# pronouncing the county that Annapolis, MD is in **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270 "2012-06-25T17:56:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/61 "2012-06-27T13:17:30Z")
Its been a pleasure to discover my 12 year old daughter is very good at dipping crabs, baits her own hooks, takes the croakers off the hook without using gloves, and is in general fearless about life. I know this age is supposed to be a problem but… fingers crossed I have not seen it. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/62 "2012-06-27T16:43:49Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > What is it about Maryland? We don’t even pronounce our own **state** correctly. It’s like we took every English speaking dialect out back the wood shed and beat it to death with a rock, then stitched them all together and wear them like a really disgusting poncho. PROUDLY!! LOL, I was wondering when somebody would mention the pronunciation of the state name, one of my indelible memories of my first visit to the “Balmer Merlin” area was hearing that pronunciation. So do many Maryland inhabitants call their state “Merlin” or is that a real outlier? ---
**Author:** ![piepiepie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@piepiepie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/piepiepie)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/63 "2012-06-27T16:56:56Z")
Definitely not an outlier, but I say it closer to “mare-lin” if I had to guess. Since I’m posting from my phone, quoting is a pain, but in my area we have Giant (Landover and Carlisle), Acme, Food Lion, and Weis in addition to super Walmart. So as DC said, Giant still exists, but it’s regional, of course (we don’t have Shoppers up here). ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/64 "2012-06-27T17:03:34Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > LOL, I was wondering when somebody would mention the pronunciation of the state name, one of my indelible memories of my first visit to the “Balmer Merlin” area was hearing that pronunciation. > > So do many Maryland inhabitants call their state “Merlin” or is that a real outlier? “Mare-lind” for my home area just NW of DC. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/65 "2012-06-27T17:12:16Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > “Mare-lind” for my home area just NW of DC. I grew up in Maryland (Bowie, but before Wal-Mart was there). “Mare-uh-lind” is how I’ve always pronounced it. Bowie is “Boo-ee”. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/66 "2012-06-27T17:16:18Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > I grew up in Maryland (Bowie, but before Wal-Mart was there). “Mare-uh-lind” is how I’ve always pronounced it. Bowie is “Boo-ee”. Well, it depends on how fast you’re saying it. Sometimes I leave out the “Uh” if I’m in a rush. And yes, Boo-ee it is. Just remember that “American Legion Memorial Bridge” is properly pronounced “Cabin John Bridge.” ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/67 "2012-06-27T20:57:22Z")
Little known fact: Anna Rundell was a distant cousin of the gal in that Billy Joel song, Brenda Renetti. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/68 "2012-06-27T21:14:28Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > We sometimes drop the umlaut (or whatever the French call it) The French call it _le tréma_. > [@Bytegeist](#): > > It’s actually the _first_ L that was lost. Not many people know that. LOL! 😃 Good one! ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/69 "2012-06-27T22:47:38Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > “Mare-lind” for my home area just NW of DC. Same here. (Not that I’m a native.) –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/70 "2012-06-29T13:16:17Z")
I was born in Bal-ti-more. I have lived in Mare-uh-land my entire life. Grew up in Anne Ah-RUN-del County. I have never warshed or worshed a dish in worm wutter in my life, not even in the zinc. Nor do I celebrate Christmas in Dezember. I have never called the PO-lice, stepped off a curve or gone downy shore. I don’t say hun. I refuse to say ‘the Dena’. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270/71 "2012-06-29T14:12:10Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Wickamickoh? > Wikohmehckoh? Wicomico is my county - Why (Why is this blue?) - com ( like "com"munication) - ick (ie yucky) - co (long O) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronouncing-the-county-that-annapolis-md-is-in/626270.md?page=3)