<p>Rutgers is of course pronounced the way it’s spelled.</p>
<p>More commonly I’ll hear it pronounced ruckers, very annoying but that’s how a lot of nj people pronounce it, as in “He’s going to Ruckers Camden Law School”.</p>
<p>Boston place names: if you’re mentioning Billerica, it’s important to also mention that it’s pronounced Bill-ricah. I was told many years ago that you know you’ve lived in Boston long enough when you can correctly tell whether a local speaker is talking about Waban (Wah-ban) or Woburn (Woh-ban). And Concord is pronounced Con-cud. (I used to live in Carlisle (Cahr-lie-el).)</p>
<p>Woburn was always Woo-bun to me ;).</p>
<p>and of course Peabody, MA is PEEB-dee. </p>
<p>I had a third grade teacher on the North Shore (“Noth SHO-wah”) of Boston who pronounced potato “bah-deda.”</p>
<p>PEE-buddy. And ba-DAY-duh. That’s how I remember it. Anyone want to go to the packy fuh some be-uh? :)</p>
<p>Yes, ba-DAY-duhs were the favorite food of most of my North Shore (non-lace-curtain) Irish in-laws. Hadn’t thought of that word in ages.</p>
<p>As to be-uh… My golf club placed quesadillas on the menu a couple of years ago. One of the ladies loved them but was too embarrased to order them for fear of pronunciation errors. Until the waitress told her just rhyme it with: case a’ be-uh.</p>
<p>Growing up in Northern NJ I had a friend who’s grandfather lived in Leonia. He said, “Joisey” and that’s the only time I’d ever heard anyone say that.</p>
<p>While we’re on place names–</p>
<p>it’s Houston = Yous-tun in Texas but Houston Street in New York City is House-tun–you can find it just south of Greenwich Village ( = Gren itch, of course).</p>
<p>Albany, NY is ALL-banee, but Albany, GA is all-BANEE. And Rochester, NY as RACH-estah.</p>
<p>I had a roommate from Baah-ston my freshman yr of college (that was “cawl-edge” to her). The bathroom was the paw-ty (potty), and the fun activity on Friday night was the paa-tee (party). She put her clothes in the dresser draws (“droors” to us from NY) and wore her pa-JAM-as to bed (to us NY’ers it was pa-JAHH-mas)</p>
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<p>Boise is BOY-see. Not Boyzee</p>
<p>Newark NJ, is NOO-erk, or, if you’re really native, Noork.</p>
<p>Newark, Del. is New Ark.</p>
<p>One of my suitemates was from “Andova” Mass, and she used to say, “celladoa” …took me awhile to figure out that that was “cellar door”…and “quatta” was “quarter”…</p>
<p>And at school you don’t drink from a water fountain, but from a “bubLAH” (bubbler!)</p>
<p>Although they are busy dropping "R"s all over the place, they pronounce idea as “ideer”</p>
<p>What about people from Connecticut who say “Sowphmore?” What’s that all about?</p>
<p>My first Massachusetts BF drank from a bubLAH and constantly talked about patens (a gold disc used in Catholic mass) in inappropriate contexts. Took me several days to realize he was talking about patterns.</p>
<p>m&sDad: in 'artford, 'ereford, and 'ampshire, 'urricanes 'ardly hever 'appen.</p>
<p>TheDad,</p>
<p>Have you seen Waiting for Guffman? Your quote above sounds like Corky at the end of the movie, when he is trying to talk like 'enry 'iggins…</p>
<p>No, M&SDad, I 'aven’t.</p>
<p>hey dke- ive lived in ct my whole life and i have never heard “sowphomore”</p>
<p>on the otherhand, we do have whats called a “new britain” accent, sounding like we’re gasping for air in the middle of the word: moun’ ain (mountain), cli’ in (clinton), cah’ in (cotton. instead of cot-tin), bri’ in (britain), buh’ in (button), etc.
sexy, i know.</p>