You know you're from Rochester, NY when...

[Beverly Flanigan]

At 03:02 PM 2/23/01 -0600, you wrote:
>I noticed an 'eye-dialect spelling' of 'Rochester' in an earlier post.
>
>I'm not far from the other Rochester, the one in Minnesota. Hereabouts,
>there is no set pronunciation. Rock-chester, Raw-chester, and
>Rot-chester/Rotch-ester are all current. The non-rhotic one is rarely heard,
>and probably has an English accent to go with it.
>
>As I recall Eddy "Rochester" Anderson and Jack Benny, did it 'rock', which
>seems the most popular version. If I'm right, I think this would be the
>source of the usual AmE pronunciation.
>
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I'm from Minnesota too, and I don't recall having ever heard a non-rhotic
pronunciation of the home of the Mayo Clinic (nor do you have one in your
list).  Rock-chester too is entirely new to me--who says this?  Perhaps
some of the many non-native speakers of English who come to the
clinic?  The last form also sounds strange--a very unnatural syllable
segmentation.  Raw-chester is more plausible, given the /a/ ~ /backward C/
distinction still common in Minnesota (at least among older people).

I also grew up with the Jack Benny show, and I really don't recall a
Rock-chester pronunciation--nor do I see it as the "usual" AmE pronunciation.

_____________________________________________
Beverly Olson Flanigan         Department of Linguistics
Ohio University                     Athens, OH  45701
Ph.: (740) 593-4568              Fax: (740) 593-2967
http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/linguistics/dept/flanigan.htm