Which of these six is the best H.P. Lovecraft story?

[Bohandas]

I think the success rate for pronunciation of New England place names for people outside New England is around 30%

New England place names are a mess

England place names too

I think a good percentage of both of them date to a time before most people knew how to spell

 

[J.Quondam]

Fake Massachusetts Towns

Lameham Methol Shamesbury Blight Falls West Lameham Mansocket Whitefolk Leominsterlingburghamshireton Scroughton Unstable (/unst’-a-bull/) Hamham B...

www.mcsweeneys.net

I assume the town of "Mansocket" was established before plugs were standardized in the US.

 

[MGibster]

I once gave a presentation on Scottish witchcraft where I pronounce Berwick as Bear-Wick instead of Burr-Wick. After I wrapped up my ten minute presentation my professor was kind enough to tell me how it was pronounced. Thankfully I don't think any of the other Americans in the room knew the difference.

 

[Voadam]

If people can't even pronounce Peabody correctly, there is no hope for place names like Leicester. I think even in Massachusetts a third of the people probably don't pronounce that one right

Every other town in Massachusetts has its own specific but recognizably Massachusetts accent. The accent in Concord is distinct from that in Leominster. So how some things are pronounced will have distinctions even within Massachusetts.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

If I had a dollar for every time I heard a person call it Pee-BODY, I'd have a mansion in Manchester-by-the-Sea

It's not P'abdi?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I once gave a presentation on Scottish witchcraft where I pronounce Berwick as Bear-Wick instead of Burr-Wick. After I wrapped up my ten minute presentation my professor was kind enough to tell me how it was pronounced. Thankfully I don't think any of the other Americans in the room knew the difference.

It's Berrick. The w is unvoiced. Common for "wick" place names, such as Alnwick (pronounced Annick) and Keswick (Kessick).

 

[Bedrockgames]

It's not P'abdi?

PEE-b'dee:

 

[Bedrockgames]

Every other town in Massachusetts has its own specific but recognizably Massachusetts accent. The accent in Concord is distinct from that in Leominster. So how some things are pronounced will have distinctions even within Massachusetts.

I don't know if I would quite say every town, but there are certainly lots of different Boston accents and different New England accents (someone from Marblehead talks very different from someone in Revere, or someone from Newton). It also varies a lot by social class (the Boston accent people hear in the movies is usually an accent that is thought of as more blue collar, though it isn't always so). It is even not the same in a single family. My mom has a heavy Boston accent (she is from Lynn). My father doesn't have much of one despite being from Revere (the accents there are usually pretty heavy). My youngest sister has a heavy one. Me and my middle sister have much lighter accents but slip back into it if we aren't paying attention. And then there are the people who have the accent, but pronounced their R's very hard (even in words without Rs)

 

[Bedrockgames]

New England place names are a mess

England place names too

I think a good percentage of both of them date to a time before most people knew how to spell

'
I would posit that we are the only ones who remember how to spell properly

 

[Ryujin]

Me and my middle sister have much lighter accents but slip back into it if we aren't paying attention. And then there are the people who have the accent, but pronounced their R's very hard (even in words without Rs)

I know what that's like. I haven't lived in New Bruswick for more than 50 years but when I start getting agitated, the accent comes back. I generally describe a New Brunswick accent as like a Newfie, who was dropped on his head as a baby.