<\/p>\n

How many abnormal Midwestern town names do you know how to pronounce?<\/span><\/h5>\n

Words by Jenny Krane<\/span><\/em>
\nVideo by Levi Larson<\/em><\/p>\n

Midwesterners take a few things very seriously: hotdishes<\/a>, the Cubs and their hometowns.<\/span><\/p>\n

Popping that silent \u201cP\u201d can get you in real trouble when you\u2019re talking about someone\u2019s roots. In towns with abnormally-spelled or pronounced names, the knowledge of the correct pronunciation is critical if you don\u2019t want to be labeled an automatic out-of-towner.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the case in Wayzata (Why-ZET-ta), Minnesota. Take it from the town\u2019s mayor, Ken\u00a0Willcox. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMinnesotans know how to pronounce [Wayzata], but no one else does,\u201d Willcox said. \u201cYou can always tell if there is a new weather person on the news by how they butcher local town names.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Willcox says he often corrects improper pronunciation \u201cto keep [people] from embarrassing themselves in the future.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Donald Rouse, city hall employee of 16 years in Nevada (Nah-VAY-dah), Iowa, follows a similar suit when it comes to lingering vowels.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s someone that is moving into [Nevada], I definitely let them know that they need to pronounce it correctly,\u201d Rouse said. \u201cOtherwise, people will still think that they\u2019re from out of town.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

People often assume that the town of Nevada is pronounced like the state, but Rouse says Midwesterners could bank on the town of Nevada <\/span>ten years<\/span><\/a> before the casino-fueled Battle Born\u00a0State\u00a0was founded in 1864.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s spelled exactly the same,\u201d Rouse said. \u201cBut what we always say is that the city was established before the state was, so we say it right.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The Illinois\u2019 town of Vienna (<\/span>vai-EH-nuh)<\/span> faces a similar obstacle, sharing the spelling, but not the pronunciation, with the capital of Austria. Madrid (MAD-rid), Iowa, and New Prague (<\/span>PRAY-g)<\/span>, Minnesota are in the same boat, using different pronunciations than those of the European cities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Local knowledge is important to
\nMidwestern towns, especially in those with unconventionally pronounced names. But if you\u2019re new in town and get stuck on a pronunciation, just ask. The \u201cMidwestern nice\u201d stereotype is true\u2014the locals will be happy to help. Or smugly correct you while still maintaining a 100-watt smile. It could go either way.<\/span><\/p>\n

To see people flub city names in real time, head over to our Facebook page<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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