I love New England! (not an ironic nor political post)
mhardy6647
Posts: 33,900
Now, maybe this is true everywhere, but after nigh-on three decades of living in New England, I maintain a sense of continual amusement (and bemusement) occasioned by some of the wacky town names here -- and, more to the point, the wacky and idiosyncratic pronunciation of such town names! I am convinced this is a deeply-ingrained way to separate the natives from the -- umm -- carpetbaggers (or, as Vermonters would say, the Woodchucks from the flatlanders).
In Central MA, where we lived for a long time, we got used to town names like "Lemminstah" (Leominster) and "Woosta" (Worcester) -- and, in other parts of MA -- places like "Hāv'rill" (Haverhill) and, best of all, "Woob'n" (Woburn). But all of New England plays this game, I am pleased to note.
Well, VT Public Radio, bless their hearts, is collecting and codifying the pronounciation of town names in VT. IF we're ever allowed to travel again, and if any of all y'all come up this way, it may save you some embarrassment -- or even a travel disaster. For example, asking directions to "Lebanon" may not get you to a little city in NH on the edge of the Connecticut River, but rather on a trek to Boston's Logan Airport for a flight to the Middle East!
I hope that you can see the link below. As an "Upper Valley" resident, I am pleased to see a couple of NH place names in the list, too! I am pleased to see that (Berlin) BURR-lin, VT is pronounced the same way as BURR-lin, NH.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSfVIcd-kdnmqIv8Xs_4QrVvp97_t8xqvWuL7ssgf2C5vtaTTp8V0VSxsNrWEAEgNy9SFieaC9LwgEl/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true&mc_cid=92a1c1b2e1&mc_eid=46f968e3d5
I'll leave you all with a cogent example: Calais, VT. You know that place in France, right? Where the cross-Channel ferry goes? In Vermont (which comes from the French for "Green Mountain", of course!), that's "CAL-iss" ("rhymes with 'Dallas'").
Ayuh.
In Central MA, where we lived for a long time, we got used to town names like "Lemminstah" (Leominster) and "Woosta" (Worcester) -- and, in other parts of MA -- places like "Hāv'rill" (Haverhill) and, best of all, "Woob'n" (Woburn). But all of New England plays this game, I am pleased to note.
Well, VT Public Radio, bless their hearts, is collecting and codifying the pronounciation of town names in VT. IF we're ever allowed to travel again, and if any of all y'all come up this way, it may save you some embarrassment -- or even a travel disaster. For example, asking directions to "Lebanon" may not get you to a little city in NH on the edge of the Connecticut River, but rather on a trek to Boston's Logan Airport for a flight to the Middle East!
I hope that you can see the link below. As an "Upper Valley" resident, I am pleased to see a couple of NH place names in the list, too! I am pleased to see that (Berlin) BURR-lin, VT is pronounced the same way as BURR-lin, NH.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSfVIcd-kdnmqIv8Xs_4QrVvp97_t8xqvWuL7ssgf2C5vtaTTp8V0VSxsNrWEAEgNy9SFieaC9LwgEl/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true&mc_cid=92a1c1b2e1&mc_eid=46f968e3d5
I'll leave you all with a cogent example: Calais, VT. You know that place in France, right? Where the cross-Channel ferry goes? In Vermont (which comes from the French for "Green Mountain", of course!), that's "CAL-iss" ("rhymes with 'Dallas'").
Ayuh.
Comments
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Three decades...came for peeping, but couldn’t find the highway to get the h*ll out of here?
I’m sure other states have from pretty catawampus town names as well. Why do we have to be picked on 91% of the time?
https://youtu.be/AckzNzbF5E4 Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!! -
I think it's a big part of Massholes' Bay Staters' charm!
Mispronouncing things, that is
In all seriousness, I am a transplanted Yankee, not a native*, but I am in my element in New England.
What you should be askin' about is who da fug thought it made sense to erect scuptures of two whale flukes in the middle of a big field** in a landlocked state?
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* Born south of the Mason-Dixon line, I was, suh.
** They've actually been moved -- twice -- since originally erected. They're now back close to where they started, in Randolph (which, disappointingly, is pronounced Randolph, even in VT).
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Charm!?
THat must be north of Route 2, because there isn’t any charm when you head further east, unless you’ve crossed the Bourne or the Sagamore.
If you follow Rt6 to the end, you’ll hit the epicenter of charm...Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!! -
Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
The people of Versailles, Kentucky pronounce it Ver-sails.
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Charm!?
THat must be north of Route 2, because there isn’t any charm when you head further east, unless you’ve crossed the Bourne or the Sagamore.
If you follow Rt6 to the end, you’ll hit the epicenter of charm...
Never forget.
Reveah.
Funny town names is a different subject than oddly pronounced town names, but I'll consider the topic a friendly amendment
Two personal faves:
84, Pennsylvania (home of 84 Lumber)
TB, Maryland (sounds like you'll want to get your shots before going there -- but I "suspect" the "T" is for "tobacco")
Of course, lots of weird place names in PA.
I'm liking "Ong's Hat", though. That's pretty neat.
Oh, speaking of ghost towns -- Maryland has a couple thanks to reservoirs and -- my personal favorite -- what is now Thurgood Marshall/BWI airport. It was originally called "Friendship Airport", and it (more or less) occupies the real estate that was once Friendship, MD.
https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/community/warren-town-under-loch-raven-reservoir/
https://www.kilduffs.com/Baltimore_FriendshipAirport_History.html
FWIW, I grew up about 4 miles from BWI and spent many happy hours on Sunday afternoons as a kid with my father on the (open) observation deck, watchin' the planes. The smells of avgas and jet fuel are permanently imprinted in my olfactory memory (in a good way)
The observation deck was on that pier jutting out towards the foreground in the aerial view of the brand-spankin' new terminal facility in the photo above.
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spongebobsquarepants wrote: »The people of Versailles, Kentucky pronounce it Ver-sails.
As do Missourians. -
Sorry for derailing MH. I must has misinterpreted the original post. Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!!
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Well if you want oddly pronounced stuff, there's a little town in Delaware called Newark.
But there's a similarly sized town in NJ called Newark. Only in NJ, they pronounce it New-irk. Or Nork for locals.
We, too, have a Berlin in NJ and it's pronounced the same as the Berlin in NH.
But it's a ton of work covering all of them so I'll let dees classy Joisey broads esplain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_LjyDChkPQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8CA3ggGPRQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAraV4tAHfo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuy3bRd9N0k
I'll add a couple to their lists, though.
Totowa - TO Tuh Wuh not To To Wah or Toe Tah Wah
Hockhockson - HuckHockSon which is in Tinton Falls pronounced Tin-tn Falls.
Hohokus - HuhHoKus
Ramapo - Rah Map Oh not Ram A Poe
Mantua - Man TChu Wah not Man Two Uh
Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Sorry for derailing MH. I must has misinterpreted the original post.
P-town is very charming indeed.
Not that there's anything wrong with that!
(and, upon reflection, 'twas I who misinterpreted your post -- this is a great thread, if I do say so myself)
I was thinking of a different kind of charm.
https://youtu.be/UnmHgnPPkkQ -
Oh, also, this:
Belmar
and
Belmawr
Two different towns in NJ, about 75 miles apart, spelled differently, pronounced exactly the same.
Pronunciation is: Bell MarExpert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Well if you want oddly pronounced stuff, there's a little town in Delaware called Newark.
But there's a similarly sized town in NJ called Newark. Only in NJ, they pronounce it New-irk. Or Nork for locals.
We, too, have a Berlin in NJ and it's pronounced the same as the Berlin in NH.
But it's a ton of work covering all of them so I'll let dees classy Joisey broads esplain.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_LjyDChkPQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8CA3ggGPRQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAraV4tAHfohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuy3bRd9N0k
I know Newark, DE well -- as does anyone who's ever crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge(s).
I always think it is funny as you trek towards 95 on 295 just after (southwest) of the bridge, there's a sign that says "Newark 0.6 mi" --- but there is nothing to see but marshland and freeways.
When I was in grad school, we actually had an equipment/hardware vendor (liquid chromatography supplies) who was based in Newark, DE. He was a good guy; we bought lots of stuff from him, too. Bill Thompson. Thompson Instruments.
Now, why can't I ever remember anything useful or important?
ahh, memories.
I love the names of many NJ towns. Secaucus is a fave, but there are so many good
ones. Mahwah is one I enjoy saying, as is Piscataway.
And, of course, there's Parsippany, and Passaic, and Rahway... and The Oranges.
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Dang it!
I misspelled Bellmawr!Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Try to pronounce 1/2 of the city names up here in WA. I live in Puyallup, give that one a try...
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I’m in Oregon, so I think I know, but it’s always better if a local makes you feel stupid, like my first day at grad school in New Ark, Delaware.
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Dang it!
I misspelled Bellmawr!
Bala Cynwyd, PA's another good one.
I wonder if Vanilla would even let someone from Intercourse, PA sign up to be a member?
heh, he said member. heh-heh-heh...
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Dang it!
I misspelled Bellmawr!
Maybe you were thinkin' of Bawlmer, hon?*
Speaking of... ahem... Charm City (that was for you, @mrbiron!).
One of Mrs. H's tales of cognitive dissonance from moving from the ivy-covered halls of an exclusive private college in western MA to the mean streets of B-more and grad school -- she was trying to get from somewhere (in the Hopkins/Homewood vicinity) to somewhere else. She asked an indigenous person** about directions and he told her "just go up Blair Road". He probably added "Hon", but time has erased finer points of the conversation.
Well... Mrs. H (then Miss P) looked, and looked on her maps. There was no Blair Road.
Either someone else who spoke English took pity on her, or her incisive analytical skills came to the fore and she grasped that it was Belair Road that she needed to find.
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* yeah, yeah -- I know Bellmawr, too
** probably someone sittin' out onna stoop, hon.
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Nope, I grew up 1 town away from Bellmawr. I just missed an L.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
I was kiddin'. Bellmawr is on that 295 route down to the bridge. For many years (when we were young and poor), going 'twixt B-more and MA or NH (as the case might have been), we'd take 295 to save a few bucks of NJ Tpk toll, getting on the Tpk at Bordentown.
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mhardy6647 wrote: »What you should be askin' about is who da fug thought it made sense to erect scuptures of two whale flukes in the middle of a big field** in a landlocked state?
** They've actually been moved -- twice -- since originally erected. They're now back close to where they started, in Randolph (which, disappointingly, is pronounced Randolph, even in VT).
Although the original whale tail statues were made in Randolph circa 1989 and on display there for about 10 years, they have been in South Burlington, right on the side of Interstate 89, since 1999. I'm certain. I saw them last week.
The statues currently in Randolph are new ones by the same artist and were installed in the summer of 2019.
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/LiveCulture/archives/2019/07/19/whale-tails-return-to-randolph
This link has an interesting bit about the history of whales in what is now Vermont.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverence_(sculpture) -
That's interesting - I thought I rememberd reading that they'd been moved -- but I haven't been up to Burlington for... a while now... 'bout a year.
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So a story today made me think of this thread.
A guy I work with, his daughter is in NYC for college. She was coming home for the holidays last week and rented a car and drove down to Maryland to meet up with a cousin and they got a flight home from there together.
Anyway, she was driving down through NJ to get there and her dad was telling us the story this morning of her harrowing adventure through NJ and how she almost missed a flight.
Why you ask?
Apparently, the Turnpike and Parkway are confusing, two different roads BTW. She got into NJ and saw signs for Newark and then Belmar. Well, more heard the GPS voice. She was stuck in the horrendous traffic on the NJ Turnpike north of Trenton and the GPS told her to get off the Turnpike and take, probably Rt 206, over to I295 and continue down to Delaware that way.
Well, being unsure, she was on I295 for over an hour and south of my area, it goes down to 2 lanes in either direction...right around Bellmawr and the horrendous and perpetually under construction I295/I76/Rt42/Rt130 interchange.
She followed the directions for the GPS and likely ended up on the correct I295 south path but as soon as she got through the ugly mix-master of an interchange, she heard that Newark was only a few miles away.
Panicking, she took an exit to turn around because she thought that she was going the opposite direction given that she had already traveled through Newark and then Belmar.
She apparently got lost for an hour in southern NJ and only by chance picked up Rt130 again in Brooklawn and made it back to I295 south in after successfully navigating TWO NJ traffic circles!Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Although the original whale tail statues were made in Randolph circa 1989 and on display there for about 10 years, they have been in South Burlington, right on the side of Interstate 89, since 1999. I'm certain. I saw them last week.
It's funny this thread should pop up today. I just saw those whale tails 15 minutes ago. HAHAHA
