D&D 5E Fantasy Appalachia

[Weiley31]

Please for all that is good and holy, just promise me that you will pronounce it properly: "apple-at-cha."

Sincerely,

An Appalachian Native

Ap·pa·la·chia | \ ˌa-pə-ˈlā-chə , -ˈla-chə, -ˈlā-shə \

It appears there are several acceptable pronunciations.

In Western Maryland, we say apple-ATE-sha

California:
Sepulveda (suh-puhl-vih-duh)
San Pedro (san PEE-dro)
San Rafael (San ruh-FELL)

Massachusetts:
Worcester (wuh-stir [actually wuh-stuh])

Maryland:
Annapolis (nap-PLIS)
Baltimore (bal-murr)
Wicomico (WHY-cahm-mick-oh)

North Carolina:
Corolla (cuh-RAH-lah)

New York
Houston Street (HOUSE-stun)
Ronkonkoma (RAWN-CAWN-kuh-muh)
Canarsie (k-NAHR-see)
Yaphank (yeah-PANK)

Nevada (ni-VAD-duh)

Apple-Bees.

 

[Aldarc]

The thing is, the Appalachian Mountains are in more than one region. It’s Alabama to Vermont.

Appalachia the region (where Dolly Parton lives) has its pronunciation (Apple-atch-uh), which I respect as right for that part.

But I lived in the Appalachians in NY and MA, and it‘s definitely the App-pill-h-un Trail in those states.

The Great Smokies are part of the chain, but so are the Green Mountains.

The thing is, @haakon1: I've heard this condescension all before, and I don't appreciate you talking to me as if I was ignorant of this. This pronunciation of this word is historically and politically charged, as we have been subjected to outsiders insisting that our pronunciation must be wrong because we are uneducated hillbillies and they made it their mission to impose their substantially younger pronunciation on us. The pronunciation you speak of was an invention because the guy writing of the Trail thought it sounded more aesthetically fitting than the central and southern way. And because of the cultural clout of non-Appalachian folk treating us as wrong for saying it the way we do, we have been fighting against that foreign pronunciation being imposed on us and our culture. "Apple-Lay-Shun" is the pronunciation of decades upon decades of regional condescension and imperialism against the Central and Southern Appalachian regions, from where the word derives. I have talked to many people who derided the Apple-latch-uh pronunciation. All of them have walked away from our conversations saying Apple-latch-uh for the rest of their dear lives. This is a hill that I will gladly die on, but I have yet to be defeated.

 

[Steampunkette]

Honestly, I'd love a southern-diction D&D game. Because the pure gravitas you can create with a southern accent and the right voice can make Marc Antoni's solliloquy from Julius Caesar by Shakespeare seem like it was written for the US not England.


Kind of love the idea of Elves with a Tidewater Accent, too. Orcs with a Moonlight Magnolia Drawl. Dwarves with a thick enough creole-cajun accent to count as a stew...

 

[Umbran]

The thing is, the Appalachian Mountains are in more than one region. It’s Alabama to Vermont.

Well, the Appalachian Mountains and "Appalachia" are not the same thing.

Appalachia, the region, extends through 12 states, with associated regional dialects and pronunciations, established before mass media.

Note also the sub-regions...

 

[Shades of Eternity]

Is there somewhere a hex map of the region (or a part of it)?

Where Is Appalachia?

Americans love to argue about regional definitions. The Upshot recently ran a piece exploring how we define “the Heartland” (spoiler: most…

medium.com

not quite a hex map, but it's broken up into counties.

easy enough to use as a basis for a hex crawl.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Well, the Appalachian Mountains and "Appalachia" are not the same thing.

Appalachia, the region, extends through 12 states, with associated regional dialects and pronunciations, established before mass media.

View attachment 271086

Note also the sub-regions...

View attachment 271088

Also this...

 

[Mad_Jack]

During a 4E campaign I played in at the FLGS, the DM was using part of a game board as the campaign map, and a few sessions in I realized we were adventuring in South Carolina circa the ACW.
(I now have an image permanently stuck in my head of gnolls wearing Confederate uniforms.)

I've never heard of Appalachia being pronounced with a T in it before... but I'm from Texas. Regional pronounciations are fun. Try watching someone who's not from Louisiana, East Texas, or neighboring areas, and doesn't speak French, try to pronounce the bois d'arc (osage orange) tree's name... Or even just cities like Mexia (mey-hia) and Nacogdoches (it's actually pretty phonetic).

There's definitely room to have a lot of fun with names and how things are said in such a game.

It's fun hearing people mispronounce Connecticut.
Also, Groton, CT and Croton, NY are not pronounced alike...

That is a cool map. I enjoy reading about cryptic and have been reading a lot about local ones for a New England horror RPG. Cool to see Pukwudgies on there. The one that originally captured my interest in my area when I was younger, was the Dover Demon

Lots of good horror-related or horror-ish stuff local to CT - Devil's Hopyard and the Jewett City Vampires come to mind. Also, have you heard of the Battle of the Frogs in 1754 during the French and Indian War?

 

[Dire Bare]

The thing is, @haakon1: I've heard this condescension all before, and I don't appreciate you talking to me as if I was ignorant of this. This pronunciation of this word is historically and politically charged, as we have been subjected to outsiders insisting that our pronunciation must be wrong because we are uneducated hillbillies and they made it their mission to impose their substantially younger pronunciation on us. The pronunciation you speak of was an invention because the guy writing of the Trail thought it sounded more aesthetically fitting than the central and southern way. And because of the cultural clout of non-Appalachian folk treating us as wrong for saying it the way we do, we have been fighting against that foreign pronunciation being imposed on us and our culture. "Apple-Lay-Shun" is the pronunciation of decades upon decades of regional condescension and imperialism against the Central and Southern Appalachian regions, from where the word derives. I have talked to many people who derided the Apple-latch-uh pronunciation. All of them have walked away from our conversations saying Apple-latch-uh for the rest of their dear lives. This is a hill that I will gladly die on, but I have yet to be defeated.

Relax dude. Nobody here is trying to condescend to you.

It's a big region that's seen a lot of historical change. Pronunciations differ . . . between insiders and outsiders, but also between subregions . . . and pronunciations change over time. What you post about represents truth, but not everyone's truth. Not even everyone who lives in or has roots in Appalachia.

I appreciate your posts here, because they are sharing insight from someone from the region, and that's valuable and important. But the hostility isn't necessary, and isn't making anyone sympathetic towards listening to you.

 

[Umbran]

This is a hill that I will gladly die on, but I have yet to be defeated.

How about we not have any dying on any hills while on this site, please.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Lots of good horror-related or horror-ish stuff local to CT - Devil's Hopyard and the Jewett City Vampires come to mind. Also, have you heard of the Battle of the Frogs in 1754 during the French and Indian War?

I've only been to a CT a few times, so it is the New England state I am probably least familiar with. Two of of the trips were visiting a friend who went to University of Hartford, the other time was just brining a delivery for my dad so that one was a quick trip there and back. I am familiar with the New England Vampire panic but not the Jewett City Vampires. I did find a number of other CT legends and folktales though in a few of the books I've been reading recently.