Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Pronunciation is everything

I read an article on one of the news stations the other day, and it made me want to post. 


People who are not natives of South Eastern Virginia, AKA, Hampton Roads, AKA, Tidewater do not understand how to properly pronounce most of the city names around here. 


The biggest example is Norfolk. 
From the way it is spelled you would assume you pronounce it Nor - Folk.
Well no, you don't. 
Only out of towners and vacationers actually pronounce all of the letters and say Nor - Folk. 
After you have been here awhile, you will hear it said enough times, to understand it should be spelled Nor-Fick because that is how everyone says it. 
People who are 3rd and fourth generation Hampton Roads-ian like myself however know that that Nor - Fick is not the correct pronunciation either. 
As my grandaddy would say, it is Nal-Fick.
Yes people, there is an invisible al in the beginning. You will hear some of the older people refer to Nal-Fick and you will wonder what the heck they are talking about. 


Some of you think that on the other side of the water from Norfolk, is a city known as Portsmouth. 


As my grandaddy would say Nal-Fick, my grandma would say Porch-Moth.


Porch-Moth? seriously? YES. Listen to old timers refer to the pro baseball team. They were the Porch-Moth Cubs. No matter that the history books read Portsmouth, old timers all know its Porch-Moth. 


Yet again, I wonder why people get confused. You look on the map for Nal-Fick and Porch-Moth and don't see them!