How to Pronounce Appalachian?
 

Recent Presidential Dem candidate debate John Edwards pronounced Appalachian as:

"Appa-lah-chun" i believe

I've always said "Appa-lay-chen"

how is this word pronounced in Appalachia?

thanks

As Edwards did.

There are likely several regional variations.

Unlike "nuclear", which W pronounces "nucular".

thanks - i thot he must be right as he's from Carolina.

do other mid-west folk like me say Appa-lay-chen? Or have i missed the boat for decades?

Well, everybody I know here in North Carolina says "Appa-latchin' " I'm a native Carolinian. Slight variation on how you say Edwards said it ... :) Other Tar Heels, chime in!

well that's probably what Edwards said - i didn't get it straight but not like i say it at all - i changing to Edwards and Carolina pronunciation

Poor John Edwards. First it's $400 haircuts and now it's how he pronounces "Appalachian."

The word is correctly pronounced as four syllables or five syllables and with a long "a" or short "a" in the third syllable.

But, like PalenO, I prefer to pronounce a place name the way locals do.

Well, I went to Appalachian State and we pronounce it like Edwards does. :)

I live near the Appalachian trail in Virginia and the question of pronunciation comes up every now and again in the newspaper. Generally, south of the Mason-Dixon people pronounce it like Edwards: Appa-lah-chun. North (and I suppose West) pronounce it Appa-lay-chen. Regional differences, neither is right or wrong.

I've always pronounced it apple-lat'-chun. Accent on the 'lat' and the a in lat is pronounced as in cat. Lived in TN & GA all my life.

Growing up in WV it was pronounced Appa-lah-chun as well.

DebInTN, I think we're talking about the same pronunciation. Some of my family is from TN! Some people I know say "latch-in" some say "latch-un" ... not that different. Just no "lay" in there, and you're okay. :)

Webster's Ninth goes for the long A, but regional usage doesn't always follow the book.

To throw in another variation, in the midwest, we used to not only use the long a for the second a but also say the "ch" as an "sh" so it was "Ap - a - lay -she - un."

The region was Ap a lay she a.

After I moved to the south, my pronounciation changed to Edwards, I gather, or "ap-a- la- tchun" (la as in latch). The region became Ap a la cha.

Lost a syllable, different "a" and different ch.

So is it Tchi-caga or Shih-caga?

In New England, it's App-uh-LAY-chin.

It's a VERY long mountain chain...

The Second Civil War broke out this morning as members of a travel forum disagreed over the pronunciation of "Appalachian"

This just in, the southern contingent is pulling out front but as on poster admitted, "It is a VERY long mountain chain."

News at 11

Ok, New England it's Wor-cess-ter, Mass right?

Is is kuh-rib-bee-en or care-uh-bee-en?