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How do you pronounce....?

jimscott

Tropical Fish Enthusiast
Not to be confused with the topic from a year and a half ago, about pronouncing leucophylla or gemmae or...., this is geared toward how we pronounce English words, based upon our respective accents.

I am having an online discussion on how to pronounce the name Analisa and I brought up that I come from both ends of the State of NY. If you are from NYC / LI, that 'A' sound will be one thing, but if you come from Rochester and west, it will be completey different.

So, how do you pronounce words like Colorado, Oregon, Florida, orange, coffee, milk, radiator, roof, process, and names like Kathy or Karen?
 
Mid-New York stater, born and raised.
(southern tier/Finger Lakes.)


Colorado, - cahl-uh-rah-dough
Oregon, - oar-uh-gon
Florida, -floor-uh-duh
orange, -oar-inge (as in hinge)
coffee, -koff-ee
milk, -hmmm..cant think of a way to phonetically spell it, except "milk"!
(got one! I use Mel, as in Mel's diner,..others say "mill" as in mill pond)

radiator, -ray-dee-ay-der
roof, - roo..as in Kanga, with a fff on the end.
process - pra, rhymes with bra, cess.
Kathy - cah (same "a" sound as cat) -thee, (rhymes with three.)
Karen - care-in


Scot
 
I'd only change a few from Scott's

Oregon, - oar-eh-gon
Florida, -floor-eh-duh
radiator, -ray-dee-ay-ter
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (scottychaos @ Nov. 08 2005,1:03)]Kathy - cah (same "a" sound as cat) -thee, (rhymes with three.)
Karen - care-in


Scot
I was born in NYC and we moved to Long Island (Lawn-guy-lind) and it sounds as if you say Kathy & Karen differently. Having spent a good 20 years in Buffalo, I say Kathy & Karen the same way - Kaithy, as in Care Bear sound.

So the Finger Lakes region isn't totally like Buffalo / Niagara Falls / Jamestown?
 
This subject has always fascinated me.  Ever since I was a kid and a friend from out of town didn't understand me when I asked, "You wanna have a catch?"  I believe that phrase is unique to New York City where I grew up.  Most people would say "play catch," or the like.  New Yorkers also stand *on* line to buy movie tickets.

I grew up in Manhattan, so do not have the accent most people associate with New York.  Actually, the Bronx and Brooklyn/Queens have their own accents.  Don't get me started on Long Island.  Eh-o moy Gowad!  Funny, I went to school in Alfred, NY, about 90 minutes south of Buffalo.  They say "pop," not "soda."  I always got a kick out of that.  ;)

If you're in to this sort of thing, check out this study:
http://cfprod01.imt.uwm.edu/Dept/FLL/linguistics/dialect/maps.html Check out #77, choice C. LOL

Anyway:

Colorado - cah-lah-RAH-dao
Florida - FLOOR-ih-dah
orange - ornge (pretty much one syllable)
coffee - COUGH-ee
milk - melk
radiator - RAY-dee-ay-der
roof - roof (as in boot, not woof)
process - PRAH-sess
Kathy - KA-thee (like cat)
Karen - KEHR-in
 
Nanook, what a mix! From NYC, Florida & orange, would be Flahr-ida & Ah-ringe. In Buffalo, it would Floor-ida & Oor-inge. yet, coffee in NYC is Cough-ee and more like Co-fee in Buffalo. it gets switched. My wife, who is from Jamestown area, says melk. Why? there's no 'e' in it! Now cat in Buffalo is pronounced like care, so both Katy & Karen have that carebear siund. No Canadians have participated, so you don't get the long 'o' in process.

I thought the 'pop' & 'soda' thing was funny. So was ordering a meatball 'hero', versus 'sub'. And why is a strawberry shortcake a biscuit with starwberries and juice in Buffalo, while being a real cake in NYC?
 
Some of the words I don't even know how you could pronounce them but one way. ?? I mean...milk?? M-I-L-K is...milk.

Colorado...Cah-lo-rah-do
Oregon...Or-i-gun
Florida...Flah-ri-dah
orange...Ah-ringe
coffee...caw-fee
milk...err...milk... lol What other way is there?
radiator...ray-dee-ay-tor
roof...rue-f
process...prah-cess
Kathy...um...Kathy ??
Karen...Kare-ren

Sub and drink or soda here.
smile.gif
And "y'all" (yawl).
biggrin.gif


I know in PA people say "radd-i-ator"...and instead of "it needs to be painted" its "it needs painted." And you " re'd up the house" meaning clean it up.

Is it New York-ese to say "boughten" instead of "bought"?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (PlantAKiss @ Nov. 09 2005,4:04)]milk...err...milk... lol  What other way is there?
MILLk as in "wind mill"
and
MELk as in Mel's diner.


Scot
 
A northern English accent for you:

Colorado: coll - er - rah - doh
Florida: florr - i - der
Oregon: orri - gun
orange: orr - inge
coffee: koff - ee
milk: milk!
radiator: ray - dee - ay - ter
roof: roof!
process: pro - sess
Kathy: kath - ee
Karen: karr - un
 
  • #10
[b said:
Quote[/b] (PlantAKiss @ Nov. 09 2005,10:04)]Florida...Flah-ri-dah
orange...Ah-ringe
coffee...caw-fee
smile.gif
 And "y'all"  (yawl).  
biggrin.gif


I know in PA people say "radd-i-ator"...and instead of  "it needs to be painted" its "it needs painted."  And you " re'd up the house" meaning clean it up.

Is it New York-ese to say "boughten" instead of "bought"?
Suzanne, the 3 I quoted are exactly like NYC / LI - only with your Sothern drawl thingy.

Another weird one for Eastern PA, at least a little north of me - 'warsh' for wash.

NYC & LI don't pronounce 'r's', either. New England doesn't pronounce r's either - but in a slightly different way. But they put r's where they don't belong - like idear for idea.

Then there's the Amish and "outen the lights" for turn off the lights. Vaht a Country!
 
  • #11
I'm from southern England and I say them in exactly the same way Alexis does.

Colorado: coll-er-rah-doh
Florida: florr-i-der
Oregon: orri-gun
orange: orr-inge
coffee: koff-ee
milk: mill-k
radiator: ray-dee-ay-ter
roof: roof
process: pro-sess
Kathy: kath-ee
Karen: karr-un
 
  • #12
That's interesting since it seems you say most of those words like me.
biggrin.gif


And...WHY would anyone say MELK?? ???There's no E in milk.
 
  • #13
[b said:
Quote[/b] (PlantAKiss @ Nov. 09 2005,5:46)]That's interesting since it seems you say most of those words like me.  
biggrin.gif


And...WHY would anyone say MELK??  ???There's no  E in milk.
That is like way too funny! You have a Southern accent and a British accent, with the same pronunciation.

When we lived in rural Kentucky, there was this nothing of a town called Elkatawa. IT was pronounced: Elka-toy.Why?
 
  • #14
Well there is a small town in western VA called Lebanon. But its pronounced Lebnon.
 
  • #15
I know this is an old topic, but I missed it. I am a native Floridian and fascinated by all the different accents we have here. In my part the natives would say:

Colorado= Cahl-uh-rah-dough
Oregon= Or-uh-gon
Florida= Flor-duh
orange= ornj (one syllable)
coffee= cough-ee
milk= milk
radiator= ray-dee-ay-der
roof= rufe
process= prah-sess
Kathy= (like the "cath" in "cathode")-ee
Karen= Care-in

Wow, a lot of New Yorkers here pronounce things like I do. I thought all of "youse" said "Flahr-i-der"
 
  • #16
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jaje61 @ Feb. 12 2006,2:09)]Wow, a lot of New Yorkers here pronounce things like I do.  I thought all of "youse" said "Flahr-i-der"
I get that every time I get into a conversation that ends up about where I live, when speaking with someone from outside of NYS. Whenever I say that I am from NY, people assume that I mean NYC. While I was born there and raised on the Island, and can revert back to 'youse' and Flahr-i-der anytime, I spent most of my adult life in Western NY (Buffalo). NYC at the eastern end of the State. They are 326 miles apart, according to NYS Thruway Authority (I-90) and have a significantly different subcultures and accents. Believe it or not, Buffalo is Midwestern and I am a whole lot closer to Cleveland, than NYC. I am only an hour away from Mabudon, in St Catharines, Ontario. The rest of the State wouldn't mind if NYC and LI would form their own State!
 
  • #17
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Feb. 12 2006,8:02)]
Wow, a lot of New Yorkers here pronounce things like I do. I thought all of "youse" said "Flahr-i-der"
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
I get that every time I get into a conversation that ends up about where I live, when speaking with someone from outside of NYS. Whenever I say that I am from NY, people assume that I mean NYC. While I was born there and raised on the Island, and can revert back to 'youse' and Flahr-i-der anytime, I spent most of my adult life in Western NY (Buffalo). .........The rest of the State wouldn't mind if NYC and LI would form their own State!
As another Florida resident. We all assume you come from Long Island, becase everyone of you does. No one in NY actually lives in Albany or anyplace near the catskills. You all live in Long Island and travel to the city for work.
And Yes, I have meet people who really do feel that Long Island is a seperate state.

You do of course realize that it is a law that at 65 years old you have to move down here to Florida and drive real slow?

coffee -- cough-ay (thanks to Odd Todd)
Colorado= call-a-rod-o
Oregon= or-E-gun
Florida= Flor-e-duh
orange= or-n-juh (one syllable)
milk= moo juice
radiator= ray-dee-ate-tor
roof= ruf
process= prah-sess
Kathy= (like the "cath" in "cathode")-ee <--- Ilke that one
Karen= Care-in <--- Also nice

Sincerely,
Brendhan
 
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