Dear People Recording Ads for Boston-Area Radio

[gnomi]

We appreciate the fact that you make radio ads to run in our market. However, it is sometimes painfully clear that you are not a local. Please note the following linguistic quirks:

1. It's "Wuster" (or "Wustah") (with a u like that in "put"), not "Wooster" (as it is in Ohio). Also, it's "Conkerd" (like "conquered"), not "Con-kord" (like the now defunct airplane). And even though we spell it Leicester, we pronounce it "Lester." I know it's weird; just go with it, OK?

2. There's no such thing as "the 93" in this area unless you're continuing with "tunnel" or "backup" or "cloverleaf." If you want to put articles with interstate route numbers, you're going to have to look west. Waaaaaaaaay west. Which is where you're probably from if you're saying "We're located right off the 93."

3. Related to 1, above, you can be "Right off the 93 in Woburn," but then you have to pronounce it "Wooburn," not "Woahburn."

These few simple hints can make it much easier for those of us who grew up around here to take you seriously as a local vendor. Please make a note of it.

Sincerely,
The Management

Comments

[madknits.livejournal.com]

It's Pea-biddy, not Pea-body
It's Sitch-you-it, not Shit-you-ate, or Skit-too-atty
It's Glos-tah, not Glau-ces-ter
It's Hah-vid, not Hah-vahd
It's Am-'erst, not Am-herst; Am-herst is in NH
And for the love of all that's holy, it's cah-ah. Two syllables. Long and drawn out. Not ca.

If one understands English orthography, one realises that the "ster" towns are actually two words: Leice + Ster; Worce + Ster; Glauce + Ster
The [E] after the [C] makes the [C] soft, and is [E] is itself silent.
These are basic rules of English orthography, and it's amazing how often people don't get it.

Also, I would contend that Woburn is actually Woo-bin. It's all about being non-rhotic.

;-)

[quarkwiz.livejournal.com]

It's also Am-herst in western NY. I got looked at funny out there for saying Am-'erst.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I *love* your icon.

[aunt-becca.livejournal.com]

seriously. I am envious of that icon

[quarkwiz.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I found in several years ago, and the person I grabbed it from had no idea who'd made it. Would love to know.

[introverte.livejournal.com]

And Quin-zee, not Quin-see.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's another one. We're an odd lot with our place name pronunciation.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Chemsfid. Swamskit.

Welcome to Slurvenia, ladies and gentlemen, where we speak fluent Slurvian. :-)

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I think Woburn is somewhere between Woo-burn and Woo-bin. It uses a random vowel elision that isn't quite a schwa but isn't anything else identifiable easily, either.

The British are notorious for not pronouncing their place names completely. The one I like the most is (and I might screw up the spelling here) Cholmondley, which is pronounced, I am told, "Chumley." There's an old joke that if the original settlers had been the ones to name Niagara Falls, we'd be calling it "Niffles."

[magid.livejournal.com]

There's a coffeehouse-y place at Brandeis called "Cholmondeley" (I think I have the spelling right; it's been a while), pronounced "Chumley."

[chaos-wrangler.livejournal.com]

If one understands English orthography, one realises that the "ster" towns are actually two words: Leice + Ster; Worce + Ster; Glauce + Ster
The [E] after the [C] makes the [C] soft, and is [E] is itself silent.
These are basic rules of English orthography, and it's amazing how often people don't get it.


Cool.