# The US is trending towards its own Gloucesters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [November 3, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601 "2017-11-03T15:13:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/21 "2017-11-05T18:41:48Z")
Originally Posted by Evan Drake Eh, in England ‘Lancaster’ is pronounced Lan-kaster that’s how we say it ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/22 "2017-11-05T20:27:23Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Worcester, MA is pronounces “WHOO-ster” (or “WHOOS-tah” since it is Boston area). Yep. And Bangor, Maine is pronounced Bane-gore, while apparently all other Bangors in the US are pronounced Bang-er. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2017, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/23 "2017-11-05T21:10:46Z")
The Welsh original ( how on earth did the Mainians chose that ? ) is the oldest city in Wales, from the 6th century; pronounced Ban-Gor. Occasionally Banger. Bane-gore seems straight out of Middle-Earth and leads to a different scansion for non-USaians singing _Riding Down From Bangor_, as we often do. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2017, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/24 "2017-11-05T22:19:28Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yep. And Bangor, Maine is pronounced Bane-gore [No, it’s not](https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/-we-are-bangor---residents-explain-city-s-proper-pronunciation-396488259779). > [@jtur88](#): > > Iowans have a few oddities, preferring a long O to start Osceola, and a long I in Louisa = “lu-wye-za” Kentuckians pronounce it the same way (Louisa is a town in E. Kentucky coal country). The town of Nevada in Iowa is called “Ne-vay-da”. Texans would be horrified at how [Rio Grande](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande,_Ohio)\* is pronounced in Ohio (“Rye-O Grand”). \*best known as where Bob Evans Restaurants originated. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2017, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/25 "2017-11-05T22:24:57Z")
I lived in Lancaster, CA. It’s ‘LAN-kaster’. Except some people called it ‘Land-scatter’. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/26 "2017-11-06T04:20:25Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yep. And Bangor, Maine is pronounced Bane-gore, while apparently all other Bangors in the US are pronounced Bang-er. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/K_q9hAAIS-c/maxresdefault.jpg "How To Say Bangor, Maine | "We Are Bangor"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_q9hAAIS-c) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/27 "2017-11-06T04:29:47Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Siuslaw = “sigh-you-slaw” … most peoples get that wrong … Ever pass through Yachats on the way to somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/28 "2017-11-06T15:08:03Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Worcester, MA is pronounces “WHOO-ster” (or “WHOOS-tah” since it is Boston area). Kinda sorta. - This may be an unnecessary nitpick, since I can’t completely tell what vowel sound you’re going for with OO, but if you’re from MA but not from Worcester it’s got the same first syllable as Wookie or Rookie. If you’re from Worcester or the immediate surrounds it’s Wistah. Rhymes Mister (Mistah) in the MA accent. - Don’t aspirate your W. - Worcester MA is not in the Boston area :mad: 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/29 "2017-11-06T15:16:50Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > - Worcester MA is not in the Boston area :mad: 🙂 Sure it is; it’s just that New Englanders view distances as longer than people in other areas do. =) Worcester has its own Metropolitan Statistical Area, but it is part of the Boston-Worcester-Providence Combined Statistical Area, so that’s a tossup I guess. Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/30 "2017-11-06T22:01:34Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > The county wherein it abides is Lancashire. Maybe that threw you. > > Pronounced Lan-cash-er. Everyone should know that. After all, how many holes are in Blackburn Lancashire? > [@](#): > > We are fond of our shires. Except for those down in Devon, Dorset, and Somerset who sneer at your shires, you silly English kannnigggetts. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/31 "2017-11-06T23:04:04Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Americans definitely tend to add to pronunciations, even letters they think should be there even though they aren’t. Check out the pronunciations of these cities in Ohio. > > [Versailles, Ohio - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles,_Ohio) = Ver-Sales > > Just “normal” English pronunciation here. > > [Bellefontaine, Ohio - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellefontaine,_Ohio) = Bell-Fountain > > People (someone?) decided that even though there’s no ‘u’, it the second half of the name should be pronounced like the common English word it most resembles. Wait, those are from French, and you’re complaining about Americans ignoring and adding letters? The irony! > [@Motorgirl](#): > > - Worcester MA is not in the Boston area :mad: 🙂 I live in Texas. They aren’t much father apart than Dallas and Fort Worth. Houston is bigger than that. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/32 "2017-11-07T13:14:06Z")
I’m sometimes amused to hear British people pronounce Maryland the way it’s spelled: Mary Land. I tell them, no, it’s more like Marilyn with a D on the end, and then I threaten to pronounce Shrewsbury or Gloucester the way they’re spelled. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/33 "2017-11-07T13:40:27Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Except for those down in Devon, Dorset, and Somerset who sneer at your shires, you silly English kannnigggetts. I grew up in Devon \*, I can assure you the old guard added shire to all these… - Also in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Generally Chelt-Ten-Ham: although I imagine the peasants in **Cider With Rosie** prolly said Chellinam or something equally weird. Peasants are like that. Taunton in Somersetshire is still kinda pronounced Tan-Tan, which oddly enough was it’s original name in the 9th century. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/34 "2017-11-07T15:17:43Z")
My most popular [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=324818) was about shibboleths you can use to detect non-locals in your area. Most of them involved place names. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/35 "2017-11-08T00:36:34Z")
I lived close to Bicester, England for a few years. The locals pronounced it Bis-ter. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/36 "2017-11-08T14:31:01Z")
Among locals, Cairo, Ill. is pronounced “KAY ro.” Berlin, N.H. is “BER lin” (it supposedly changed during WWI in response to anti-German sentiment). Toledo, Ohio is “Ta LEE doh.” Boliver, Ohio is “BOL ver.” > [@glowacks](#): > > Americans definitely tend to add to pronunciations, even letters they think should be there even though they aren’t. Check out the pronunciations of these cities in Ohio. > > [Versailles, Ohio - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles,_Ohio) = Ver-Sales… The major street of that name in Pittsburgh is also pronounced that way. > [@dtilque](#): > > …Except for those down in Devon, Dorset, and Somerset who sneer at your shires, you silly English kannnigggetts. Now go away or I shall mispronounce your region’s name a second time. > [@Irishman](#): > > …I live in Texas. They aren’t much father apart than Dallas and Fort Worth. Houston is bigger than that. The sun is riz, the sun is set, and we iz still in Texas yet! A British friend to whom I showed Cecil’s column responded, \*A few miles from where I live you’ll find Wymondham (WIN-dum), Garboldisham (GARb’lsh’m) and Tacolneston (TACKLEst’n), while up on the Norfolk coast is Happisburgh (HAZEburra), and Costessey (COSSee) is s suburb of Norwich (NORRitch, but you knew that). There appears to be no help for it. Although the -ham element in a placename should be a separate syllable (“ham”, someone’s dwelling), Norfolk is very prone to let the h part of it play nice with the preceding consonant, so Deopham isn’t “Deep-Ham”, it’s DEEFum and so on. On the other hand Shropham is “SHROPum”, not “SHROFFum”, just when you though it was safe. The rest of the country is no better than Norfolk, sadly, and you have to be English born and bred to negotiate all the shibboleths. An Australian tourist in the Midlands is said to have had a mild breakdown trying to locate “Loogabarrooga” (how was he to know that “Loughborough” is pronounced LUFFburu?), and Frome in Somerset doesn’t rhyme with Rome but with Broom.\* ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/37 "2017-11-08T17:31:01Z")
Havre, MT is one. It’s pronounced /ˈhævər/, or HAV-ər, which reliably seems to trip up newcomers. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/38 "2017-11-08T18:36:29Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Berlin, N.H. is “BER lin” (it supposedly changed during WWI in response to anti-German sentiment). I don’t know about NH, but this is certainly true about Berlin Connecticut. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/39 "2017-11-08T21:21:32Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > The Welsh original ( how on earth did the Mainians chose that ? ) is the oldest city in Wales, from the 6th century; pronounced Ban-Gor. Occasionally Banger. > Bane-gore seems straight out of Middle-Earth and leads to a different scansion for non-USaians singing _Riding Down From Bangor_, as we often do. There is a nerd joke that people need to enunciate Baltimore more clearly otherwise Elder Scrolls fans will think you’re talking about Balmora. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601/40 "2017-11-08T22:58:40Z")
Credit to my home state: We have a town called Wooster, and we spell it Wooster. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-trending-towards-its-own-gloucesters/800601.md?page=3)