Place names you always mispronounce (like Mackinac and Greenwich)

[bandit957]

Cool people always mispronounce certain geographic names, such as Mackinac and Greenwich.

I always pronounce the final 'c' in Mackinac. If I want to be even cooler, I call it "Mack Attack."

Lots of cool people pronounce the 's' in Illinois.

I always pronounce Greenwich like "green witch", the way it's spelled. A lot of this may be because the Wicked Witch from 'The Wizard Of Oz' was green.

Some place names can't really be pronounced, such as Banff.

[Max Rockatansky]

I can't quite get the name of Zacoalco de Torres right when I say it.  The proper way of pronouncing the name is apparently "Tzacoalco" given it has Aztec origin.

[Molandfreak]

None. I view it as a sign of respect to pronounce place names as the locals do if you're in the know about it.

[kernals12]

Peabody, Massachusetts. I do that on purpose, I refuse to pronounce it the way Porky pig pronounces the word "puberty". The cartoon isn't called Mr. Pee-buh-dee and Sherman

[Big John]

War cess ter MA

[TheCatalyst31]

I can never bring myself to call Bellefontaine, OH "bell-fountain" like the locals do.

[wriddle082]

There is a street in Downtown Nashville called Demonbreun St.  Non-locals pronounce it "demon brewin'", which is wrong.  The correct pronunciation is "duh-MON-bree-UN".  Sometimes I say "Demon Brewin'" because I heard a radio DJ call it that years ago.

Also Maury County, TN is not pronounced like talk show host Maury Povich.  Instead it is pronounced like Murry or Murray.  Normally I pronounce this one as it should be, to confuse the non-locals.

[kphoger]

This is basically the opposite of this thread.

[SectorZ]

The defunct town of Greenwich MA was actually pronounced "Green Witch". I don't believe any others were pronounced in such a way.

[LilianaUwU]

Any English speakers will mispronounce every city in Québec, as well as the province itself. No, it's not KWUH-beck, it's KAY-beck.

[JayhawkCO]

Any English speakers will mispronounce every city in Québec, as well as the province itself. No, it's not KWUH-beck, it's KAY-beck.

Isn't it more kay-BECK?

[LilianaUwU]

Any English speakers will mispronounce every city in Québec, as well as the province itself. No, it's not KWUH-beck, it's KAY-beck.

Isn't it more kay-BECK?

What's the difference?

[kphoger]

KAY-beck

kay-BECK

What's the difference?

Capital letters imply a stressed syllable.

[kphoger]

The defunct town of Greenwich MA was actually pronounced "Green Witch". I don't believe any others were pronounced in such a way.

Greenwich, KS, is also pronounced Green Witch.  For that reason, the city street that extends to that community is also pronounced Green Witch.  Although, there is one guy at church who annoyingly calls the street Grenn Witch...

[webny99]

Capital letters imply a stressed syllable.

I'd be stressed too if I was a syllable in Québec. 

[Max Rockatansky]

A lot of people don't pronounce Detroit like the locals in Michigan do.  Then again how locals pronounce the city name doesn't resemble how one would say Détroit in French.

[LilianaUwU]

how locals pronounce the city name doesn't resemble how one would say Détroit in French.

Thus how the locals pronounce it is wrong. One of the worst offenders of this is Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

[Max Rockatansky]

how locals pronounce the city name doesn't resemble how one would say Détroit in French.

Thus how the locals pronounce it is wrong. One of the worst offenders of this is Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

I take you aren't a fan of it being spun into acronym form via use of "CDA?"

[kphoger]

how locals pronounce the city name doesn't resemble how one would say Détroit in French.

Thus how the locals pronounce it is wrong. One of the worst offenders of this is Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

So you pronounce all of these 'correctly'?

[Big John]

how locals pronounce the city name doesn't resemble how one would say Détroit in French.

Thus how the locals pronounce it is wrong. One of the worst offenders of this is Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Fond du Lac, WI. No attempt of the French pronunciation.

[LilianaUwU]

how locals pronounce the city name doesn't resemble how one would say Détroit in French.

Thus how the locals pronounce it is wrong. One of the worst offenders of this is Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

So you pronounce all of these 'correctly'?

Yeah, because unlike English speakers with French names, we can pronounce English names.

[kphoger]

Yeah, because unlike English speakers with French names, we can pronounce English names.

You pronounce Sherbrooke and Shefford with English rhoticity?

[vdeane]

I always pronounce Greenwich like "green witch", the way it's spelled.

But that is the correct way to pronounce it...

(and yes, that's the real logo)

Any English speakers will mispronounce every city in Québec, as well as the province itself. No, it's not KWUH-beck, it's KAY-beck.

Case in point: Mawn TREE all

Although there actually is a meteorologist locally who pronounces Québec correctly (for anyone curious, it's Tim Drawbridge formerly of WTEN and now with WNYT)

[JayhawkCO]

Some place names can't really be pronounced, such as Banff.

Still surprised no one has commented on this. What's so hard about Banff?

[mgk920]

We've done threads like this in here before, like how many of the national sports guys and gals get Green Bay wrong.  it is not 'GREEN bay', it is 'green bay' (equal soft emphasis on both words).

( There are two kinds of people - those with IN-sure-ance' and those with 'in-SURE-ance'. )

Mike