Pronunciation

[Sarcasm the elf]

A few years back, my friend picked me upat the airport, went back to his place, a few friends came over, we started shooting the s--- and drinking , smoking cigs. Catching up with my 2 friends who I grew up with. The one native Montanian just sat there staring at me.......my Connecticut accent was soooo thick I might as well been from China or New Orleans. We got a kick out of it and then I just let it ooze out....he couldn't understand a word I was saying

You know, when I was back in high school my friends and I used to talk about how Connecticut was the only place that didn't really have an accent.

We only admitted that we did when a petite shapely British redhead we went to school with admitted that she LOVED boys with our accents!

[coach lou]

You know, when I was back in high school my friends and I used to talk about how Connecticut was the only place that didn't really have an accent.

We only admitted that we did when a petite shapely British redhead we went to school with admitted that she LOVED boys with our accents!

Cliff & Mackenzie are always making fun of my 'Staven' dialect

[Mrs Baggins]

Not on the AT but some pronunciations that really tick me off as a native west coaster:

It's OR-eh-gun NOT Or-eh-GONE (Oregon)

It's Ne-vaa-duh NOT Ne-VAW-DAW. (Nevada)

It's Mar-TEEN-ez NOT MART-in-ez (Martinez CA)

It's San Francisco NOT 'Frisco. Or, if you live in the Bay Area, it's simply "The City"

There. I feel better.

[tiptoe]

In the ny metro area, "the City" means new yawk.

[Mrs Baggins]

Any other native Marylanders want to chime in here. The easiest way to identify someone who isn't form Maryland is when they say MARY-land!

Here is the correct pronunciation Maryland:
The strong first syllable is the name of a female horse (MARE), rhymes with Bear. In some parts of the state, it may be closer to MUR (rhymes with fur).
The middle syllable (uh or i) is pronounced as the vowel sound of "mud" or "mid". It is very weak and barely audible, even omitted on occasion to make it a two syllable word.
The weak last syllable (lind) rhymes with wind. The terminal "d" is barely audible in most cases and sometimes even omitted.

The first syllable is never MARY (never rhymes with ferry). The last syllable is never LAND (never rhymes with band).

These are all OK:
MARE-i-lind
MARE-uh-lin (as in Marilyn Monroe)
MUR-lin

Not from here but have lived here off and on since 2000 for a total of 9 years. I say Maralin. When we lived up in Montreal, Canada I chatting with a Montrealer in line at the grocery store and told her that we had moved there from Maryland. The next day she saw me in the mall and, not remembering my name, called out "Mary-land! Hi Mary-land!"

In CA say "Bwayna Vista" for Buena Vista. Up in Harford County MD it's "Hahv-de-grace", not Havver-de-grace for Havre-de-grace.

[Mrs Baggins]

Any other native Marylanders want to chime in here. The easiest way to identify someone who isn't form Maryland is when they say MARY-land!

Here is the correct pronunciation Maryland:
The strong first syllable is the name of a female horse (MARE), rhymes with Bear. In some parts of the state, it may be closer to MUR (rhymes with fur).
The middle syllable (uh or i) is pronounced as the vowel sound of "mud" or "mid". It is very weak and barely audible, even omitted on occasion to make it a two syllable word.
The weak last syllable (lind) rhymes with wind. The terminal "d" is barely audible in most cases and sometimes even omitted.

The first syllable is never MARY (never rhymes with ferry). The last syllable is never LAND (never rhymes with band).

These are all OK:
MARE-i-lind
MARE-uh-lin (as in Marilyn Monroe)
MUR-lin

Not from here but have lived here off and on since 2000 for a total of 9 years. I say Maralin. When we lived up in Montreal, Canada I chatting with a Montrealer in line at the grocery store and told her that we had moved there from Maryland. The next day she saw me in the mall and, not remembering my name, called out "Mary-land! Hi Mary-land!"

In CA we say "Bwayna Vista" for Buena Vista. Up in Harford County MD it's "Hahv-de-grace", not Havver-de-grace for Havre-de-grace. When we lived in South Carolina I'd go to the deli department in any grocery store and clearly say "I'll have a pound of the turkey breast." And every time they'd hand me half a pound. I finally had to hold up one finger and say "One pound of turkey breast."

[Mrs Baggins]

Sorry for the double post!!

[Odd Man Out]

And another one:

Ramen (as in Ramen Noodles) is

Raw-Men (roll a Japanese "R" if you can).
not
RAY-men (with a swallowed American "R")

My kids were surprised to hear that the latter is not correct since RAYmen is apparently common among local High School students (or so my children tell me).
Because I lived in Sapporo Japan in 1971 (at the time the world Ramen capital), I am was fairly confident about this one.

[BabySue]

Botetourt (Virginia county which includes Daleville): BAHD-i-tot. Wayah (a bald and a shelter in NC): WHY-uh (as opposed to WAY-uh). Nantahala: Nan-tuh-hall-uh (as opposed to Nan-tuh-hale-uh).

[annamagpie]

Maryland is pronounced Mary * Land; not Mare * Land

unless you grew up there then in is more like "merlin"

[annamagpie]

unless you grew up there then in is more like "merlin"

southern merlin, I should say

[Namtrag]

It's Byoona Vista instead of Buena Vista in Virginia

[Namtrag]

Also in Va, the town of Buchanan, just north of Roanoke (not sure if thru hikers get rides here for resupply or not), is pronounced Buckcannon not Byoocannon

[grateful 2]

How should I pronounce the place where the Mountain Crossings store is located next to Blood Mountain at Neels Gap? Walasiyi. Is it wa-LA-see-yee, wa-la-SEE-YEE, or something else?

[Theosus]

I propose an ever-growing guide to pronunciation ... Starting now.

Nantahala, a river, gorge, etc. in NC. I've heard it both nan-tuh-HOLL-luh & nan-tuh-HEY-luh. Are both acceptible?

I pronounced it nan-tuh-holl-uh and was instantly corrected to nan-tuh-hay-luh.
Of course, she got me with a preposition too:
"I wonder where the camp site is at?"
"You shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition"
"Oh, I wonder where the camp site is at, a-hole. Better?"
"Much"