Seneca: Should be SE-ne-ka. Nigel says: suh-NEE-ka.
Salem: Should be SAY-lem. Nigel says: SAL-em, with A as in Apple. This one we really like and I think we'll say it this way even though it's wrong, kind of like how we never got around to pronouncing Euclid or Alvernon in Tucson correctly (to the bitter end, we said "Oy-klid" and "Al-VER-non").
Cayuga: Should be ka-YOO-ga. Nigel says: KAY-u-ga.
Triphammer: Should be TRIP-hammer. Nigel says: TRIFF-ammer.
Cascadilla: Should be kas-kuh-DEE-ya. Nigel says: kas-kuh-DILL-uh. It reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite every time.
Tioga: Should be tee-OH-ga. It took us a while to figure out why Nigel says: SHA-ga. Can you figure it out?
Here's a bonus one from our time in Utah: St. George. Nigel says: Street George. Nice.
My only fear is that I'll start reproducing these odd pronunciations in my speech and really embarrass myself in front of some Ithaca old-timers.
That's actually why we DIDN'T get a text-to-speech GPS. There are so many street names around here that would be easily mispronounced that I worried I'd get lost. (Though, I guess it could be argued that NIGEL might get it right, since the lion's share of our street name confusion comes from BRITISH pronunciation). =)
ReplyDeleteHahahahahahahaha. I think I prefer Cascadilla. That is awesome. Just like jalapenos (juh-LA-peh-nos, with 'la' sounding like 'la'dder) and frijoles (free-JOH-leez). Hahahaha.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Liz. Nigel's version of Cascadilla is preferred. Just because. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I'd love to hear Bridget slip up and say "TRIFF ammer" or "kas-kuh-DILL-uh." ;-)
ReplyDeleteFun post! Your blog is great!
Hahah! This is one of my favorite things about the GPS. While in Palmyra, it was funny to hear it announce "arriving at Hill Cumorah" pronounced KOO-morah.
ReplyDeletego make yourself a dang quesadILLA! heehee. thats awesome, i think you should pronounce them wrong when speaking to ithaca-ites just for fun :)
ReplyDeleteI think the reason Tioga is pronounced SHA-ga is that "tio" is pronounced as "sha" in words such as lotion, station, etc. Am I right? Also, when are you going to create a link called "Ithaca Blog" on the girls' blogs?Just wondering--I love it, whatever it's called!-Janice
ReplyDeleteJen, what kind of GPS do you have, if it's not a talky one?
ReplyDeleteLiz, it is also fun to say fajitas, fuh-JEE-tas.
We have the TomTom One. And it DOES speak, but it doesn't say street/city names. For instance, it'll say, "Turn right ahead," and on the bottom of the screen will be the name of the street on which to turn.
ReplyDeleteI used the text-to-speech Garmin Nuvi before we bought this one, and the mispronunciations were quite confusing (at least to me--I know lots of people love it!), especially downtown when you're worried about one-way streets and pedestrians and all of that city nonsense.
Also, Janice is right on about "tio" being pronounced "sha." (And I'll change that link name right now!)
ReplyDeleteAw, I'm surprised you missed the 'tio' pronunciation early on, B. We like Fa-JAI-tas as well as kwessadillas.
ReplyDelete