So I get this email recently from a viewer who said I pronounced Boas street wrong. It was a story about a suspect who police say robbed a home on Boas street in Harrisburg. This viewer says the street does not have 2 syllables -- it's pronounced like Bose -- the stereo system. But when I checked with a couple of people in the newsroom, they reassured me that it is pronounced with 2 syllables -- with the emphasis on the Bo!
That's my safety net for many of the peculiar pronunciations I have to say on the air -- I ask folks who are "native" to the area. I put quotations around "native" because unless you are Native American -- are you really considered a native? But, that's a discussion to have around Columbus Day.
Anyway, there are words that have "cut and dry" pronunciations in this area -- for example, Conodoguinet -- that was probably the first word I had to ask a producer about when I started working here. And, Schuylkill -- I can pronounce it -- can't spell it though.
But then, there's Lebanon, Lancaster, Carlisle -- (now I know that this rant isn't as effective in writing because you can't hear what I'm saying...but I know you get what I'm saying)..it's Lebanin -- not Leba-NON -- except if you're talking about the middle east --and it's LANcaster - -not LanCASTer -- and CarLISLE, not CARlisle.
And then there are these beauties -- Regina (ReGINuh) street, not ReGEEnuh and Progress (Prohgress), not PRAHgress. After all this, I start second guessing how to pronounce my own name -- it's Sherreye right?!
But, Pennsylvania is not alone, for those of you who haven't been out of the commonwealth. For example, when I worked in Tallahassee, Florida -- it's right near the Georgie/Florida state line and there's a city in Georgia called Cairo. You guessed it -- it's pronounced like the syrup -- not like the city in Egypt. So everyone has their strange names. Just keep that in mind the next time anyone of us mispronounces something on-air.
Altogether now -- You say tomato, I say tomahto, you say potato, I say potahto, tomato, tomahto, potato, potahto - let's call the whole thing off!
