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How do you pronounce these city names?

Started by Zeffy, August 17, 2014, 01:37:29 PM

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agentsteel53

Quote from: formulanone on August 18, 2014, 07:43:10 PM
Also, they told me to try to pronounce San Antonio's county name (Bexar)...it is pronounced "bear". Didn't believe it until I saw the local news that night.

English speakers mangle Spanish all manners of ways.  the X is an "H" (as in, how Mexicans pronounce "Mexico"), so the overall sound ends up similar to the last name of TV personality Joy Behar.

speaking of English manglings - along with the well known Anglifications of Los Angeles and San Francisco: Casa Grande, a town in Arizona, is pronounced by locals as it would read in English, as opposed to how it would read in Spanish.  the first word is "castle" without the "l" at the end; and "grande" is just "grand" with a silent e. 
live from sunny San Diego.

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formulanone

#51
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 18, 2014, 08:01:04 PM
Quote from: formulanone on August 18, 2014, 07:43:10 PM
Also, they told me to try to pronounce San Antonio's county name (Bexar)...it is pronounced "bear". Didn't believe it until I saw the local news that night.

English speakers mangle Spanish all manners of ways.  the X is an "H" (as in, how Mexicans pronounce "Mexico"), so the overall sound ends up similar to the last name of TV personality Joy Behar.

Bay-har and Bek-sar were my two guesses. I'd learned that equis sounded like EKS in Spanish class...I guess jota isn't enough of an EITCH, since hache couldn't be bothered to show up*. But I'd also surrounded myself with Carribean and South American dialects of Spanish, being from South Florida. And then when I went to Spain, I learned that some people sort of pronounce things the way the King does...though that depends if you're also living somewhere that's trying to create its own separate country or not!

(Of course, Hebrew has two silent letters, but they're dispatched for slightly different reasons.)

* that's how I remembered it for class, I got an A, so it's all bueno. Sorry if my mnemonic steps on any toes.

sammi

#52
Yonge St (seeing cl94's post above):
    Young. Back when we used to get packages from my grandfather (who lives on Yonge St), we pronounced it like Young-guh.

Other Toronto-area street names:

Dundas St:
    With the 'a' in 'cat' instead of the 'a' in 'aboot' 'about'.

Spadina Ave / Spadina Rd:
    Spa-dye-nuh. But Spadina House is Spa-dee-nuh.

Steeles Ave:
    Steels. I think most people would be able to pronounce this correctly. Interestingly enough, Google Maps' text-to-speech system pronounces it Steel-iss.

Strachan Ave:
    Strahn. :confused:

Cocksfield Ave:
    Coe-field. :wow:

Chinguacousy Rd, Brampton:
    Ching-koo-zee I think. I've only heard this a few times.




Delhi, Ontario:
    Dell-high. :ded:




Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 18, 2014, 08:01:04 PM
English speakers mangle Spanish all manners of ways.

I think this applies to many more languages actually, e.g. Bay-zhing for 北京. :)

cl94

Delhi, NY is pronounced the same way. While it was named after the city in India, it happens to have a high elevation in Delaware County.

Back to Toronto:

Bloor Street: Blur (I only know these because I listen to Toronto radio and venture up that way quite often).
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

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Alps

Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 08:49:09 PM
Delhi, NY is pronounced the same way. While it was named after the city in India, it happens to have a high elevation in Delaware County.

Both of the above are false. Delhi is so named because it is HIgh on the DELaware River.

cl94

Quote from: Alps on August 18, 2014, 09:05:04 PM
Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 08:49:09 PM
Delhi, NY is pronounced the same way. While it was named after the city in India, it happens to have a high elevation in Delaware County.

Both of the above are false. Delhi is so named because it is HIgh on the DELaware River.

Wikipedia was wrong. I always thought it had something to do with the river.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

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sammi

Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 08:49:09 PM
Bloor Street: Blur (I only know these because I listen to Toronto radio and venture up that way quite often).

Not really? It's just 'Bloor' but with more emphasis on the 'r'.

cl94

Quote from: sammi on August 18, 2014, 09:09:09 PM
Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 08:49:09 PM
Bloor Street: Blur (I only know these because I listen to Toronto radio and venture up that way quite often).

Not really? It's just 'Bloor' but with more emphasis on the 'r'.

Maybe I misheard the subway announcements
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

empirestate

Quote from: jake on August 18, 2014, 06:32:03 PM
Quote from: empirestate on August 18, 2014, 06:16:55 PM
And one from Washington I've always wondered about: "Cle Elum"??

CLEE-elum

Okay, so…two syllables? Sort of rhyming with "peel 'em", maybe with a little ghost syllable in the middle? Or is "elum" still distinctly two syllables by itself, like "bellum"? So, "CLEE-ell-um"?

Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 07:18:13 PM
Some more from New York:

Canajoharie: Can-a-joe-hairy
Patchogue: Patch-ogg (rhymes with nog)
Niskayuna: Niss-kay-oo-na
Cobleskill: Coe-bulls-kill
Ilion: Ill-ee-in
Avon: A-von, "A" as in "hat"
Speonk: Spee-onk
Java: Jay-va (expected pronunciation is also pretty common)
Skaneateles: Skuh-nea-tulls

Yup, I'm with you on all but the last: it's five syllables, "skin-ee-AT-ul-is". Essentially "skinny atlas" but with an extra "a" in "atlas".

And the Avon example illustrates a typical rule in Upstate place names, where initial vowels tend to be short, especially "a": Almond, Albion, Alfred and others all have the same first syllable, the name "Al". (Yes, Almond is not pronounced like the nut.) The outlier, of course, is Albany, whose first syllable is "all". I'm also not certain about Alden, or Alma.

Oh, and lest I forget, Coxsackie: "cook-SOCK-ee".

QuoteDownstate pronunciations come from family on the Island, upstate are from family and observation. I know Steuben County's pronunciation from being corrected by several gas station attendants, cashiers, waiters, etc. while in the county.

Yes, well as we see with Wilkes-Barre, even among local observation there isn't always consistency. (In fact, the only official consensus on Wilkes-Barre seems to be that there isn't an official consensus.)

My Long Island observations have also been from local speakers, although I admit I haven't heard Hauppauge pronounced very many times. I can certainly see how some speakers might morph it to "HOP-aig", wanting to see the last syllable spelled as "-ague" like Copiague. (That's also why you hear "war chester" for Worcester among non-locals, because they see it as akin to Rochester.)

I also know that Quogue is just "QUOG", and Napeague is "na-PEEG". Other LI placenames I'd like to hear are Cantiague, and also Quiogue—or is it Quioque? I'd like to know the answer on that spelling, too (the Census Bureau appears to have decided on the former).

And I know Steuben's pronunciation from having lived for some thirty years in Western NY. I guess I need to ask around some more, but I'm absolutely certain I've never heard "stew-BAHN", nor yet "STEW-bahn". I could see it sometimes coming out like "stew-BANN" instead of "stew-BEN", rather like "dairy ANN" for Darien, CT.

For that matter, the first time I ever heard Ossining pronounced, it was by someone who ought to have known, such as a train conductor, and it was "a-SINE-ing". Every time since, however, I've heard it as "OSS-a-ning", so I assume that's right.

Quote from: Alps on August 18, 2014, 09:05:04 PM
Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 08:49:09 PM
Delhi, NY is pronounced the same way. While it was named after the city in India, it happens to have a high elevation in Delaware County.

Both of the above are false. Delhi is so named because it is HIgh on the DELaware River.

Wait, both of the three statements are false?  :evilgrin: But yes, it is pronounced "DELL-high" in NY.

sammi

Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 09:11:11 PM
Quote from: sammi on August 18, 2014, 09:09:09 PM
Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 08:49:09 PM
Bloor Street: Blur (I only know these because I listen to Toronto radio and venture up that way quite often).

Not really? It's just 'Bloor' but with more emphasis on the 'r'.

Maybe I misheard the subway announcements

The subway announcements say it as two syllables. Blue-er.

Or at least on the old ones (T1 trains on the Yonge line). The new Rockets say it as one syllable.

cl94

Quote from: empirestate on August 18, 2014, 09:11:33 PM
Quote from: jake on August 18, 2014, 06:32:03 PM
Quote from: empirestate on August 18, 2014, 06:16:55 PM
And one from Washington I've always wondered about: "Cle Elum"??

CLEE-elum

Okay, so...two syllables? Sort of rhyming with "peel 'em", maybe with a little ghost syllable in the middle? Or is "elum" still distinctly two syllables by itself, like "bellum"? So, "CLEE-ell-um"?

Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 07:18:13 PM
Some more from New York:

Canajoharie: Can-a-joe-hairy
Patchogue: Patch-ogg (rhymes with nog)
Niskayuna: Niss-kay-oo-na
Cobleskill: Coe-bulls-kill
Ilion: Ill-ee-in
Avon: A-von, "A" as in "hat"
Speonk: Spee-onk
Java: Jay-va (expected pronunciation is also pretty common)
Skaneateles: Skuh-nea-tulls

Yup, I'm with you on all but the last: it's five syllables, "skin-ee-AT-ul-is". Essentially "skinny atlas" but with an extra "a" in "atlas".

And the Avon example illustrates a typical rule in Upstate place names, where initial vowels tend to be short, especially "a": Almond, Albion, Alfred and others all have the same first syllable, the name "Al". (Yes, Almond is not pronounced like the nut.) The outlier, of course, is Albany, whose first syllable is "all". I'm also not certain about Alden, or Alma.

Oh, and lest I forget, Coxsackie: "cook-SOCK-ee".

QuoteDownstate pronunciations come from family on the Island, upstate are from family and observation. I know Steuben County's pronunciation from being corrected by several gas station attendants, cashiers, waiters, etc. while in the county.

Yes, well as we see with Wilkes-Barre, even among local observation there isn't always consistency. (In fact, the only official consensus on Wilkes-Barre seems to be that there isn't an official consensus.)

My Long Island observations have also been from local speakers, although I admit I haven't heard Hauppauge pronounced very many times. I can certainly see how some speakers might morph it to "HOP-aig", wanting to see the last syllable spelled as "-ague" like Copiague. (That's also why you hear "war chester" for Worcester among non-locals, because they see it as akin to Rochester.)

I also know that Quogue is just "QUOG", and Napeague is "na-PEEG". Other LI placenames I'd like to hear are Cantiague, and also Quiogue–or is it Quioque? I'd like to know the answer on that spelling, too (the Census Bureau appears to have decided on the former).

And I know Steuben's pronunciation from having lived for some thirty years in Western NY. I guess I need to ask around some more, but I'm absolutely certain I've never heard "stew-BAHN", nor yet "STEW-bahn". I could see it sometimes coming out like "stew-BANN" instead of "stew-BEN", rather like "dairy ANN" for Darien, CT.

For that matter, the first time I ever heard Ossining pronounced, it was by someone who ought to have known, such as a train conductor, and it was "a-SINE-ing". Every time since, however, I've heard it as "OSS-a-ning", so I assume that's right.

Quote from: Alps on August 18, 2014, 09:05:04 PM
Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 08:49:09 PM
Delhi, NY is pronounced the same way. While it was named after the city in India, it happens to have a high elevation in Delaware County.

Both of the above are false. Delhi is so named because it is HIgh on the DELaware River.

Wait, both of the three statements are false?  :evilgrin: But yes, it is pronounced "DELL-high" in NY.

Alden is how it looks. Almost everything near Buffalo is pronounced how it is spelled. However, Amherst is Am-HERST, while every other town of the name is "Am-erst". Even within towns, there are often multiple pronunciations up here. It makes it so nobody knows what you're talking about. I've even heard Ossining as "Oss-ing", likely due to the Sing Sing prison.

While we're on pronunciations, Houston Street in Manhattan is HOWS-ton.

And replying to the Toronto post, I only hear "Bloor" announced on the Yonge-University Line because of where I typically park and visit.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Rainking75

This sums up all you need to know about the pronunciation of Massachusetts towns. My hometown is #2...  http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t4ZvGwD6_qg

jakeroot

#62
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 18, 2014, 06:54:34 PM
Quote from: briantroutman on August 18, 2014, 06:46:58 PM
Anyone from the Pacific NW: The Dalles (OR)–is it just "the DAY-ulls" ?

I've heard it to have the same syllable as Dallas, the city in Texas. 

(source: gas station attendant in Maupin, OR.)

The Dalles is pronounced "the dals" (like "the gals" but with a "d").


EDIT:

Quote from: empirestate on August 18, 2014, 09:11:33 PM
Quote from: jake on August 18, 2014, 06:32:03 PM
Quote from: empirestate on August 18, 2014, 06:16:55 PM
And one from Washington I've always wondered about: "Cle Elum"??

CLEE-elum

Okay, so...two syllables? Sort of rhyming with "peel 'em", maybe with a little ghost syllable in the middle? Or is "elum" still distinctly two syllables by itself, like "bellum"? So, "CLEE-ell-um"?

Yes. CLEE-ell-um. But ell-um is one syllable.

Duke87

Not city names, but New York City street names.

Houston Street: how-stun
New Utrecht Avenue: new you-trekked
Buhre Avenue: byoor


And here's a few Connecticut names that I've noticed some people who aren't from the area often mispronounce.

Canaan / North Canaan / New Canaan: it's pronounced "Cane-un". Like the land of Canaan from The Bible.
Darien: Dairy Ann. Like a girl who loves milk.
Noroton Heights: It's pronounced as though it ends with -ing but has the g lopped off per common slang. The first o is deemphasized and the second is pronounced like in "row". So figure it's something like "N'rowtin", or like some old man is waving his cane and complaining about "those damn Norotin' kids".
New London: is pronounced like it's one word, with the emphasis on "New". So it's "NEW-lon-din" all in one breath, not "New LON-din" as one might expect.
Danbury: Dan Berry. As though it's something you might pick off a bush.
Waterbury: Water Berry. Likewise.
Greenwich: "Grennitch", which as far as I know is also how they pronounced the one in England. Not "Green witch" as some other states pronounce their places with the same name.
Cheshire: "Cheshur", with the same ending as how we pronounce "New Hampshire".
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roadman65

How is Rehrersburg, PA pronounced?  Every single time I rode I-78/ US 22 through Berks County, PA I always wondered that one
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

briantroutman

Quote from: roadman65 on August 19, 2014, 02:20:50 AM
How is Rehrersburg, PA pronounced?  Every single time I rode I-78/ US 22 through Berks County, PA I always wondered that one

I believe it's correctly pronounced like RARE-errs-burg but more commonly comes our as RARES-burg.

Brandon

Quote from: Duke87 on August 19, 2014, 01:19:52 AM
Darien: Dairy Ann. Like a girl who loves milk.

Interesting.  Darien, IL is pronounced "dairy-in".
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"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

CNGL-Leudimin

'How do yoy pronounce these city names?' As they are written.
Supporter of the construction of several running gags, including I-366 with a speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h) and the Hypotenuse.

Please note that I may mention "invalid" FM channels, i.e. ending in an even number or down to 87.5. These are valid in Europe.

Jim

The posted pronunciations of a couple of the names from my local area don't match my experience.

Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 07:18:13 PM
Canajoharie: Can-a-joe-hairy

I always hear "Can-a-juh-hairy"

QuoteNiskayuna: Niss-kay-oo-na

I have always heard and said "Nisk-uh-you-nuh"

And the correction to Skaneateles that was already posted, but that one's not quite so local to me.
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1995hoo

The various mentions of places named "Canaan" remind me of the Canaan Valley in West Virginia, which I've always heard referred to as "cuh-NAIN."
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commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
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empirestate

Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 09:23:31 PM
Alden is how it looks.

Okay...so that's "Al" (like the man's name) and not "all". So it fits the pattern (assuming the first syllable is stressed).

A lot of idiomatic-sounding placenames are actually the result of being pronounced "how it looks" rather than how one normally hears a word pronounced. Take my earlier example of Theresa, or Delhi, or perhaps Lowville, which rhymes with "cow ville" rather than "toe ville". Or for a somewhat-too-literal version of "how it looks": Nunda ("NUN-day").

For its part, Nunda, like Delhi, illustrates another "rule" of Upstate placenames: final vowels are often long, even where they don't look like they'd be. Pulaski: "pull-ASS-kye". Lodi: "LOW-dye". And I believe it's Ischua: "ISH-oo-way".

That rule, however, doesn't apply to Iroquois placenames...

Quote from: jake on August 18, 2014, 10:50:07 PM
Yes. CLEE-ell-um. But ell-um is one syllable.

Got it. Drop the "u": "CLEE elm".

Quote from: Brandon on August 19, 2014, 06:53:00 AM
Quote from: Duke87 on August 19, 2014, 01:19:52 AM
Darien: Dairy Ann. Like a girl who loves milk.

Interesting.  Darien, IL is pronounced "dairy-in".

As it is in New York. And it's usually followed by "Lake", since the vast majority of utterances of this town's name are in connection with the amusement park there.

Quote from: Jim on August 19, 2014, 09:25:57 AM
Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 07:18:13 PM
Canajoharie: Can-a-joe-hairy

I always hear "Can-a-juh-hairy"

I think that's the same pronunciation; you just have to know where the stresses are. The "joe" syllable is unstressed, so it comes out as "juh". "CAN-a-ja-HAIR-ee" is how I'd write it (the strongest stress being on "hair"). It's akin to Schoharie: "ska-HAIR-ee".

Here's a baffler for you: Tioughnioga [River]. The only time I can recall hearing it pronounced was by a weather forecaster: "tee-OFF-nye-OH-ga". That would make "-nioga" rhyme with Tioga, so that adds up, but I'm suspicious of "tee-OFF-".

Pittsburghers will immediately be put in mind of Youghiogheny: "YOCK-a-gane-ee".

cl94

Quote from: empirestate on August 19, 2014, 09:52:41 AM
Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 09:23:31 PM
Alden is how it looks.

Okay...so that's "Al" (like the man's name) and not "all". So it fits the pattern (assuming the first syllable is stressed).

A lot of idiomatic-sounding placenames are actually the result of being pronounced "how it looks" rather than how one normally hears a word pronounced. Take my earlier example of Theresa, or Delhi, or perhaps Lowville, which rhymes with "cow ville" rather than "toe ville". Or for a somewhat-too-literal version of "how it looks": Nunda ("NUN-day").

For its part, Nunda, like Delhi, illustrates another "rule" of Upstate placenames: final vowels are often long, even where they don't look like they'd be. Pulaski: "pull-ASS-kye". Lodi: "LOW-dye". And I believe it's Ischua: "ISH-oo-way".

That rule, however, doesn't apply to Iroquois placenames...

Quote from: jake on August 18, 2014, 10:50:07 PM
Yes. CLEE-ell-um. But ell-um is one syllable.

Got it. Drop the "u": "CLEE elm".

Quote from: Brandon on August 19, 2014, 06:53:00 AM
Quote from: Duke87 on August 19, 2014, 01:19:52 AM
Darien: Dairy Ann. Like a girl who loves milk.

Interesting.  Darien, IL is pronounced "dairy-in".

As it is in New York. And it's usually followed by "Lake", since the vast majority of utterances of this town's name are in connection with the amusement park there.

Quote from: Jim on August 19, 2014, 09:25:57 AM
Quote from: cl94 on August 18, 2014, 07:18:13 PM
Canajoharie: Can-a-joe-hairy

I always hear "Can-a-juh-hairy"

I think that's the same pronunciation; you just have to know where the stresses are. The "joe" syllable is unstressed, so it comes out as "juh". "CAN-a-ja-HAIR-ee" is how I'd write it (the strongest stress being on "hair"). It's akin to Schoharie: "ska-HAIR-ee".

Here's a baffler for you: Tioughnioga [River]. The only time I can recall hearing it pronounced was by a weather forecaster: "tee-OFF-nye-OH-ga". That would make "-nioga" rhyme with Tioga, so that adds up, but I'm suspicious of "tee-OFF-".

Pittsburghers will immediately be put in mind of Youghiogheny: "YOCK-a-gane-ee".

I misspoke- Alden is "All-den"
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Brandon

OK, it's time to stump folks.

Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans.  No south Louisianans need answer.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

agentsteel53

Quote from: Brandon on August 19, 2014, 02:16:29 PM
OK, it's time to stump folks.

Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans.  No south Louisianans need answer.

I'd imagine "t" is silent; "ch" is as expected.  "ou" is long "oo" as in "boom".  "pit" is just like the English word.  another long "ou", that is the primary accented syllable in the word.  "las" as in Vegas.

unless I completely butchered it... it's nothing nearly as unintuitive as Worcester, MA.
live from sunny San Diego.

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sammi

Quote from: Brandon on August 19, 2014, 02:16:29 PM
Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans
Looks like Choo-pi-too-las, but Wikipedia says Chop-. :confused:



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