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?

PalenQ, there is North Carolina or South Carolina or you can be from the Carolinas but no such place as Carolina.

Ap-EL-atchian is how I pronounce Appalachian.

Accent on the second syllable? That's one I've never heard.

"Worcester" is "Wustah," as everyone in Newingland knows.

"Caribbean" is harder -- by custom, the "i" before two consonants (the double "b") should be short, so it would be Cah-RIB-be-an. But it's named for, more or less, the Caribes, and so you'd expect the "i" to be pronounced "ee" -- leaving you to choose which syllable on which to put the emphasis.

Seems to me it's worth trying to pronounce a place name the way the inhabitants do -- so up north you can refer to the Green and White Mts. as part of the "Appullay-chen" chain, and further south you can say "Appul-atchen." What you ought NOT to do is correct locals on their pronunciation of their own place names.

Don't we have a resident expert to determine who is instantly stupid?

NC born and bred. I say it how Edwards appears to have said it (and how elsiemoo says it).

In NC, the people who say the third syllable as "AY" are usually from parts elsewhere.

In Kentucky, it is also "appa-latch-un", at least on the end of the state that is actually part of the Appalachians!

Apple Latch Chin if you live here. The other if yer going to be snooty about it.

Betsy, in central, rural, KY, in the dark ages, we learned in grade school to say Appel-a-shun. Of course, we also learned to say I-o-way and Ill-i-noise.

Some of us now know better.

Worcester native here confirming it's "Wusta".

But if you live 10 miles outside of Wusta then its Woos-ter.

Lancaster, South Carolina is pronounced 'Langster'.

Leicester North Carolina is pronounced 'Lester'.

There is an 'all benny' Georgia and an 'alb'ny' NY; there is a 'kay-ro' GA and a 'Kie-ro' Egypt; there is a Vi-enna, GA and a Vee-enna Italy. Always pronounce it the way the locals do.

The first syllable begins like "would" not like "woo-woo."

Leicester, MA is also pronounced
"Lester".

Leominster, MA is pronounced "Lemon-ster".

What about Beaufort, SC? Isn't it pronounced Bew-fert?

.. of Worcester, that is.

Anyone want to try "Billerica"? "Leominster"?

Beat me to it, Hubster!

How about Calais, ME. In France it's
Cal-ay... in ME its Cal-us.

I always thought it was Wis-tah.

How about some tough ones:
Schuylkill, Beaufort, NC vs Beaufort, SC.

Bow-fert, North Carolina

Bew-fert, South Carolina

:)

Elsiemoo is absolutely correct about Appalachian and Beaufort.
(I hate to admit that John Edwards is correct about anything!)

Bill-RICK-uh = Billerica
LEM-in-stuh = Leominster