Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg

[Tom Zurinskas]

from

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5198455/Longest-place-name-in-US-spelt-wrongly.html

The longest place name in the United States, Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.
By Sarah Knapton    Last Updated: 12:10PM BST 22 Apr 2009

The lake in Webster, Massachusetts - known as Webster Lake for short - was always going to be a challenge for sign writers. But after researching historical spelling combinations, the local newspaper the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester said local Chamber of Commerce officials agreed that some some signs at the lake were wrong.  There was an "o" at letter 20 where a "u" should have been, and an "h" at letter 38 where an "n" should go.
The name comes from the language of the local Nipmuck tribe and translates to "Englishmen at Manchaug at the fishing place at the boundary although" and was applied in the 19th century when White people built factories in the area.
The stretch of water has several alternative names is also shortened to Lake Chaubunagungamaug to avoid the 45 letter tongue twister.
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, the full-length version of the name, is the longest place name in the United States and 6th longest in the world. Its 17 uses of "g" are the most instances of any letter in a word. The name also contains 10 instances of the letter "a" (not including the "a" in "lake"), more than any word in the English language.

TZ – Note that there are three “awe” vowels in there.  Those “awe-droppers” (who have dropped the phoneme “awe” and replace it with “ah”) would not be saying this word right.  But then again, who does.  Probably only Nipmucks.
How would that be spelled phonetically?
Char-GOG-uh-gog---man-CHAW-guh-gog---chaw-BUN-uh-GUN-guh-mawg.
~chaarggaagugaagmancchaugugaagchaubbunugungumaug.


Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL5+
see truespel.com
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