Wor-chester or Wor-caster is how most out-of-towners pronounce it.
Of course, the Thames River in New London is pronounced with the "th" sound here, much to the chargrin of anyone from London.
Played with Kaylee. Sun came out, and I walked on my feet and heard with my ears. I ate the bits, the bits stayed down, and I work. I function like I'm a girl. I hate it because I know it'll go away. The sun goes dark and chaos has come again. Bits. Fluids. What am I?!
River ,'War Stories'
We're Literary 2: To Read Makes Our Speaking English Good
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Pix - Mar 18, 2004 5:09:51 am PST #1496 of 10002
We're all getting played with, babe. -Weird Barbie
Vortex - Mar 18, 2004 5:10:55 am PST #1497 of 10002
"Cry havoc and let slip the boobs of war!" -- Miracleman
Wor-chester or Wor-caster is how most out-of-towners pronounce it.
Philistines! :)
Fred Pete - Mar 18, 2004 5:15:59 am PST #1498 of 10002
Ann, that's a ferret.
Likewise -- if from Worcester, MA, pronouce it Wuss-tah. You know you want to.
Of course. Like Leicester Square in London is pronounced "Les-ter."
And Staunton, VA is pronounced "STAN-t'n."
Pix - Mar 18, 2004 5:26:54 am PST #1499 of 10002
We're all getting played with, babe. -Weird Barbie
Isn't it amazing how much you can tell about a person by little things like that? Simple pronunciation like Les-ter vs. Lei-caster in London, or how to eat a piece of pizza in NYC (folded over), or what a "grinder" is in CT (a sub, hoagie, or hero in other parts of the country).
I love dialects and regional customs. They're so much fun.
Alicia K - Mar 18, 2004 6:00:00 am PST #1500 of 10002
Uncertainty could be our guiding light.
As a Wisconsin native, I've been mocked for my pronunciation of my home state. I apparently pronounce it wis-GON-sin, instead of wis-KON-sin. I don't think I'm alone in this, but I don't often pay attention.
Oh, and when I moved out to Seattle, I was corrected on my pronunciation of Oregon. It's OR-e-gun, not OR-e-GON.
Strix - Mar 18, 2004 6:44:25 am PST #1501 of 10002
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
Here, we have the Great E/UH Divide.
Do you say "Mis-UR-ee" or "Mis-UR-uh"?
It pretty much tells you what part of the state people are from, and if they are "country" or "city."
deborah grabien - Mar 18, 2004 6:50:23 am PST #1502 of 10002
It really doesn't matter. It's just an opinion. Don't worry about it. Not worth the hassle.
Years in the UK left me with the tooth-grindy reaction to mispronounciations of Leicester and Worcester.
More common than those, even, is the mangling of "-shire" at the end of a place name. That, and the mangling of "Edinborough" and "Glasgow". Brrr.
Steph L. - Mar 18, 2004 6:53:48 am PST #1503 of 10002
I look more rad than Lutheranism
Do you say "Mis-UR-ee" or "Mis-UR-uh"?
I get violent when people say "Mis-UR-uh" and, particularly, "Cin-cin-AT-uh."
There's an "I" on the end, people! Not an "A"!
Katerina Bee - Mar 18, 2004 7:02:56 am PST #1504 of 10002
Herding cats for fun
I think Anne's book organization stuff is golden. Mine is much like hers, except for the idea about turning pretty covers face-out, which I have to do now. I have a couch placed in front of the Wall of Books, so the ones I don't access often are on the bottom 2 tiers, because I have to move the couch to get at them. Obviously I could probably get rid of all those books, but you never know what you might need someday. The Human Anatomy book is useful sometimes, but the Introduction to Physics book: no.
Anne W. - Mar 18, 2004 7:03:46 am PST #1505 of 10002
The lost sheep grow teeth, forsake their lambs, and lie with the lions.
Do you say "Mis-UR-ee" or "Mis-UR-uh"?
The former, as I spent my formative years in St. Louis.
More common than those, even, is the mangling of "-shire" at the end of a place name.
Is it supposed to be pronounced "-shr," almost as if there's no vowel? That's how I've always pronouced it.
What's really fun is listening to the way natives pronounce "Baltimore, Maryland."