I believe they are correct and I also say on-velope, res-ev-wah, and not-rah dahm, not note-a-dame. Khaki is one which always makes me smile as I say car-key not cacky.
Different pronunciations of words between states or countries is one thing and we all like our own pronunciations best, but to actually say a totally different word is another; as in the ask/axe or nukular/nuclear examples. They are just plain wrong as is umberella and ecsetra.
Another which comes to mind is Anartica, there is another “t” and “c” in Antarctica folks.
I guess I always thought it was polite to pronounce places like the locals do (stopping short of imitating their accents.)
I always thought it was Or-a-gon until I got to college and met people who were actually from there and taught me it was “Organ.” Berlin, NJ is pronounced “BER-lin,” and IMHO anyone who insists on calling it Ber-LIN even after they get told sounds like a condescending ass. (And yes, calling it BER-lin takes some getting used to.) And to reference an example above–When we’re explaining to people that it’s pronouced “How-ston Street” and not “Hyoo-ston Street,” we may note that Sam Houston did pronounce it “How-ston.” But to insist on calling the city in Texas How-ston is really just embarrassing. Yeah, ha ha. “Look at the stupid Texans who don’t even know how to pronounce Sam Houston’s name.” Mmm’kay. Start pronouncing (and spelling!) all those historical Dutch names we have correctly, and then we’ll talk. (Uh-oh! Given New Yorker’s penchant for feeling superior, I hope I haven’t inspired anyone to start referring to the Haarlem Globetrotters! :eek: )
But as I said, trying to imitate the very specialized local way of saying a place name is nearly as bad. Yes, we should say “New Orlins,” not “New Orleens,” but to hear someone with a thick Jersey accent pop out with a “Nawlins” is laughable.
But back to the OP–How the heck are you supposed to pronounce “homage” if not as “o-maaj?”
But I do say “foyer.” I feel like a tool saying “foy-yay.” Though I do admit to sometimes referring to the few square feet of space inside our front door as the “fwaa-yayh.” Gets a laugh, if nothing else. I also refer to our front stoop as the veranda.
I don’t guess it’s stupid to pronounce nuclear like “nucular”. Unless of course you’re in a very public position and you know people are going to ride your ass for it and you do it anyway.
Linguistically, much of central and south coastal Florida shows patterns very typical of non-southern regions of the US. But I wouldn’t recommend trying to tell folks in, say, Brooker or Luraville that they’re not Southern.
Nope. Technically, it’s the Panhandle coast and includes Pensacola. (cite) Although I did find one site that claimed St. Augustine is included; what are those folks smokin’? It’s really weird, I’m from Gainesville & I went to school in Athens and lived in Atlanta for a while. All the Georgians loooooove Panama City. Growing up in Florida I always thought it was a really trashy place to hang out.
BTW, I have to congradulate you on the boscurity of your city, I had no idea where the heck Oviedo was 'til I looked it up…
By the same token, I spent half an hour looking up “boscurity” before I realized it’s a typo.
Oviedo is basically part of Orlando. There are buildings pretty much all the way from downtown Orlando to here; it just happens to be right over the county line so it gets to be a little more independent than most 'burbs.
That the “redneck” in “redneck riviera” is apt and North Florida really is Southern. Which is why the Georgians and Alabamans like it despite the presence of much nicer beaches elsewhere in Florida.
Um, yeah, pronunciation. I say oh-maage. And ah-CU-trey-mons (accoutrements) and day-Nu-mon (denouement). Also, bah-NAL. So I vote for the annoyingly, Frenchie-fied versions…
Yeah, I know. I was just yanking your chain. Sorry about that.
I always said bah-NAHL instead of BAY-nul because it sounds fancier that way and doesn’t rhyme with “anal”. And it pisses off folks who know it should be pronounced the other way, which is fun too.
I have been to middle and “southern” Florida and it is not the South. The panhandle is the South, Jacksonville is the South, Orlando is not the South, Miami is not the South.
I just want to beg everyone, PLEASE don’t say “Foy-yay”! Either pronounce it in French* or pronounce it in English, but don’t mix the two like that. It’s icky.
*Be aware that if you do pronounce it in French a lot of people will think you pretentious, but it’s definitely better than the mixture of English/French that is heard sometimes.
This may not have been one of RNATB’s best OP’s, but he’s certainly not stupid. He contributes some good stuff around here. Good sense of mild, self-deprecating humor. He might one day become a worthy successor to Rue de Day.
