Discussion:
Virginia place name pronunciation
(too old to reply)
Snake
2004-07-26 03:07:48 UTC
Permalink
OK, we have nailed down Botetourt, Staunton, Buchanan and a few others on
a.b.a.

How are these places pronounced by the locals:

Faber

Schuyler

Mauzy

Strasburg

Weyer's Cave

McGaheysville

Buena Vista

Ceres

Haysi

Dante

Stonega

Appalachia

Vanzant

Honaker

Pembroke

Pearisburg

Narrows

Chilhowie

Rural Retreat

Wythe/Wytheville

Smyth

Pulaski

Lafayette

Fork Union

Roanoke
BasketWeaver
2004-07-26 05:03:17 UTC
Permalink
A few guesses inserted below. BW
Post by Snake
OK, we have nailed down Botetourt, Staunton, Buchanan and a few others on
a.b.a.
Faber
Schuyler
Mauzy
Strasburg = Strazberg?
Weyer's Cave
McGaheysville
Buena Vista
Ceres
Haysi
Dante
Stonega
Appalachia
Vanzant
Honaker
Pembroke = Pembrook?
Pearisburg = Parisburg
Narrows = Narras?
Chilhowie
Rural Retreat
Wythe/Wytheville = With/Withvel
Smyth
Pulaski = Pughlaski?
Lafayette
Fork Union
Roanoke = Ronoke
Martin Hofner
2004-07-26 13:42:10 UTC
Permalink
How are these places pronounced by the locals:
Faber
Schuyler = I've heard both shooler and skooler
Mauzy = mozey
Strasburg =
Weyer's Cave
McGaheysville
Buena Vista = byoona vista
Ceres
Haysi
Dante
Stonega
Appalachia
Vanzant
Honaker = Hhan'acre
Pembroke = Pembrook = yes
Pearisburg = Parisburg = yes
Narrows = Narras? = close enough
Chilhowie
Rural Retreat = as is
Wythe/Wytheville = Withvel = of withvul
Smyth
Pulaski = Pughlaski? = Pew las' key
Lafayette = Lay fay ette
Fork Union = as is
Roanoke = Ronoke = Row noke
asdasdasdasd
FarmerDill
2004-07-26 14:57:46 UTC
Permalink
Faber = Fa bur
Schuyler = I've heard both shooler and skooler I grew up about 30 miles
from Sky la
Mauzy = mozey
Strasburg = Straws burg
Weyer's Cave= Way ers cave
McGaheysville
Buena Vista = byoona vista
Ceres = sir rees
Haysi = Hay sigh
Dante= Dant
Stonega= Sto neg ah
Appalachia= App ah Latch e ah
Vanzant= Van sant
Honaker = Hhan'acre
Pembroke = Pembrook = yes
Pearisburg = Parisburg = yes
Narrows = Narras? = close enough
Chilhowie= Chill How ee
Rural Retreat = as is
Wythe/Wytheville = Withvel = of withvul
Smyth= Smith
Pulaski = Pughlaski? = Pew las' key
Lafayette = Lay FAY ette or in the east La fa ET
Fork Union = as is
Roanoke = Ronoke = Row noke
asdasdasdasd
Cyberbilly
2004-07-26 23:49:53 UTC
Permalink
Faber
Schuyler = I've heard both shooler and skooler
How about SKY-ler?

-CB
charlie dick
2004-07-26 07:19:17 UTC
Permalink
Post by Snake
OK, we have nailed down Botetourt, Staunton, Buchanan and a few others on
a.b.a.
Faber
Schuyler
Mauzy
Strasburg
Strawsberg

This one I know for sure. During my fb coaching career we had more than
one good donnybrook between Clarke County and Glenn Proctor's Strasburg
Rams. They bleed purple. :-)
Post by Snake
Weyer's Cave
McGaheysville
Buena Vista
Ceres
Haysi
Dante
Stonega
Appalachia
Vanzant
Honaker
Long O, long A ... HO NA ker, iirc. One of my principals at Clarke did
some time there.
Post by Snake
Pembroke
Pearisburg
Narrows
Chilhowie
Rural Retreat
Wythe/Wytheville
Smyth
Pulaski
Pew las ki, I think.
Post by Snake
Lafayette
Fork Union
Roanoke
--
charlie dick

"The right to be left alone -- the most comprehensive
of rights, and the right most valued by a free people."

- Justice Louis Brandeis, Olmstead v. U.S. (1928).
Ragnarok
2004-07-26 21:59:06 UTC
Permalink
Post by charlie dick
Post by Snake
OK, we have nailed down Botetourt, Staunton, Buchanan and a few others on
a.b.a.
<snip>
Post by charlie dick
Post by Snake
Strasburg
Strawsberg
This one I know for sure. During my fb coaching career we had more than
one good donnybrook between Clarke County and Glenn Proctor's Strasburg
Rams. They bleed purple. :-)
And to add from this Michiganian who just spent a week in the area, I looked
at the sign twice after my mother-in-law pronounced it that way.

<snip>
Post by charlie dick
Post by Snake
Appalachia
After saying "App - a - laych - ee - a" I was corrected that it was "App -
a - lach - a". Where did the "i" go?
Post by charlie dick
Post by Snake
Wythe/Wytheville
"with" / "withvil" or "withvul"
Post by charlie dick
Post by Snake
Smyth
"Smith"
Post by charlie dick
Post by Snake
Pulaski
Pew las ki, I think.
I have heard that, with accent on the "pew" or accent on the "las". The 'w'
sound is almost swallowed up.
Post by charlie dick
Post by Snake
Roanoke
"Rown - oke"
Post by charlie dick
--
charlie dick
For specifics -- my in-laws live in Christiansburg, and even among them
there are differences. But all have lived there their whole lives.

Kimberly S.
(whose own accent drifts rapidly southward whenever I am in Virginia)
Joe Williamson
2004-07-26 23:30:53 UTC
Permalink
Schuyler = SKY-ler
Weyer's Cave = WEERZ
McGaheysville muh-GACK-eez-vill
Buena Vista bYOO-nuh VISS-tuh
Dante = DANT (I think)
charlie dick
2004-07-27 11:00:18 UTC
Permalink
McGaheysville muh-GACK-eez-vill
Interesting. I grew up with quite a few Magahas here in the Eastern
Panhandle who pronounced their surname the same way.
--
charlie dick

"The right to be left alone -- the most comprehensive
of rights, and the right most valued by a free people."

- Justice Louis Brandeis, Olmstead v. U.S. (1928).
bman
2004-07-26 23:58:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by Snake
OK, we have nailed down Botetourt, Staunton, Buchanan and a few others on
a.b.a.
Haysi = Hey - si (long i)
Dante = Dane-t (near locals do use the Dan-t suggested, total foreigners use the Italian pronounciation)
Honaker = hoe - naker (long a)
Chilhowie = chill - howie
Rural Retreat
Wythe/Wytheville -= with/withville
Smyth = smith
Pulaski = long u, like a church pew
cledus
2004-07-27 00:50:04 UTC
Permalink
Post by Snake
OK, we have nailed down Botetourt, Staunton, Buchanan and a few others on
a.b.a.
Faber
Schuyler
Mauzy
Strasburg
Weyer's Cave
McGaheysville
Buena Vista
Ceres
Haysi
Dante
Stonega
Appalachia
Vanzant
Honaker
Pembroke
Pearisburg
Narrows
Chilhowie
Rural Retreat
Wythe/Wytheville
Smyth
Pulaski
Lafayette
Fork Union
Roanoke
I forgot all about Buena Vista! Been gone too long. They don't know
how to pronounce it right in Texas.

How many know how to pronounce "Portsmouth"?

And, to see if somebody is a true Virginian, make them say "there's a
mouse about the house" :-)

-cledus
jls
2004-07-27 01:14:42 UTC
Permalink
[...]
Post by Snake
Faber
Fayper
Post by Snake
Schuyler
Skylurr
Post by Snake
Mauzy
Moozy
Post by Snake
Strasburg
Strouse Borg
Post by Snake
Weyer's Cave
Ware's Cave
Post by Snake
McGaheysville
McGooeysville
Post by Snake
Buena Vista
Byooona Vizzta
Post by Snake
Ceres
Seerus
Post by Snake
Haysi
Hayseed
Post by Snake
Dante
as in Divine Comedy
Post by Snake
Stonega
Stawneeega
Post by Snake
Appalachia
Apple Atchy
Post by Snake
Vanzant
Went there oncet for a wedding. Howsomever. I coulda sworn it was
Vansant. Don't be muzzlumizing good anglosaxon (or Dutch) names, Mr
Vipper.

And speaking of vippers, I saw the prettiest timber rattler on 221 between
Marion and Ruffuhdton the other day. I'm afraid somebody had done hit it,
because it was right on the shoulder, half in the grass and half on the
pavement.
FarmerDill
2004-07-27 16:22:58 UTC
Permalink
Post by cledus
And, to see if somebody is a true Virginian, make them say "there's a
mouse about the house" :-)
Not really; The pronuciation of House and Mouse are quite different on either
side of the Blue Ridge. East Virginians use the English sound, while western
Virginians use the OW sound.
Wubba
2004-07-29 13:30:10 UTC
Permalink
Post by cledus
I forgot all about Buena Vista! Been gone too long. They don't know
how to pronounce it right in Texas.
How many know how to pronounce "Portsmouth"?
And, to see if somebody is a true Virginian, make them say "there's a
mouse about the house" :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:
Cool thread,Snake!
Southeast Uh-hy- o-ans say Purts-muth. but then Rio Grande is
pronounced Rye-uh Gran too. Lancaster is Lank'-uhstur, not Lan-castor.



We have a village named Chauncy and it's pronounced without the
"u"..like: Chan'cy. WV has a town named Hurricane, but pronounce it
Hurruh-kin. A visitor is noticed right away due to his/her name
interpretations :o)

-Wubba
resides in LongBottom
FarmerDill
2004-07-29 15:26:31 UTC
Permalink
Actually the most mispronounced city/town name in Virginia is probably Galax
(GAY lacks) eastern Virginians are apt to call it gal ax as in the slang for
girl.Kilmarnock (kill MAR knock) is also a problem for cental and western
Virginians who won't to put the accent on the the first syllable.
Cyberbilly
2004-07-30 00:00:15 UTC
Permalink
Post by FarmerDill
Actually the most mispronounced city/town name in Virginia is probably Galax
(GAY lacks) eastern Virginians are apt to call it gal ax as in the slang for
girl.Kilmarnock (kill MAR knock) is also a problem for cental and western
Virginians who won't to put the accent on the the first syllable.
You don't want to know how the locals pronounce Norfolk. Hint: There is no
L sound and the O is pronounced like a U in the second syllable.

-CB
techrat
2004-07-29 16:52:29 UTC
Permalink
Us dumb Pennsy hill folk call it Ports smith.
Post by Wubba
Post by cledus
I forgot all about Buena Vista! Been gone too long. They don't know
how to pronounce it right in Texas.
How many know how to pronounce "Portsmouth"?
And, to see if somebody is a true Virginian, make them say "there's a
mouse about the house" :-)
Cool thread,Snake!
Southeast Uh-hy- o-ans say Purts-muth. but then Rio Grande is
pronounced Rye-uh Gran too. Lancaster is Lank'-uhstur, not Lan-castor.
We have a village named Chauncy and it's pronounced without the
"u"..like: Chan'cy. WV has a town named Hurricane, but pronounce it
Hurruh-kin. A visitor is noticed right away due to his/her name
interpretations :o)
-Wubba
resides in LongBottom
Guv Bob
2004-07-31 16:43:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by Snake
OK, we have nailed down Botetourt, Staunton, Buchanan and a few others on
a.b.a.
Cain't hep ye, this time, old buddy.

But, and this is a big butt, I can contribute a quote from a co-worker one
time, when he was trying to pronounce an unfamiliar word:

"I always had trouble with my pronounciation."
[he mint 'pronunciation']
Cyberbilly
2004-07-31 20:03:54 UTC
Permalink
Post by Guv Bob
Post by Snake
OK, we have nailed down Botetourt, Staunton, Buchanan and a few others on
a.b.a.
Cain't hep ye, this time, old buddy.
But, and this is a big butt, I can contribute a quote from a co-worker one
"I always had trouble with my pronounciation."
[he mint 'pronunciation']
Thanks. I always mispronunciate that word.....

-CB
Snake
2004-07-31 21:51:33 UTC
Permalink
Post by Snake
Faber
Broad "a" - FAH-ber or even FAW-ber
Post by Snake
Schuyler
In the Dutch fashion - SKY-ler
Post by Snake
Mauzy
named for a French Huguenot - mah-ZEE
Post by Snake
Strasburg
Dill and dick know - STRAWSS-burg
Post by Snake
Weyer's Cave
Bro Williamson has it - weerz, or if you're a Deadhead, Weir's

A couple of people said "ware's" and you do sometimes hear it pretty close
to that. What you NEVER hear is "wire's."
Post by Snake
McGaheysville
Bro Williamson got this one too, in the Scottish fashion with the heavy
aspiration.

muh-GACK-eez-ville

sometimes with more like a broad "a"
muh-GOCK-eez-ville, but I think GACK is more common
Post by Snake
Buena Vista
no-brainer - byoona vissta
Post by Snake
Ceres
one syllable, "sears" as in roebuck
Post by Snake
Haysi
bman got it - hay-sigh

Named after two early residents or mine owners, I think Hayes and Siler
Post by Snake
Dante
one syllable, you hear both "daint" and sometimes "dant"

It wasn't named after the Eye-talian poet, but after an early merchant of
French ancestry.
Post by Snake
Stonega
You hear both stow-NAY-guh and stow-NEE-guh

Originally a company town for the Stone Gap Coal Company, I think. Produced
Edd Clark, the Stonega Stallion, a great high school football player, but a
sad story.
Post by Snake
Appalachia
gotta be with the LATCH

Larry said "Apple Atchy" which is the most Hillbonically-correct rendering,
but you actually hear "Apple Atcha" more often. We're talking about the town
in Wise County, which had the name long before it was generically used for
the "region."
Post by Snake
Vansant (not Vanzant)
Thanks for the spelling correction, Larry. My mind was Skynyrdized, I guess.
Now, there is a "Vanzant" in Kentucky.

But it is widely pronounced with more like the voiced "z" sound than the
sibilant "s."

I think you hear VAN-zant more often than van-ZANT, but both are used widely
.
Post by Snake
Honaker
HONE acre - charlie dick and bman got it
Post by Snake
Pembroke
PEM-brook - BW and BH got it
Post by Snake
Pearisburg
"paris" as in France - BW and MH again
Post by Snake
Narrows
One syllable - rhymes with "stairs" - sometimes even rhymes with "stars"
Post by Snake
Chilhowie
chill-HOW-ee
Post by Snake
Rural Retreat
OK, nobody got this one, which was my home from ages 1 to 5, back in the
Truman administration.

The "retreat" part is pronounced normally.

The first word is one syllable "rull" rhymes with "full."

In more formal discourse, you acknowledge the presence of the "r" making it
more like "rurl," almost (but not quirte) rhymes with "curl."

Talking fast, you drop the "l" and run it all together, "rurratreat"
Post by Snake
Wythe/Wytheville
"with"

"Wytheville" in common use pretty much rhymes with "swivel"
Post by Snake
Smyth
plain old "Smith"
Post by Snake
Pulaski
pew-LASS-kee
Post by Snake
Lafayette
luh-FAY-ut in Montgomery County
Post by Snake
Fork Union
This is a little out of Appalachian territory, but even though I think it
was named after a "union" church at the fork of a road, most people in
Virginia pronounce the first word with the long "o" to rhyme with "pork."
Post by Snake
Roanoke
Yep. Two syllables, forget the "a" Ronoke. Unless you're a politician or a
TV news person.
Cyberbilly
2004-07-31 22:22:40 UTC
Permalink
"Snake" <***@weedmail.com> wrote in message news:KvUOc.1964$***@okepread05...
Ever hear of Bumpass in Louisa County?

It's BUMP-uss, not.... well, you know.

-CB
FarmerDill
2004-08-01 17:53:15 UTC
Permalink
Post by Cyberbilly
Ever hear of Bumpass in Louisa County?
It's BUMP-uss, not.... well, you know.
Yep right down the road from Cuckew (coo cooc}
John Slimick
2004-08-01 20:32:53 UTC
Permalink
Anyone who knows anything knows that
your pronounce "Roanoke" as "Big Lick."

And for our Ohio brethren, Gallipolis
is "Gall--a--polees".

john slimick
***@pitt.edu
d***@gmail.com
2019-03-04 02:37:56 UTC
Permalink
Schuyler = skyler
d***@gmail.com
2019-03-04 02:40:23 UTC
Permalink
NAW-fik = Norfolk
Idjit BoB
2019-03-04 13:37:59 UTC
Permalink
Post by d***@gmail.com
NAW-fik = Norfolk
As my mama awlways said "Better late then never."

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