pronounce it

[Dan Fromm]

Well this sort of thing is seen in many places. In my home town of Rahh-chester is the neighborhood called Charlotte, pronounced sha-LOTT. Nearby is the town of Chili, pronounced CHIE-lie.
And when visiting the south of England, I found Beaulieu, normally pronounced BOWL-you; the locals know it as BYOU-lee.

Chez Chambless Cine Equipment, Beaulieu is pronounced Baloo.

[Mark Sampson]

Dan, either way, the English refuse to use the French pronunciation...

[c.d.ewen]

But I have lived my life in two US States that offer an abundance of unconventional pronunciations for appropriated place names.

Driving on I-80 through Western Pennsylvania, my wife and I stopped in DuBois for the night. While eating dinner in the next town down the road, the friendly waitress asked where we were staying. In Doo-Bwah, we replied. She stared at us quizzically for several seconds, then said, "Oh, you mean da-boyzee?".

The locals get to call it what they want.

Charley

[John Kasaian]

Emmanuel, in my limited experience US citizens are unique in wanting to pronounce foreign words as is correct in their native language. I find our practice strange since everywhere else in the world people seem to pronounce foreign words in their own language.

Ahh, Dan (shakes head in dismay) then why do butcher the names of capitol cities with Pair-iss, Row-mmm, Vee-enna and Mew-nick?

[John Kasaian]

Not to mention Venn-iss and Floor-rinse!

[E. von Hoegh]

Hell, we not only pronounce them differently, we often spell them differently.

[E. von Hoegh]

Not to mention Venn-iss and Floor-rinse!

And Nay-pulls.

[Jim Rice]

I'm from the southeastern United (yeah, right) States, so I always assume my pronunciation is in error. For the record, when I asked Jim at Midwest Photo about a SIGH-mar S he didn't bat an eye but sold me a SIGH-roh-nar N. Its my understanding that he is a really nice guy, though. I forget who exactly I asked about a RISE tripod, but he laughed and laughed.

[Jim Graves]

Is that why Americans pronounce it that way? never heard that take on it before

Actually, most of us don't call it "Lost" Vegas ... we call it "Lost Wages."

[Struan Gray]

Ahh, Dan (shakes head in dismay) then why do butcher the names of capitol cities with Pair-iss, Row-mmm, Vee-enna and Mew-nick?

Then there are those who pronounce Munich as if it were a German word, with a teutonic 'ichhhhh'.

Niepce always gives me problems. Even after quizzing various native French speakers, I can't help thinking of 'neeps', the word used in Scotland for swedes. Or should that be rutabagas? Snaggers? Brassica Napus? In any case, I grew up eating the holy trio of Tatis, Mince and Niepce, and it's hard to shake the association.

I use both See-nar and Sigh-nar. The latter in English, the former in Germanic tongues. Nikon however is always, religiously, Nick-on.

If I ever set up a camera manufactury, it will be in Kircudbrightshire, with investment from the Chomondley estates. Name? Syzygy Optyka.