Interesting Local Pronunciations of Place Names

Acajack · #1 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 4:22 PM**

I've been wanting to do this one for a while. What are some local pronunciations that outsiders often are unaware of, or that we would not expect. Often, it is the passage from English to French (or vice-vera), other times it is an aboriginal name, while in other cases there seems to be no explanation.

Here are some examples:

Etobicoke (Toronto), ON
A classic. But why do people say "Etobico"?

North Gower, ON (south of Ottawa)
Pronounced "North Gore".

Hawkesbury, ON (eastern)
Most locals are francophones and say "ox-burr-ay"

Hearst, ON (northeast)
Same deal: they say "urss"

Embrun, ON (east of Ottawa)
Most locals are francophones and pronounce it the correct French way, but for some reason anglos say "Em-brum" even though there is no M at the end.

Buckingham, QC (now part of Gatineau)
"Buck-ing-yam". Anglos from Ottawa pronounce it the North American English way "Bucking-ham" rather than the British "Bucking-um"

Hull, QC (central part of Gatineau)
"ull"

Saint-Anselme, NB (part of Dieppe near Moncton)
Most locals are francophones and pronounce it the correct French way, but for some reason anglos say "Saint Anslum".

Lac Du Bonnet, MB
"Lake the Bonney"

Bienfait, SK
"Bean-fate"

Montmartre, SK
"Mohn-mart'"

Granby, QC
"Grann-bay"

Sherbrooke, QC
"Share-brouq" (rhymes with tuque)

Rapides-des-Joachims, QC (near Pembroke, ON)
A weird place in that it can only be reached by Ontario and is a very tiny town. Locals call it "Da Swisha".

Dalhousie Street, Ottawa
"Dal-hoo-sie" by Ottawa locals, even though he was a British guy and pronounced his name "Dal-how-sie". The university in Halifax is referred to with the correct pronunciation.

halifaxboyns · #2 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 4:24 PM**

Try:

Tatamagouche
How do you say that?

Andrewjm3D · #3 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 4:26 PM**

Toronto- Toron-tow (toursist way of saying it)
locals- Toranna
locals- Tranna

Most in the media here call it T.O to avoid all of that.

Acajack · #4 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 4:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

Try:

Tatamagouche
How do you say that?

I think this one is easier for francophones (even though it is not a francophone town). The "ouche" ending in Tatamagouche, Restigouche, Tetagouche, etc. is likely a result of contact at some point between French explorers and Micmac words.

Ramako · #5 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 4:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrewjm3D

Toronto- Toron-tow (toursist way of saying it)
locals- Toranna
locals- Tranna

Most in the media here call it T.O to avoid all of that.

Who pronounces Toronto with an "a" sound at the end? I've never heard that once in my entire life. I've only ever heard "Torono" and "Tronno".

Acajack · #6 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 4:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramako

Who pronounces Toronto with an "a" sound at the end? I've never heard that once in my entire life. I've only ever heard "Torono" and "Tronno".

I've heard it, but usually it's by people who are joking around.

Andrewjm3D · #7 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 4:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramako

Who pronounces Toronto with an "a" sound at the end? I've never heard that once in my entire life. I've only ever heard "Torono" and "Tronno".

Really? I hear it all the time. With an A and with an O.

Ramako · #8 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 4:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

I've heard it, but usually it's by people who are joking around.

Come to think of it, I have heard it, but only ironically. No one I know actually pronounces Toronto with an A.

armorand93 · #9 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 4:47 PM**

Me - Winnipeg
Foreigners - Weinipeg

Rico Rommheim · #10 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 5:14 PM**

Montreal.

Local Anglos: Muntreal
Non-local Anglos: MON-tree-all
Hispanophones: man-trrray-al

Local francos: Monreal

Acajack · #11 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 5:18 PM**

Regina

It's always funny to hear Americans trying to be polite by pronouncing it "Rej-ee-na"!

Andrewjm3D · #12 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 5:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramako

Come to think of it, I have heard it, but only ironically. No one I know actually pronounces Toronto with an A.

It's been going around for decades. Skip ahhead to 0:45 Torrana

• Video Link

Doug_Cgy · #13 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 5:24 PM**

Tourists: CAL-GARY
Locals: Cal-gree or Cal-guh-ree (I hear both all the time)

CCF · #14 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 5:27 PM**

Locals: Moose Jaw

Tourists: Moose Jaw

White Pine · #15 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 5:29 PM**

In Quebec there's a place called Rapides des Joachims. Everyone around it (in Ontario, there's literally nothing else there in Quebec) calls it "Swisha". I've seen Ontario road maps where it's labelled:

Rapides des Joachims (Da Swisha)

Also, Notre Dame =/= Noter Daim.

1ajs · #16 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 5:39 PM**

winnipeg

win-E-peg as some say it around here

JHikka · #17 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 5:41 PM**

Rothesay -> "Raww-say"
Shediac -> "Shed-yak"
Bathurst -> "Bah-turst"

White Pine · #18 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 5:45 PM**

Oops! didn't realize that Swisha was already up there.

north 42 · #19 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 5:48 PM**

Pierre St. in Windsor is referred to as Peere, pronounced like peer, but with an e on the end, sounds like dreary, but with a p instead of dr, just retarded, but it's been that was for over a hundred years. We have a very large francaphone population here too, so I just don't get it.

harls · #20 Posted **Feb 17, 2012, 6:20 PM**

French people in Gatineau - "Ga-tee-no"
English people in Ottawa - "Gat-no"

In Winnipeg, Mb - Lagimodiere Blvd : "Ladgimodie-err" or just "Ladge"

Town of La Rivière, MB : Larry veer.