Non-obvious placename pronunciations

[finlay]

In the film Argo, Ben Affleck specifically tells the characters who have to pretend to be Canadian that they shouldn't pronounce the t because that's how Canadians pronounce it.

[clawgrip]

I wouldn't be surprised if they based that on the pronunciation of "Toronto". The statement is suspicious anyway because it seems to assume that there is just one "Canadian accent."

[finlay]

I mean specifically when pronouncing Toronto. It was transcribed in the Japanese subtitles as トラノ. And Canada's a lot more homogeneous than the US in my experience, although yes obviously there are differences. But it could conceivably be used as a shibboleth (again).

[Imralu]

Um ... I just found out about this town tonight. Think about how you'd pronounce it before you click on the link to the wikipedia page. IPA within.

Waaia

What the fuck?!

[ol bofosh]

Um ... I just found out about this town tonight. Think about how you'd pronounce it before you click on the link to the wikipedia page. IPA within.

Waaia

What the fuck?!

Rhymes with Gaia? (ah no, but no a bad guess)

[Satsuma]

Alright, I'll do it, but I can't gurantee the accuracy of any phonemic transcription because my dialect is way fucked up and I have to rely on knowledge that standard American English is basically the reverse of the NCVS.

Here, I'll give it my first try.

Michigan placenames:

Iosco- /aI.As.koU/ [ai.as.koU].

Ypsilanti- /Ip.sI.l{n.ti/ [I\p.sI\.lE@~.ti].

Mackinac /m{.kI.nO/ [mE@.kI\.nA].

Tawas /taU.wAs/ [taU.was].

Some more that come to mind for me are Charlotte /SAr.lQt/ and Delhi /dEl.haI/ ( I don't know how this is according to the NCVS, even though I bet I have a lot of it in my speech). I'd think alternative pronunciations of already established placenames for smaller towns isn't uncommon in most of the United States.

[Rui]

Charlotte /SAr.lQt/

Not sure which Charlotte you're referring to here, but you just reminded me that there's a neighborhood of Rochester, NY called "Charlotte" with that approximately pronunciation (stressed on the second syllable pronounced exactly like "lot", and *not* pronounced like the girl's name)

[Qwynegold]

Ypsilanti- /Ip.sI.l{n.ti/ [I\p.sI\.lE@~.ti].

That should be a Finnish place name. :S [ˈyp.si.lan.ti]

In Sweden we have Kristianstad that is apparently supposed to be pronunced /kriɧansta/ and not /kristianstaːd/. (Scrapping the stress marks, because I don't where it is. I'm thinking on ɧan and staːd, but where on kristian?) Then there's the maybe not so surprisingly pronunced, but weirdly spelled Växjö /ˈvɛkːˈɧøː/.

[clawgrip]

I mean specifically when pronouncing Toronto. It was transcribed in the Japanese subtitles as トラノ. And Canada's a lot more homogeneous than the US in my experience, although yes obviously there are differences. But it could conceivably be used as a shibboleth (again).

Oh, if he was specifically referencing Toronto then that makes sense (and Canada definitely is more homogeneous, accent-wise; I'd guess the most accent-diverse area is the Maritimes, east of Quebec).

[Viktor77]

Ypsilanti- /Ip.sI.l{n.ti/ [I\p.sI\.lE@~.ti].

That should be a Finnish place name. :S [ˈyp.si.lan.ti]

It's Greek, Ypsilantis.

Despite the Upper Peninsula of Michigan's huge Finnish population, it seems Swedish town names abound and not Finnish ones such as Bergland, Germfask, Bessemer (?), Tula (this one might actually be Finnish), etc.

[Nortaneous]

Then there's the maybe not so surprisingly pronunced, but weirdly spelled Växjö /ˈvɛkːˈɧøː/.

What's weird about that? Does Swedish not normally have <x>, or?

...Which brings up Bavaria, whose German name, Bayern, is spelled with a <y> allegedly because some royal really liked Greece. Although I have no idea if that's true or not.

[linguoboy]

Despite the Upper Peninsula of Michigan's huge Finnish population, it seems Swedish town names abound and not Finnish ones such as Bergland, Germfask, Bessemer (?), Tula (this one might actually be Finnish), etc.

A lot of the "Finnish" population there is actually Finland-Swedes rather than descendents of Finnish-speakers, so that's not surprising.

My favourite UP place name, however, is "Millecoquins". Sadly, though, I don't know the local pronunciation.

[Herr Dunkel]

My favourite UP place name, however, is "Millecoquins". Sadly, though, I don't know the local pronunciation.

It wouldn't surprise me if it was something either like /ˌmɪl.kə.ˈkweɪ/ or /mɪl.ˈkoʊ.ˌkwɪns/

[GrinningManiac]

Towcester

Incorrect assumptions (in order of frequency) - /ˈtaʊwˌsɛs.tə/ or /toʊˌsɛs.tə/ or /toʊˌt͡ʃɛs.tə/
Local pronunciation - /ˈtoʊ.stə/

[linguoboy]

Local pronunciation - /ˈtoʊ.stə/

Ah, so now I know where Towcester pastries originated! Cheers.

[kodé]

Local pronunciation - /ˈtoʊ.stə/

Ah, so now I know where Towcester pastries originated! Cheers.

Sigquoted.

[Nortaneous]

Isn't it regular that the -ce- in -cester isn't pronounced? Are there any place names where it is?

[zompist]

How do we know it's not the c that's being pronounced?

[clawgrip]

Perhaps only the e is silent, and both the c and s are pronounced extra-short.

[ol bofosh]

Oh, of course, Worcester /wUs.t@/

I reckon t's the <s> being pronounced.

That reminds me, every time I say Yorkshire or Cheshire, my girlfriend asks me why I pronounce the -shire as [S@] or[SI@] and not /SaIr/.

[Drydic]

Oh, of course, Worcester /wUs.t@/

I reckon t's the <s> being pronounced.

That reminds me, every time I say Yorkshire or Cheshire, my girlfriend asks me why I pronounce the -shire as [S@] or[SI@] and not /SaIr/.

You tell her people got tired of saying the whole thing after 12-1300 years, right?

[ol bofosh]

You tell her people got tired of saying the whole thing after 12-1300 years, right?

Something like that.

And let us not forget that doctor Foster went to /glQ.st@/ Gloucester.

[finlay]

In Scotland you still pronounce "shire" with an unreduced vowel – but I didn't realise this fully until I'd been in Yorkshire for a few years and then heard my dad pronouncing it. At one point I just thought there were two free variants.

[Nortaneous]

That reminds me of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which is pronounced [ˈlæŋkəstɚ] locally and [ˈlæŋˌkæstɚ] by people who don't know better.

Also, Houston [ˈhjustən], Texas and Houston [ˈhaustən] Street, Manhattan.

[Salmoneus]

Isn't it regular that the -ce- in -cester isn't pronounced? Are there any place names where it is?

Yes, I mentioned one already: Cirencester.

[And I mentioned Gatwick because it's pronounced with /w/, violating the normal rule - though there are a few other oddities like that around the place]