I have a German surname, but my family changed the pronunciation to sound lest German during WWII so now Germans pronounce it “wrong” and no one else can pronounce it at all.
I read most of my news, so it took about a month to realize the VP candidates last name was pronounced “Walls,” so you’re among company.
I’m from Connecticut, which has a town called Berlin, pronounced BURR-lun (/‘bərlən/). That , like the pronunciation of many German-origin names, was changed during WWII, but it’s basically a shibboleth for locals now, like Houston Street.
I have a German surname, but my family changed the pronunciation to sound lest German during WWII so now Germans pronounce it “wrong” and no one else can pronounce it at all.
I read most of my news, so it took about a month to realize the VP candidates last name was pronounced “Walls,” so you’re among company.
I’m from Connecticut, which has a town called Berlin, pronounced BURR-lun (/‘bərlən/). That , like the pronunciation of many German-origin names, was changed during WWII, but it’s basically a shibboleth for locals now, like Houston Street.
I’m in Indiana and half of our place names are pronounced incorrectly.
Ver-sayles (Versailles)
Rooshaville (Russiaville)
Pee-ru (Peru) Kay-roh (Cairo)
And, of course, we’re the home of the University of Note’r Daym.
Saint Louis would like some words:
Bellefontaine (BELL-fountain)
Cabanne (CAB-a-knee)
Chouteau (SHOW-toe)
Carondelet (kron-duh-let)
Cote Brilliante (coat BRILL-yunt)
DeTonty (duh-TON-tee)
Dougherty Ferry (DOOR-uh-tee ferry)
DeBaliviere (duh-BALL-uh-ver)
Goethe (GO-thee)
Gravois (GRAV-oy)
Gratiot (GRASH-it)
Hodiamont (HOAD-uh-mont)
Juniata (june-ee-AH-tuh)
Kossuth (KOSS-ooth)
Laclede (lah-CLEED)
Spoede (SPAY-dee)
Tesson Ferry (TESS-on ferry)
Zumbehl (ZUM-bull)
Sounds like L.A., where they like to mispronounce every Spanish name and half the names are in Spanish.
Like Lows Feel-iz (Los Feliz)