Place names you always mispronounce (like Mackinac and Greenwich)

[mgk920]

Well, then get Waupaca, Weyauwega, Mukwanago, Oconomowoc, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Menasha here in Wisconsin right!

Mike

The trick one is Shawano. Not pronounced exactly as spelled.

'Shawano' is the easiest way of all for the locals here to tell the natives from the tourists ( AKA, 'FIBs' ).

Mike

[kphoger]

nevada means snowy in Spanish, and Nevada means the driest U.S. state, so why should they be pronounced the same?

Does the Sierra Nevada not get snow?

It does. It also covers a very tiny fraction of the state. Certainly far less than the Great Basin or the Mojave Desert (the latter of which wasn't within Nevada's original boundaries).

If they had meant to be accurate with the state name, they would have named us Cuenca.

But I take it you are aware that the Territory of Nevada took its name from the mountain range.  Hence, if the Sierra's snowiness allows for its pronunciation to be more Spanishy, then likewise the territory named after it, and likewise the state named after it.

[Max Rockatansky]

Probably worth pointing out that much of the lands which now comprise Clark County weren't part of the state of Nevada when it was formed.  When formed the state (much like Nevada Territory) really was centric around the Comstock Lode corridor and Lake Tahoe to until Las Vegas Valley began to emerge in fairly modern times.  Getting Colorado River access certainly changes things present-tense.

[Rothman]

For me, one such place is Oneonta NY.  Never was sure of the correct pronunciation.

I've head both Ohn-ee-on-tuh and On-ee-on-tuh.

[kphoger]

I've head both Ohn-ee-on-tuh and On-ee-on-tuh.

In that case, then, I'm going with wun-on-TAH!

[Henry]

We also have Vallejo, CA, the only town whose name is half-Spanish, as it's pronounced with the J in that language but the double-L in English. This is sure to spark a war on whether the town should be pronounced "va-lay-ho" (the partially bastardized version) or "va-yay-ho" (the "right" way to say it according to the Spanish-speakers).

[kphoger]

We also have Vallejo, CA, the only town whose name is half-Spanish, as it's pronounced with the J in that language but the double-L in English. This is sure to spark a war on whether the town should be pronounced "va-lay-ho" (the partially bastardized version) or "va-yay-ho" (the "right" way to say it according to the Spanish-speakers).

If it's at the beginning of a sentence, the V makes a B sound, too...

[CtrlAltDel]

We also have Vallejo, CA, the only town whose name is half-Spanish, as it's pronounced with the J in that language but the double-L in English. This is sure to spark a war on whether the town should be pronounced "va-lay-ho" (the partially bastardized version) or "va-yay-ho" (the "right" way to say it according to the Spanish-speakers).

If it's at the beginning of a sentence, the V makes a B sound, too...

So, clearly the way to go is full English with "valley-joe." 

[kphoger]

So, clearly the way to go is full English with "valley-joe."

And with barely restrained excitement in your tone, accenting the final syllable, evocative of the huntsman's cry of Tally-ho!

[bugo]

War cess ter MA

I usually pronounce that as "war-ses-STER", what it looks like.  How one gets "woo-STAH" out of it blows my mind.

Not a place name that I'm aware of, but getting "Sheshefsky" out of "Krzyzewski" boggles my mind.

[Scott5114]

War cess ter MA

I usually pronounce that as "war-ses-STER", what it looks like.  How one gets "woo-STAH" out of it blows my mind.

Not a place name that I'm aware of, but getting "Sheshefsky" out of "Krzyzewski" boggles my mind.

Polish spelling makes somewhat more sense if you consider that the language is similar to the languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet, but it's using the Latin alphabet instead.

[bugo]

About 30 years ago, all the libraries around here had a book listing all the Kentucky place names and how they were pronounced. It was a yellow and blue book. But I haven't seen it in an awfully long time.

Is this it?

[bandit957]

About 30 years ago, all the libraries around here had a book listing all the Kentucky place names and how they were pronounced. It was a yellow and blue book. But I haven't seen it in an awfully long time.

Is this it?

That would be it.

[bugo]

Mena, AR (MEE-nah)
Acorn, AR (AY-kern)
Okemah, OK (oh-KEE-muh)
Miami, OK (mi-AM-uh)
Okmulgee, OK (oak-MULL-ghee)
Okfuskee, OK (oak-FUSS-kee)
Oologah, OK (OOH-luh-gah)
Poteau, OK (poe-doh)
Heavener, OK (HEAVE-nur)
Beaufort, SC (BEU-furt)

[kphoger]

Not a place name that I'm aware of, but getting "Sheshefsky" out of "Krzyzewski" boggles my mind.

Other than skipping the initial K for some reason, that's pretty much normal Polish pronunciation.  Let's break it down:

Krzyżewski

K = pronounced like English K

rz = pronounced like zh — this is the only weird part, and it's soften a bit (sh) because it comes after the K

y = kind of halfway between a short i and German ü — doesn't matter much, because it's unstressed

ż = pronounced like a harder zh — but in America we often drop the dot off the top, so that's confusing

e = short e

w = like v, just as in German

ski = like the things you slide down snowy hills on

[kphoger]

Okmulgee, OK (oak-MULL-ghee)
Okfuskee, OK (oak-FUSS-kee)
Poteau, OK (poe-doh)

How did you pronounce those incorrectly?  Those three have never confused me.

[bugo]

Okmulgee, OK (oak-MULL-ghee)
Okfuskee, OK (oak-FUSS-kee)
Poteau, OK (poe-doh)

How did you pronounce those incorrectly?  Those three have never confused me.

The Tulsa media pronounces Poteau as "POE-toh", which is not how it is pronounced by locals. It's almost lie it is just one syllable, "podo" or "poto". The Tulsa guys pronounce it like they pronounce Chouteau.

[kphoger]

poe-doh

POE-toh

I'm not sure I understand the difference.  A 't' in the middle of the word gets turned into a 'd' sound in American English anyway, so those two pronunciations end up being the same thing to my mind.

[hotdogPi]

poe-doh

POE-toh

I'm not sure I understand the difference.  A 't' in the middle of the word gets turned into a 'd' sound in American English anyway, so those two pronunciations end up being the same thing to my mind.

Stress on the first syllable vs. equal stress on both syllables. (Note that this is just via the pronunciation guides above; I have never heard of this place myself.)

[bugo]

How could I forget Ouachita? It's correctly pronounced "WASH-ih-tah". I worked with a guy from Tulsa who insisted it was "OWE-uh-WASH-ih-CHEE-tah". I told him that I grew up in the Ouachita Mountains near the Ouachita River and the Ouachita National Forest, and that I had never heard anybody pronounce it that way before, and he still said I was wrong. This guy had a cousin in Hochatown that he visited once or twice which makes him an expert on the matter.

[hbelkins]

War cess ter MA

I usually pronounce that as "war-ses-STER", what it looks like.  How one gets "woo-STAH" out of it blows my mind.

Not a place name that I'm aware of, but getting "Sheshefsky" out of "Krzyzewski" boggles my mind.

About 30 years ago, UK was recruiting a guy named Przybilla. His name was pronounced "Shbilla."

Similarly, about that time, I had a class with a woman whose last name was Pryzybysz. She pronounced it "Shibbish."

[kphoger]

About 30 years ago, UK was recruiting a guy named Przybilla. His name was pronounced "Shbilla."

Similarly, about that time, I had a class with a woman whose last name was Pryzybysz. She pronounced it "Shibbish."

I don't know why people are dropping the initial 'p' sound.  I was friends with a Polish foreign exchange student in high school whose last name was Przerwa, and he definitely pronounced the first letter of his name.  Likewise, the Polish word for "excuse me" is przepraszam, and the first letter is definitely pronounced.

Also, I think you spelled that second name wrong:  I think the first 'y' shouldn't be there.

[thspfc]

Every "non-Wisconsinite pronouncing Wisconsin cities" video misses the most stupid name of any town in the state: "Weyauwega". I don't know what it sounds like and don't care to.

[Molandfreak]

Every "non-Wisconsinite pronouncing Wisconsin cities" video misses the most stupid name of any town in the state: "Weyauwega". I don't know what it sounds like and don't care to.

Waabishkizi bagwanawizi. Pretty daring to call a native place name stupid when there are like 30 towns named Springfield across the country.

[Big John]

Every "non-Wisconsinite pronouncing Wisconsin cities" video misses the most stupid name of any town in the state: "Weyauwega". I don't know what it sounds like and don't care to.

Why a way ga