> More thoughts produced by Sam and his words, words, words.
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> What is the proper pronunciation of location names? Is it the way the locals pronounce it or the "proper" way, whatever that means?
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> Examples that I have heard include the name Ponce de Leon. In Atlanta, if you ask a local to name the explorer who searched for the Fountain of Youth, they will say, Ponce "Day Lay-own." But if you are getting directions to the street in downtown Atlanta, you will be told to turn onto Ponce "Dee Lee-awn."
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> Up until last year, I had always heard and said the name "Carnegie" as, "Car-nuh-ghee." After visiting Pittsburgh, I now know it is also called "Car-negg-ee." Thus, Carnegie Mellon and Carnegie Hall have a new option for me to say.
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> So, what is the right way to say a name? The way the locals profess or the way that the majority of a random sampling would say it? Or, possibly neither?
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> Of course, spelling can always play a part in the pronunciation when the town of "Kiln" is pronounced "Kill" and "Worcester" is pronounced "Worster."
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> Fer"from San Jose"rick

Friends have corrected me repeatedly that Boise, Idaho is properly pronounced "Boy-cee." In Oregon (never like on the national news--always "OR-a-gun") we can always tell outsiders by their peculiar ways of saying placenames like The Dalles ("the dals") and Eugene ("you-GENE"). Whether it's official or not, I'd give the locals the opportunity to say their own home correctly.

There are also other local pronunciations, which I mock at every opportunity. "Creek" is "crick" here, "wolf" is "woof," "wash" is "warsh," and many similar words. I also notice that almost no one here uses adverbs. A lot of people switch the uses of "seen" and "saw."

gab"I seen a woof in the crick warshing itself good"by