Topical Guide 301
Mark Dorset
Shibboleths
Bolotomy Road began at the heart of Babbington, the only intersection lit by streetlamps on the dark night when Lorna and Herb arrived in town: the intersection that Babbingtonians of long standing always referred to as “Bolotomy and Main,” though in fact only the northerly reach of the road that intersected Main Street there was officially called Bolotomy Road. The part of it that ran to the south, toward the bay, had been renamed Bella Vista Boulevard, a name that the progressive faction of the town council had advocated as a step toward attracting touring motorists to Babbington. Bella Vista Boulevard was one of the shibboleths that identified newcomers; it was ignored by all Babbingtonians whose residence in Babbington predated the change or who wished to appear to have been living in Babbington before the change. Old-timers always referred to Bella Vista Boulevard as Lower Bolotomy and Bolotomy Road as Upper Bolotomy, or simply as Lower and Upper.
Herb ’n’ Lorna, Chapter 8
English shibboleths for native speakers or local natives [a selection —MD]
Place-Name Pronunciations
In the United States
Houston Street, New York City: Locals pronounce the first syllable identically with “house” (/ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən), while most visitors will employ the same pronunciation as in Houston, Texas (/ˈhjuːstən/ HEW-stən). Houston Street is actually a corruption of the original name of Houstoun Street, named after Continental Congress Delegate William Houstoun, who pronounced his name in this way.
Portland, Oregon’s Couch Street is /kuːtʃ/, rhyming with “pooch,” unlike the identically-spelled sofa synonym pronounced /kaʊtʃ/.
Quincy, Massachusetts: The city’s name is commonly pronounced by non-locals as /ˈkwɪnsi/ KWIN-see. However, locals will pronounce it /ˈkwɪnzi/ KWIN-zee.
Newark, Delaware: The town is pronounced /ˈnjuːɑːrk/ NEW-ark though many outsiders will conflate the pronunciation with Newark, New Jersey, pronounced /ˈnjuːərk/ NEW-ərk.
Pierre: South Dakotans read the name as /pɪər/ rhyming with "beer," not like the French given name French pronunciation: [pjɛʁ].
Detroit: Most residents (as well as most speakers of African-American Vernacular English) pronounce it as /ˈdiːtrɔɪt/ with the stress on the first syllable, while non-locals pronounce it as (/dɪˈtrɔɪt/, with the stress on the second syllable.
Place-name terms
Long-time and/or Democratic residents of Washington, D.C., often refer to Reagan National Airport by its older nickname, “National,” out of habit or political pique, while Republicans and visitors are more likely to call it “Reagan National”….
In the San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco is generally referred to by its full name or as “the City.” Most tourists and new residents will tend to shorten “San Francisco”; for example, “SF” or “Frisco,” which are used much less commonly by long-term residents.
See also: Dialect, Slang, Idiolect, Shibboleths TG 11
[more to come on Monday, July 25, 2022]
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