place pronunciations (was RE: pizzeria pronunciation?)

[Amy Speed]

Re:

>>dInIs (who can always spot Wisconsinites, who make the most of onsets to
the point of cluster formation - wI-SKON-suhn, compared to my "normal"
wIs-KON-suhn)<<

Speaking of which ... Is the "correct" pronunciation of a place or name that
of the natives, generally, or does some "objective" third party make these
decisions? For example, the wI-SKON-suhn pronunciation written above is
definitely that of a Wisconsinite, whereas Wisconsinites are mortified at
"foreigners'" pronunciation of wIs-KON-suhn. New Orleans is famous for
possessing a variety of pronunciations around the country. Towns ending
with -ville may be another example (I would say NASH-vill, while a native
would say NASH-vull, perhaps?). Anyone who's been to Milwaukee probably
noticed the natives saying m-WAH-kee, rather than mil-WAH-kee. The last two
cases may be simply a matter of laziness of the tongue; however, I am
interested to know exactly who DOES decide on these matters of
pronunciation.

Amy