Yuh aint frum round ere r yuh

[chazmo]

Among the slaughtered names are French ones now pronounced by English speaking Americans in weird ways; such as Des Plaines, Illinois, Beloit, Wisconsin, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and my favoriate Botetourt County, Virginia, pronounced (let me try to spell it as pronounced): Bod-da-tot.

French ones for sure, Rich! I've always wondered (and am too lazy to look up) how/whether places like St. Louis and Des Moines, for example, got butchered at some point or were always pronounced American-ly.

 

[GGJaguar]

French ones for sure, Rich! I've always wondered (and am too lazy to look up) how/whether places like St. Louis and Des Moines, for example, got butchered at some point or were always pronounced American-ly.

And Detroit.

 

[chazmo]

And Detroit.

I never even thought of that one, GG. But absolutely!

 

[adorshki]

I never even thought of that one, GG. But absolutely!

Coeur d'Alene.

Need I say more?

 

[Brad Little]

Another French corruption, the Purgatoire River is often called Picketwire.

 

[Ross]

In Newfoundland, early French sailors named a bay "Baie d'Espoir" (Bay of Hope).

Today, Newfoundlanders are overwhelmingly English-speaking, and they pronounce the name "Bay Despair."

 

[Brad Little]

I don't remember the town, but in upstate NY there's one with streets named for composers, the one for Ludwig van is pronounced "Bee-tho-ven"

 

[adorshki]

I don't remember the town, but in upstate NY there's one with streets named for composers, the one for Ludwig van is pronounced "Bee-tho-ven"

First syllable gets the accent, right?

 

[Brad Little]

First syllable gets the accent, right?

Yep