Speaking like a local

[Bob B]

You can add the following in Wisconsin:

Rio - Rye-O
Oregon - Or-ree-GON

And Massachusetts anything end in -ham

Walth-HAM
Ded-HAM

They like their pork in Mass....

And my personal favorite, Woostah (Worcester), MA

 

[lvhmbh]

Pierre, South Dakota - pronounced Peer.

 

[chapjim]

In San Diego, the beautiful little village along the coast is called La Jolla, pronounced La Hoya.

That's the way it is pronounced in Spanish.

Here's one that is NOT the way it is pronounced in Spanish: the city that forms part of the Port of Long Beach -- San Pedro -- but most in the area pronounce it san PEE-dro (should be sahn PEH dro)

 

[klpca]

That's the way it is pronounced in Spanish.

Here's one that is NOT the way it is pronounced in Spanish: the city that forms part of the Port of Long Beach -- San Pedro -- but most in the area pronounce it san PEE-dro (should be sahn PEH dro)

Truth. No one calls a man named Pedro "peedro" so it's quite odd that everyone says San Peedro.

 

[Fern Modena]

I always just say Rat's Mouth

And please it's Boca Ra-tone not ton!

 

[Fern Modena]

The Port of Long Beach is pronounced Long Beach. The Port of Los Angeles is San PEE-dro. If you go to San Pedro looking for a ship which docks at Port of Long Beach, you'll miss your vacay.

Fern

That's the way it is pronounced in Spanish.

Here's one that is NOT the way it is pronounced in Spanish: the city that forms part of the Port of Long Beach -- San Pedro -- but most in the area pronounce it san PEE-dro (should be sahn PEH dro)

 

[Fern Modena]

In Las Vegas, one of the first things they teach new news people is that Hualapai is pronounced WALL-a-pie. It is Indian, not Spanish.

Fern

 

[LynnW]

It's funny someone brought this thread up again just when I heard a discussion on the radio today about Calgary. People who have lived here a long time call it Calgry and everyone else says Cal-GARY.

Lynn

 

[chapjim]

The Port of Long Beach is pronounced Long Beach. The Port of Los Angeles is San PEE-dro. If you go to San Pedro looking for a ship which docks at Port of Long Beach, you'll miss your vacay.

Fern

Ooops! You're right.

Fortunately, I never missed my ship from being confused about that. It was a Navy destroyer (USS Turner Joy of Gulf of Tonkin Incident fame) out on the mole at the Naval Station Long Beach.

No vacations back then. Had to take leave to get a weekend off!

 

[madduag]

All these posts made me chuckle....

And it's Illinoi, not Illinois, the "s" is silent and yes I hear this from Americans when I made calls. I mean really, you are a citizen of the US and can't even pronounce this state?? Wow...

 

[chapjim]

Somebody sometime try to explain Kansas and Arkansas.

 

[BocaBoy]

Dave - the reason so many people here say 'Warshington' is because they're transplants from other areas. My mother was from Iowa and I could never break her of saying it that way.

I grew up in Iowa and lived there until my early twenties. Never once did I hear anyone say "Warshington." Maybe your mother said it that way, but it is definitely NOT Iowa pronunciation.

 

[PigsDad]

I grew up in Iowa and lived there until my early twenties. Never once did I hear anyone say "Warshington." Maybe your mother said it that way, but it is definitely NOT Iowa pronunciation.

The only friends I know from Iowa "warsh" their car. My mom (grew up in ND / MN) "warshes" clothes. Funny thing though, that pronunciation did not carry on to myself or my three siblings.

Kurt

 

[Helene4]

Lawn-guy-lin. Not Long-GUY-land

 

[Helene4]

In Queens....burl the water, turlet paper, and the earl burner man.

 

[Passepartout]

My DW, a native of Madison, pronounces another Wisconsin city, M'waukie. But I'm not sure about the locals.

 

[joewillie12]

Can't forget Greenwich Village in NYC. Locals call it just "the village" but if you must use the G word you better call it gren/itch. If you tell a cabbie to take you to Greenwich you'll end up in Conneticut

 

[persia]

In Mass, Leominster, which my UK background says should be Lemster, is actually Leminster...

 

[Bwolf]

Somebody sometime try to explain Kansas and Arkansas.

You are probably looking for something different, but In-laws tell me:

Kan sas

and

Our Kan sas.

 

[Lisa P]

Here, we call those states: KAYun-ziss and ARK-in-SAW.

 

[DaveNV]

Somebody sometime try to explain Kansas and Arkansas.

As I was passing through Arkansas I saw a saw that could outsaw any saw I ever saw. If you ever pass through Arkansas and see a saw that can outsaw the saw I saw saw, I'd like to see the saw that you saw saw.



Dave

 

[Fern Modena]

Us'uns can tell locals from carpetbaggers really easy. Us locals call it na-vah-duh and them others call it Na-VAHHHH-duh. Doesn't look much different in print, but in voice it is a dead giveaway. We're too polite to call you out on it, though.

After all, we're the state where "a dollar and a dream" and the willingness to work hard is all you need.

Fern