# Town/City names butchered by Americanization **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 9, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042 "2010-11-09T15:26:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/41 "2010-11-09T18:54:20Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > Domremy, SK. Pronounced Door-em-ee. > > Down the road is St. Louis. Louis is pronounced the French way. Is this always true? I know I’ve heard “Saint Lou-ee” and “Saint \” both (and “saint” as in English, not the French pronunciation). And from local people or institutions - I’m thinking of the Budweiser commercials advertising the beer as being made by “Anheuser-Busch, St. \, Missouri”. (And “Mi-ZUR-ee”, not “Miz-ZUR-uh”.) ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/42 "2010-11-09T18:54:35Z")
Los Angeles, CA, obviously. I agree with the LANG-kester pronunciation. It’s the way the locals say it and it’s the way I was taught to say it. Then there’s Carnegie, PA. Folks, listen to me…it’s pronounced carNAYgee as in /kɑr ˈneɪ ɡi/. The stress is in the middle of the word. Seriously. This whole CARnigee /ˈkɑrnɨɡi/ shit has to stop yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/43 "2010-11-09T19:00:11Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I thought that the long I was a more traditional/British pronunciation. I thought the British said it Re-jee-na whereas the city is Reg-eye-na. > [@robardin](#): > > Is this always true? I know I’ve heard “Saint Lou-ee” and “Saint \” both (and “saint” as in English, not the French pronunciation). And from local people or institutions - I’m thinking of the Budweiser commercials advertising the beer as being made by “Anheuser-Busch, St. \, Missouri”. (And “Mi-ZUR-ee”, not “Miz-ZUR-uh”.) That’s the thing, the famous American city says Lewis. But this little village says Lou-ee. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/44 "2010-11-09T19:00:41Z")
I lived in San Pedro, CA (pronunced san PEEdro). It’s not like there aren’t plenty of spanish city and street names, not to mention plenty of spanish speakers there, but one never, ever pronounces it the Spanish way. Not that it comes up often, but I cringe whenever I mention it and people look at me like I’m an idiot. I just tell them “I know, I know, but that’s the one and only way the locals pronounce it”. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/45 "2010-11-09T19:10:19Z")
Oooo Oooo, I’m next! **Versailles, Pa**. Suburb of Pittsburgh. Pronounced Ver-Sails. Boyfriend grudgingly calls it that. Pisses me off pretty badly, though. Me, I find it hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/46 "2010-11-09T19:43:55Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Versailles/North Versailles PA – pronounced by locals “ver - sails” > > DuBois PA - pronounced by locals as “Do boys” > [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Oooo Oooo, I’m next! > > **Versailles, Pa**. Suburb of Pittsburgh. Pronounced Ver-Sails. > > Boyfriend grudgingly calls it that. Pisses me off pretty badly, though. Me, I find it hilarious. Day late and a dollar short, I’m afraid! 😃 I was going to say that one too, learned about when I lived in PGH, plus I vacationed in the one in Kentucky. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/47 "2010-11-09T19:44:02Z")
> [@elninost0rm](#): > > Damn, beat me. me too. there’s a versailles, indiana, as pronounced upthread. when i first moved here i kept calling it ver-sigh. got some very odd looks for it, too. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/48 "2010-11-09T19:54:51Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Day late and a dollar short, I’m afraid! 😃 > > I was going to say that one too, learned about when I lived in PGH, plus I vacationed in the one in Kentucky. Oh maaaaan. I did a control+F search for “pittsburgh” but not versailles. Drats! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/49 "2010-11-09T20:06:11Z")
In Virginia, there’s the town of Buena (BYOO-nuh) Vista, and the county of Fauquier (FAW-keer). There are also the cities of Norfolk. The one in Virginia is pronounced NAH-f’k, and the one in Nebraska is pronounced Nor-Fork. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/50 "2010-11-09T20:06:51Z")
Do people that live in or near Versailles ever talk about that place in France? If so, how do they pronounce it? (Same question for people living in Madrid and Berlin.) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/51 "2010-11-09T20:08:43Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > Iowa has Madrid (MAD-rid) and Nevada (Nev-AID-ah) > [@tdn](#): > > There’s MAD-rid, New Mexico and BER-lin, Massachusetts. Also New MAD-rid, Missouri. You might have heard of their earthquake. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/52 "2010-11-09T20:14:53Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > In places where more than half the people actually speak the lanugage of the name, sometimes it’s useful to “butcher.” We do that here with the neighborhood of [Los Feliz](http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=los+feliz+los+angeles&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Los+Feliz,+Los+Angeles,+California&gl=us&ei=xXrZTKLgNYa8sAOahsyYCA&sqi=2&ved=0CBcQ8gEwAA&ll=34.112373,-118.285074&spn=0.019969,0.038581&z=15), because if someone says, “Vete a los feliz” [los fei 'lis], one may not know if they’re talking about some people or the place. So even Spanish speakers will often corrupt the pronunciation to make themselves clear, and say “vete a [los 'fi lis].” Damn…didn’t think I’d get beaten to this one, but that’s exactly the locale I came in here to post about. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/53 "2010-11-09T20:23:06Z")
Some of the Spanish place names in California have acquired weird Anglicized pronunciations, like the aforementioned Los Feliz. Los Angeles, Vallejo (the ll is pronounced English style, but the j is silent), and San Rafael (San Ru-FELL), all of which are old place names with legitimate roots in California’s Spanish colonial past, spring to mind. Then there are the bizarre, fake Spanish names that confuse English and Spanish speakers alike. My grandmother used to live in a gated community in Orange County called Casta del Sol. I have no idea what people were thinking when they came up with that one. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/54 "2010-11-09T20:54:50Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > My grandmother used to live in a gated community in Orange County called Casta del Sol. I have no idea what people were thinking when they came up with that one. Race of the Sun, right? It’s a good name for a place of wealth and arrogance. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/55 "2010-11-09T21:20:19Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > It’s a good name for a place of wealth and arrogance. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/56 "2010-11-09T21:29:22Z")
Villa Rica is pronounced: VILL - ah Rick - ah in GA. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/57 "2010-11-09T21:33:08Z")
Ugh **jali** , that might be one of the most egregious. Like nails on a chalkboard. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/58 "2010-11-09T21:33:09Z")
> [@Scubaqueen](#): > > me too. there’s a versailles, indiana, as pronounced upthread. when i first moved here i kept calling it ver-sigh. got some very odd looks for it, too. :dubious: Don’t you go mispronouncing the capital of our fair county of Ripley! 😃 There’s also Milan, Indiana as well (in the same county!). OK, I live in Dearborn county now. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/59 "2010-11-09T22:06:16Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Do people that live in or near Versailles ever talk about that place in France? If so, how do they pronounce it? (Same question for people living in Madrid and Berlin.) They pronounce it like you do - “versai”. There’s also “No-ter Daym”, the Indiana school, and “Notruh Dom”, the city in France. And while everyone’s talking about PA, Reading is pronounced like the past-tense verb, not the present participle. It’s said “Redding”. It’s not an Americanization of anything, but it can’t be said enough. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042/60 "2010-11-09T22:13:38Z")
Illinois is a serial offender. Bourbonnais. Pronounced “Bur-BONE-ess.” Peru. Pronounced “PEE-roo.” Cairo. Pronounced “CARE-oh.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/town-city-names-butchered-by-americanization/560042.md?page=4)