Speaking of pronunciation

[Atticus]

Similarly, we were lunching in Towcester (Eng) and told the waitress we thought TOW-CESTER was very pretty, only to find out it's pronounced 'toaster'!

[tandfman]

Similarly, we were lunching in Towcester (Eng) and told the waitress we thought TOW-CESTER was very pretty, only to find out it's pronounced 'toaster'!

Knowing that Worcester is Wooster and Leicester is Lester, I would have guessed that Towcester is also two syllables.

[tandfman]

Of course, some cities with identical names are pronounced differently in different places. Albany, NY and Albany, OR are pronounced differently by the locals. Vienna, VA and Vienna, GA pronounce it differently (and in Vienna, Austria, that's not the name of the city at all).

[scottmitchell74]

Of course, some cities with identical names are pronounced differently in different places. Albany, NY and Albany, OR are pronounced differently by the locals. Vienna, VA and Vienna, GA pronounce it differently (and in Vienna, Austria, that's not the name of the city at all).

Louisville

Loo-ee-ville
Lewis-ville
Lull-ville

among others...

[Atticus]

Louisville
Loo-ee-ville
Lewis-ville
Lull-ville
among others...

I was told (there) it was
Loo-a-vul

And nobody seems to agree on New Orleans. What I heard there was

NAWl'ns (1 syllable!)
NOR-lins
New-OR-lens
New-OR-lians

but never what we called it up north
New Or-LEENS

[bambam1729]

Of course, some cities with identical names are pronounced differently in different places. Albany, NY and Albany, OR are pronounced differently by the locals. Vienna, VA and Vienna, GA pronounce it differently (and in Vienna, Austria, that's not the name of the city at all).

Concord, NC = CON - cord
Concord, NH and MA = CONK - urd

Beaufort, NC = BOW - furt
Beaufort, SC = BEW - furt

Peabody, KS = PEE - body
Peabody, MA = PEE - buh - dee

[tandfman]

I was told (there) it was
Loo-a-vul

I think the middle syllable is a schwa. And the vowel in the last syllable is more like vull (rhyming with pull or full) rather than vul (as in vulcan).

[tandfman]

And nobody seems to agree on New Orleans. What I heard there was

NAWl'ns (1 syllable!)
NOR-lins

What I've heard there is neither of those two, but a combination of them: NAW-lins.

[Trickstat]

Knowing that Worcester is Wooster and Leicester is Lester, I would have guessed that Towcester is also two syllables.

Yes but even guessing that part you might still pronounce the first one to rhyme with "how". To be fair if it didn't have a horse racing course there would probably be a lot more English people who would also get it wrong.

[gh]

What I've heard there is neither of those two, but a combination of them: NAW-lins.

my ear picks up nawlins (no emphasis)