Speaking "American" while traveling

[Gina D.]

What wierd (To you) words have you run into in a region while traveling that are everyday norm for that area? The kind of thing when it's said to you, you are glazed and glassy, staring blindly and scratching your head, saying to yourself "What the heck does THAT mean?"

Or names for things that are different the country 'round.

Or.. the great arguement..

is it "Pop" or is it "Soda"?

(I say it's Pop, but you'll get lynched and THEN arrested in California for saying that)

[Morgan]

Gina, my favorites are place names.

It seems if people are gonna call their town Sequim, they should learn to pronounce it.

The same goes for residents of Ajo or Sault Sainte Marie.

Of course Sioux City is doubly confusing.

[Chester Taje]

EH

[Morgan]

Good one, Ches. I've heard that Canadians are guys that say "eh' and sit around calling each other hosehead. Any truth to that?

[Morgan]

Although the folks in Wickieup pronounce it correctly, I always wondered what it meant.

Then I found out it's what you say to your horse when you want him to wickie.

[Morgan]

Down south, at least in East Texas which is the edge of down south, people stand out front as your leaving and say, "Y'all come back, y'heah?"

Before they locked him in a rubber room, my brother cured more than one of them. On hearing that, he'd immediately turn around and go back.

[Donna D.]

Living in Oregon (Or-E-Gun) we're used to everything being missprounced by travelers. The river running through downtown Portland is the Willamette (Will-ahm-ette, not William-ette).

It's Pop Gina

[Byron Kinnaman]

Living in Oregon (Or-E-Gun) we're used to everything being missprounced by travelers. The river running through downtown Portland is the Willamette (Will-ahm-ette, not William-ette).

It's Pop Gina

I've been prouncing Willamette wrong all this time. According to Johny Carson it's the Will-a-mette.

And it's a coke even if it's an orange crush

[Chester Taje]

Good one, Ches. I've heard that Canadians are guys that say "eh' and sit around calling each other hosehead. Any truth to that?

Hosehead would be a mild word

[Morgan]

If you've ever visited friends or relatives down south, you may have noticed when you were leaving, they'd gather out front and yell, "y'all come back, y'heah?"

Before they locked him in a rubber room, my brother cured more than one. When he heard them yell, he'd immediately turn around and go back.

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Is it a creek or a "crick". A roof (sounds like tooth) or does it sound like "tough"? Road-eeyo or ro-dayo? Do you greet someone with "Howdy", "Hi", "how ya do'in"?
Is it pronounced Los (rhymes with toes) An-hell-us. or las an-jell-us? San Joaquin is not pronounced san walk-een by everyone.
Hoo boy, this could become very confusing!
Kurt & Ann K.

[Bill Abbay]

I know about Willamette; trips me up all the time. Keep wanting to call it William-ette.

Folks that live in "Frisco" don't like you to call it that. Everybody knows about "Vegas", just East of the border with "Kahl-ee-forn-ya."

[Byron Kinnaman]

Is it a creek or a "crick".
Kurt & Ann K.

Come on now. There's a big difference between a crick and creek. A creek is a clear mountain stream. A crick runs through a cow pasture and collects cow effluent along with old washing machines, etc.

[Gina D.]

On the west coast, you sit in a chair and set (Insert whatever object here) down on the counter.

In the south, you set in a chair. I don't know if they sit on the counter.

[Donna D.]

Come on now. There's a big difference between a crick and creek. A creek is a clear mountain stream. A crick runs through a cow pasture and collects cow effluent along with old washing machines, etc.

I thought a creek was a small river anywhere (like down the middle of a Portland street right now) and a crick is what you get in your neck

[Roger H]

As a native of Sioux City, and proud graduate of Sioux City East High School (a million years ago) I find nothing confusing about that at all! However, also as a native of Iowa during the late fifties and early sixties, I DID learn all about the "Fine Art of Porch Settin'."... a significantly different passtime than 'sitting on fthe veranda', for example.

Roger

on edit: By the way, my grandmother never "washed" a load of laundry in her life. She undoubtedly "worshed" thousands of garments, though...

[Byron Kinnaman]

Roger

on edit: By the way, my grandmother never "washed" a load of laundry in her life. She undoubtedly "worshed" thousands of garments, though...

Bet she had a winder too.

[Per Walthinsen]

In Portland it is pronounced "will-ÆÆ-mut".
I once had a gas station attendant in Oklahoma ask me if I wanted him to check the "earl".

[Ken James]

What is the correct pronounciation for the word "roof", that thing on top of the garage?

A lot of my American friends seem to have a "ruff" on their homes.

[Tom Trostel]

You may not know, but there is a river that starts in Colorado, flows through Kansas and Arkansas and empties into the Mississippi. At its start and finish it is called the "ar- CAN -saw", but in its middle section its called the "ar- KANSAS" river. Ask anyone in Wichita.
Tom Trostel