Learn to speak Wisconsin

[Wilson Gray]

I've used that pronunciation myself, while laboring under the
misapprehension that the name of the state was "West Consin."

-Wilson

On 9/8/07, Joseph Salmons <jsalmons at wisc.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Joseph Salmons <jsalmons at WISC.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Learn to speak Wisconsin
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Well, as Wisconsin's own Mr. Verb pointed out (on a tip from Ben
> Zimmer) at the beginning of the week, Miss Pronouncer is a valuable
> resource in many ways -- covering not just place names of Indian
> origin (mostly Algonquian), but also names of political and sports
> figures, place names of immigrant-language heritage (illustrated in
> the list), you name it.
>
> But it's marred by a nasty attitude about regional speech: The
> website says, as Ben noted, "And by the way, please slap anyone who
> says WESconsin!" She and her friends have got a lot of slapping to
> do, given what I hear every day.
>
> Joe
>
> On Sep 7, 2007, at 9:10 PM, Beverly Flanigan wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIO.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: Learn to speak Wisconsin
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > ---------
> >
> > These pronunciations are no problem for us Minnesotans; we have an
> > abundance of Native Indian place names ourselves (Ojibwe and Dakota
> > Sioux).
> >
> > At 09:53 PM 9/7/2007, you wrote:
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
> >> Subject:      Learn to speak Wisconsin
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> ----------
> >>
> >> The below from the Chicago Tribune
> >>
> >>
> >> Learn to speak Wisconsin
> >> Posted by Toni Salama at 8 a.m. CDT
> >>
> >> Some Wisconsin place names are downright intimidating. If they're not
> >> out-and-out tongue-twisters, their spelling can stump even the most
> >> lingually gifted among us.
> >>
> >> I guess you have to expect that in a state whose very name,
> >> Wisconsin, is
> >> the English spelling of a French version of an Indian name for the
> >> river
> >> that runs through the center of the state.
> >>
> >> To the rescue comes MissPronouncer.com, where a click on Wisconsin
> >> place
> >> names is rewarded with audio of the correct pronunciation.
> >>
> >> Among the trickiest problems solved:
> >>
> >> Ashwaubenon
> >> Chequamegon
> >> Kaukauna
> >> Kinnickinnic
> >> Menomonie
> >> Mequon
> >> Oconomowoc
> >> Prairie du Chien
> >> St. Nazianz
> >> Trempealeau
> >> Weyauwega
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL5+
> >> See truespel.com - and the 4  truespel books plus "Occasional
> >> Poems" at
> >> authorhouse.com.
> >>
> >> _________________________________________________________________
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> >> us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_5G_0907
> >>
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> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
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>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

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