Staff writer Martha Quillin's story about the pronunciation of Lejeune reminds me of the peculiarities of place name pronunciation. Even if the name of the family was pronounced one way, the name of the Marine base has come to be pronounced another way.
Broadcast journalists tended to pronounce the name of the trail where Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina was reported to be hiking as Appa-LAY-chian. Most of us here in North Carolina rhyme that third syllable with "latch." Both pronunciations are recognized, but it appears the more people use the short a pronunciation. Merriam-Webster's online pronunciation guide does. Another page cites a well-known history of the region, which holds that the people who live in the Appalachian region can tell someone who comes from the outside if that person says Appa-LAY-chian instead of App-LATCH-an. Up north, Appa-LAY-chian dominates.
In the Catawba County community where I grew up, we had our own version of a great vowel debate. A nearby church and its surrounding community are known as Plat-TAW, even though it is spelled Plateau. The residents know that people aren't from around there if they pronounce it Plat-OH. Of course, those outsiders probably view the locals as hicks or foothillbillies. It is a plateau, though, and from the top of Hog Hill, another name for the community, you can see far and wide.
If you are from Lumberton, you know that you live in RAH-beson County, not ROH-beson. If you live in eastern Wake County, you know it's Wen-DELL. If you hang out in southern Wake or northern Harnett, you know Chalybeate (Ka-LIB-e-ate) Springs. If you're from Eastern North Carolina, you know how to say Ber-TEE County. And if you are from Beaufort, N.C., you are from BO-fert, not Byoo-fert. That's in South Carolina.
If you want to hear some expert pronunciation of North Carolina place names, check out Talk Like a Tar Heel at the UNC Libraries site. I could listen to the pronunciation of Cerro Gordo, Chicamacomico, Potecasi and Tuckasegee over and
over.
Comments
I wish I could
Sat, 04/30/2011 - 12:11 — domybestI always want to have native British accent. It's so difficult for me to understand when they are talking to me though.
Raleigh
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 13:08 — sallymWhen was in London and told people where I was from, I'd sometimes add, "...like Sir Walter Raleigh." They'd say, "Oh - you mean Rally." To which I would respond, "No - it's Rolly. I should know. I'm from there!"
You're right!
Sat, 06/27/2009 - 12:13 — ncstahls413I grew up in Wilson County which I didn't notice we all prounced it "Wiltson" County. I guess we use the "t" that folks from Clinton don't use. They often say "Clinnon". Thanks for sharing those weblinks too!
Hi Tiders
Sat, 06/27/2009 - 12:12 — tarheel73As a native of Tyrrell County, you do not have to go far before people say Ti-rell instead of the correct pronounciation of Terr-il. Unfortunately TV has started to make us all talk the same way and regional differences are disappearing somewhat. While in college at UNC in the 1970s, I responded to an ad suggesting I could make some easy cash by simply making recordings of my native eastern North Carolina accent. Much to the astonishment of the researcher, I did not have the accent he expected or wanted to pay for even though I had never lived anyplace else. We both decided that I had been influenced by watching TV and talking more like the visiting tourists from all over the U.S.