretty sure the one in Chile is Val-pa-RYE-so. AskNott, I was really surprised to see somebody else even knows about San Pierre.

Norridge is a suburb of Chicago (adjacent to the city limits on the NW).

From a 70s National Lampoon competition of geographical puns: “Sarah’s a real prude. She’ll neither kiss Norfolk.”

<hijack>What about other geographical names that are spelled the same but pronounced differently? For instance, Houston: HYOO-ston, Texas and HOW-ston Street, NY.</hijack>

Worcester is actually “WOOS-tah.” No 'r’s at all. :smiley:

I lived in Bremen, Georgia for several years, pronounced “BREE-man.” Of course it was right next to “BUCK-anan”- I have no hopes for their ability to correctly pronounce German towns if they can’t get presidents’ names right.

We have a LaFayette as well; or at least a “lahFAYet.”