Unique local pronunciations for place names

[Coelacanth]

there is a town in upstate New York whose name is spelled the same way but is pronounced like "sello."

The one in Minnesota is also pronounced like this.

[formulanone]

Alachua, Florida exists in Alachua county; both the city and county names are spelled the same. But the county name is pronounced "ah-lat-chew-ah" (soft A), but the city name is pronounced "ah-lat-chew-A" (hard A) by the locals to distinguish the two.

When traveling, I either politely ask, or wait until I've heard I few locals say it first. As if the camera isn't enough of a giveaway...

[6a]

There is a road in Albemarle County, Virginia, just north of Charlottesville, named Rio Road. Local residents pronounce it with a long "I" sound: RYE-o, like rye bread with an "o" on the end. Many theories abound for the rationale but nobody really knows why it's that way. It just is.

Rio Grande, Ohio is pronounced the same way.  No idea as to why here, either.

The name of the town of Buena Vista, Virginia, is pronounced "byoo-na vista," similar to what someone else noted elsewhere.

And not far from there is Botetourt County, VA with its backwoods BOT-uh-tott pronunciation.  Sometimes I wonder if things in that part of VA aren't pronounced goofy just so people get lost and stay the hell out

[DeaconG]

Seriously...no one mentioned Kissimmee?

It's pronounced either "Ka-sem-ee" or "Kuh-sem-ee".

On pain of death, do NOT pronounce it "Kiss-im-mee" or the locals will have to show the police where they buried your body!
They REALLY resent it!

[1995hoo]

There is a road in Albemarle County, Virginia, just north of Charlottesville, named Rio Road. Local residents pronounce it with a long "I" sound: RYE-o, like rye bread with an "o" on the end. Many theories abound for the rationale but nobody really knows why it's that way. It just is.

Rio Grande, Ohio is pronounced the same way.  No idea as to why here, either.

The name of the town of Buena Vista, Virginia, is pronounced "byoo-na vista," similar to what someone else noted elsewhere.

And not far from there is Botetourt County, VA with its backwoods BOT-uh-tott pronunciation.  Sometimes I wonder if things in that part of VA aren't pronounced goofy just so people get lost and stay the hell out

It's not just that part of Virginia. Tazewell County is pronounced "TAZ-well," with "taz" sounding like the first three letters of "Tasmania" (short "a" sound).

During my brother's first year of college at William & Mary he lived in a dorm named Taliaferro. But the name was pronounced like "Tolliver" (with the "o" having an "ah" sound, like the last name of former NFL/CFL quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver).

[CL]

Here are some from Utah:

Tremonton: TREE-mon-ton.
Layton: LAY-n (with a glottal stop where the dash is - pronouncing the "t" just sounds weird here).
Tooele: Too-ILL-uh.
Weber: WEE-burr.
Hooper: HOOH-purr (first vowel rhymes with that of "book," like in Nebraska).
Paragonah: Pear-a-GOO-nuh.
Duchesne: Do-SHANE (you'd be surprised how many will go around saying "Do-chesney).
Hurricane: HER-ih-kehn.
Mantua: MAN-oo-ey.
Alta: the first "a" is as in "apple," not "all."
Salina: Suh-LIE-nuh.


As for Boise, even Salt Lakers will pronounce it "Boy-zee." That's how far you have to go to lose the "Boy-cee" pronunciation.

[on_wisconsin]

More Wisco.....

Mondovi: (mon-doh-vee)

Eau Claire: (oh-claire)(like the Irish last name O'Claire)

Waunakee: (wan-uh-key)(like 'want a key' with out the 't' in want)

Menomonie: (men-nom-nee) or (mon-nom-nee)(the last 'o' is mostly silent)

Prescott: (press-cot)

Alma: (el-ma)

In MN

Rochester: (rod-chester)

[agentsteel53]

Eau Claire: (oh-claire)(like the Irish last name O'Claire)

this sounds close enough to the original French to not be a particular unusual pronounciation.  "eau" as "oh" is fairly standard American bastardization of French.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

In MN

Rochester: (rod-chester)

As a lifelong MN resident, this one is new to me. I always thought it was Raw-Chester.

For the Alma entry, is it also pronounced that way in Alma Center or just in Alma?

[hobsini2]

The one in WI is very simply AL-mah. (Alma)

And please what ever you do in Joliet, don't call it Ju-LEE-it or Ja-LEE-it. It is Joe-LEE-it.  There had been an ordinance, don't know if it still on the books, that you could spend the night in jail for mispronouncing the city name.

[formulanone]

"eau" as "oh" is fairly standard American bastardization of French.

...not our fault they can't spell their own language properly. They practically invented the silent letter.

[agentsteel53]

...not our fault they can't spell their own language properly. They practically invented the silent letter.

says the speaker of the language in which "Woolfardisworthy" is a two-syllable word.  (it's pronounced "woolsy")

also the language in which "Enroughty" is pronounced "Darby", which is a real "what the deuce" (pronounced "what the fuck").

[formulanone]

^ I'm from the south, we don't keep letters silent, we slur 'em together.

[Michael in Philly]

"eau" as "oh" is fairly standard American bastardization of French.

...not our fault they can't spell their own language properly. They practically invented the silent letter.

At least French is fairly consistent, once you know the rules.  We're the ones that have eight different ways of pronouncing "ough."

[Dr Frankenstein]

At least French is fairly consistent, once you know the rules.  We're the ones that have eight different ways of pronouncing "ough."

No. (Don't get me started.)

[1995hoo]

At least French is fairly consistent, once you know the rules.  We're the ones that have eight different ways of pronouncing "ough."

No. (Don't get me started.)

Shouldn't that be "neau"????   

[formulanone]

Pompano Beach, Florida: I'm amazed how many people pronounce this as "pom-PAN-oh" or even "pomp-a-NOW". It's either "POM-pa-no" or "pomp-a-no" (no as in "know").

One of those things I took for granted (I had family there for years) until I worked that town for a year.

[on_wisconsin]

The one in WI is very simply AL-mah. (Alma)

Having spent the majority of my childhood growing up within 20'ish miles away from there, that pronunciation (al-ma) was a way to tell outsiders from locals (el-ma is correct).

[iowahighways]

A few for Iowa:

Buena Vista (county and university): BYOO-na VISS-ta

Charlotte: shar-LOT

Churdan: chur-DAN

Delhi: DEL-high

Guttenberg: GUT-in-burg

Lamoni: la-MOAN-eye

Madrid: MAD-rid

Maquoketa: ma-KO-keh-tah

Nevada: ne-VAY-duh

Quasqueton: KWAS-keh-tahn

Sigourney: SIG-er-nee

Tripoli: tri-POH-luh

Waukee: wah-KEY

Also, even though this is not the official pronunciation, some locals pronounce Urbandale "ur-BAHN-duh-lay" as a joke.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

Some from Louisiana:

Thibodaux: TIB-i-do
Houma: HO-ma (though according to someone from that town, supposedly the real hardcore locals say HOO-ma)
Chalmette: Chal-MET
Meraux: MURE-o
Lafayette: La-fee-YET
Pointe Coupee: Point ku-PEE
Des Allemands: des ALL-munds
Metairie: MET-uh-ree (not met-AIR-ee or Metry)
Calcasieu: KAL-ka-shew
Plaquemines: PLAK-min or PLAK-uh-min (same for the city of Plaquemine, which is located nowhere near Plaquemines Parish - btw Plaquemines means "persimmon" in French)
Gardere: Gar-DEER (I have heard gar-dee-ray erroneously)
Iberville: The street in New Orleans is EYE-ber-vil, the parish is EH-ber-vil
Avoyelles: a-VOY-ils (I have also heard a-VOLLS from area residents)
Rapides: rap-EEDS
Ouachita: WASH-eh-taw
Catahoula: Kat-ah-HOO-la (so far as I know)
La Place: La-PLAHSS (acts like one word)
Tchefuncte: Chuh-FUNK-tuh
Tchoupitoulas: CHOP-eh-TOO-lus (don't count this as definitive, this is considered notoriously hard to pronounce)
Amite: I have heard a-MEET for the river, but AY-mit for the town in Louisiana and county in Mississippi
Lafourche: la-FOOSH
Bossier: BOH-zher
Natchitoches: NAK-uh-tish (though I keep the phonetic pronunciation handy so I can remember how to spell the name)
Lecompte: luh-KUMPT
Caddo: KAH-do
Boutte: I have always heard boo-TEE
Vacherie: VACH-uh-ree
Port Barre: Port BA-ree
Montegut: MON-teh-gyu
Vidalia: vi-DAIL-ya (might be different in other states so just thought I'd throw that in)
Brusly: BROO-lee
Maurepas: MAW-ruh-paw
Many: MAY-nee (IIRC)
My personal favorite - Iowa: I-o-WAY
And of course, New Orleans is Noo OR-lunz, or Noo OR-lyunz for the true yats

Worst mispronunciation I have come across: BAY-tone ROOG for BR

[bassoon1986]

What's the correct way of pronouncing Louisville in Kentucky? I've always pronounced it as Louie-ville, but my understanding that it's really like lou-a-vull. BTW, Louisville in Mississippi is the way it's spelled, Louis-ville.

I've heard that the pronunciation of Louisville, Ky. is based somewhat on the background of the person. People with a more southern background say Loo-ah-vul, but those with a more northern background say Louie-ville. Just about every other Louisville around the country I have heard of is pronounced Loo-is-ville.

In Louisiana I've developed a theory that if you drew a horizontal line through the state across Alexandria, most towns with "ville" at the end north of that line are pronounced "vull"
Ex: Rayville, Crowville, Farmerville, Bienville

However, down south most of those spelling are pronounced "ville"
Ex: Mandeville, Madisonville, Donaldsonville, Abbeville

Pineville is right in the center and I hear it both ways


and someone earlier mentioned Lafayette in Louisiana as opposed to other places.  I've always heard "Laffy-ETT"  like in Laffy Taffy

[NWI_Irish96]

Indiana:

Pulaski = Puh-lass-KAI
Versailles = Vur-SAY-ulz
Osceola = OH-see-oh-luh
Kosciusko = KOZ-ee-aus-ko

Michigan:

Charlotte = Shar-LOT

[agentsteel53]

Kosciusko = KOZ-ee-aus-ko

that doesn't sound to be all that far off the correct Polish pronunciation.

[bassoon1986]

Some from Louisiana:

Thibodaux: TIB-i-do
Houma: HO-ma (though according to someone from that town, supposedly the real hardcore locals say HOO-ma)
Chalmette: Chal-MET
Meraux: MURE-o
Lafayette: La-fee-YET
Pointe Coupee: Point ku-PEE
Des Allemands: des ALL-munds
Metairie: MET-uh-ree (not met-AIR-ee or Metry)
Calcasieu: KAL-ka-shew
Plaquemines: PLAK-min or PLAK-uh-min (same for the city of Plaquemine, which is located nowhere near Plaquemines Parish - btw Plaquemines means "persimmon" in French)
Gardere: Gar-DEER (I have heard gar-dee-ray erroneously)
Iberville: The street in New Orleans is EYE-ber-vil, the parish is EH-ber-vil
Avoyelles: a-VOY-ils (I have also heard a-VOLLS from area residents)
Rapides: rap-EEDS
Ouachita: WASH-eh-taw
Catahoula: Kat-ah-HOO-la (so far as I know)
La Place: La-PLAHSS (acts like one word)
Tchefuncte: Chuh-FUNK-tuh
Tchoupitoulas: CHOP-eh-TOO-lus (don't count this as definitive, this is considered notoriously hard to pronounce)
Amite: I have heard a-MEET for the river, but AY-mit for the town in Louisiana and county in Mississippi
Lafourche: la-FOOSH
Bossier: BOH-zher
Natchitoches: NAK-uh-tish (though I keep the phonetic pronunciation handy so I can remember how to spell the name)
Lecompte: luh-KUMPT
Caddo: KAH-do
Boutte: I have always heard boo-TEE
Vacherie: VACH-uh-ree
Port Barre: Port BA-ree
Montegut: MON-teh-gyu
Vidalia: vi-DAIL-ya (might be different in other states so just thought I'd throw that in)
Brusly: BROO-lee
Maurepas: MAW-ruh-paw
Many: MAY-nee (IIRC)
My personal favorite - Iowa: I-o-WAY
And of course, New Orleans is Noo OR-lunz, or Noo OR-lyunz for the true yats

Worst mispronunciation I have come across: BAY-tone ROOG for BR

The only one I disagree with is Lecompte. I worked about 10 miles from there and it sounds like Luh-COUNT...no P sound. I used to love quizzing my out of state friends in college on this stuff if we were on road trips.

[Michael in Philly]

Kosciusko = KOZ-ee-aus-ko

that doesn't sound to be all that far off the correct Polish pronunciation.

Um, no.
I gave up my attempt to learn my ancestral language after a month, but I do know how to pronounce it.  It's approximately kawsh-CHUSH-koh.