What IS the correct pronounciation?

[lumberzac]

Re: what about the Ausable River?

How is Ausable pronounced?

I’ve always pronounced it as Awe-say-ball

How about Boquet. As in the river.

I've heard it pronounced 3 different ways.

Bo-qu-et

Bo-kay

Bo-ket

 

[ADKatie]

Ahhh, so glad THIS one came up. Mavs and I have argued about this one for a while.

Since my youth I've heard my family, who have spent many a year vacationing up in the ADKs before I was even born, pronounce it as Zac says, "aw-SAY-bull", but Mavs says, "AUZ-uh-bul". Gives me the willies whenever he says it like that so would someone put this to rest at last?

Also, while I'm here typing one-handed (surgery yesterday for that fracture from the infamous Dix range incident), how do you pronounce "Tahawus"? Mavs says "tuh-hawz". Is he right? When we were at the Blue Mt. Lake ADK Museum, they said, "tuh-HA-woos" with a very native-American accent.

 

[el-bagr]

I am probably getting in over my head by venturing to offer information about the ADKs, but I cannot suppress my google finger.

According to this fiction piece by Joyce Carol Oates from Harper's Magazine, "They pronounced the name differently: Mitchell, O Sable, three syllables; Otto, Oz'ble, one elided syllable, as locals pronounced it."

Ausable Press says that it is a not-for-profit independent literary press located on the East Branch of the Ausable River in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York, and that the pronunciation "aw-say'-bul".

This story by W. Mackay Laffan, published in 1878 in Scribner's Monthly, says "AuSable (pronounced up here Sawble, the Au, too being generally dropped)" -- but it refers to a Michigan river.

Fourpeaks' article "The Famous Swimming Holes In Jay, NY" mentions that the Bouquet River is pronounced boh-KWET or boh-KET.

This narrative mentions "Tahawus. ( pronounced locally as Ta-Haws, they drop the U )".

Looks like (as always) there's no clear answer, but Mavs's choices may be the "local" pronunciations. Isn't he a local anyhow?

 

[Mike P.]

How about Santanoni. I know the name traces its roots back to the natives mispronouncing Saint Anthony but now that it's spelled like the mispronounced word, how did they pronounce the new spelling.

 

[Raymond]

Sorry, Tim; I was told back in 1998 or ’99: aw-say-bull. Score one for Katie.

I dare say a rare instance of a French name not being wholly Americanized (such as Calais, Maine, pronounced like callus).

Now how the heck do they get "mack-in-naw" for Mackinac.

Santanoni is just san-ta-no-nee.

"No" as in "No, No, Nanette"; nee as in knee (silent k), not née (referring to a woman's maiden name, pronounced nay).

And while I'm thinking of it, two or three times recently on hikes people (nobody here, I trust) speaking to me have referred to "karens." "Cairn" is one syllable, spelled c-a-i-r-n, not c-a-r-i-n.

Crikey.

 

[^MtnMike^]

How about Kearsarge?

is the "kear" pronounced "k- ear", "k- er", or k- are"?
And is the last part just "sarge" like the military rank? Or is the 'g' less pronounced (like in "corsarge")?

Thanks again,
^MtnMike^

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I dare say a rare instance of a French name not being wholly Americanized (such as Calais, Maine, pronounced like callus).

North-earstern NY tends to be more true to pronuonciation than other US areas. In people's names as well as places.

[Ie referred to "karens." "Cairn" is one syllable, spelled c-a-i-r-n, not c-a-r-i-n.

Ah, getting into regional accents here. If one is from NYC (for example) Karen and cairn sound nothing alike.

 

[^MtnMike^]

I've always pronounced cairn like "care" with a short "n" sound after it. Sort of like "corn":
"core-n" -> "care-n"
i.e. - kârn

Don't know if that's right though.
^MtnMike^

 

[Martin]

Re: Re: what about the Ausable River?

I’ve always pronounced it as Awe-say-ball

How about Boquet. As in the river.

I've heard it pronounced 3 different ways.

Bo-qu-et

Bo-kay

Bo-ket

Ausable proably comes from the French language

Au sable= of sand

I'm not sure what Boquet means, I'd have to check my dictionnary, but i'ts spelled with the french grammar.

They both eventually flow to Lac Champlain, which is definetly a French word.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Now how the heck do they get "mack-in-naw" for Mackinac.

Or maybe why do they spell it that way. For those not familiar with the name, it is the straits connecting Lakes Michigan and Huron, an island in the straits, and also the bridge spanning the straits connecting the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan.

The original Chippewa (Ojibwa) word "Michinnimakinong" (Mish-i-nim-auk-in-ong), was expressed by the French as Mich-i-li-macki-in-ac (auk), and shortened to Mackinac. The English transliterated it to Mackinaw. Probably neither the French auk nor the English aw is entirely accurate. The endings, "ong, ang, ing," and the French "ac" are locative, meaning "place of". The original name probably means place of the Mishinimaki, an ancient Algonquian tribe that inhabited the island before being exterminated by other tribes. The name of the tribe/island may have meant: MICH=great, INNI=connecting sound, MAKI=fault/crevice. Alternatively the name may mean great turtle, great uplifted bow/arch, big lame person, big wounded person, or giant fairies (I'm not making that up). There are both a crevice and a natural stone arch on the island.

 

[Oldsmores]

How 'bout col? or arete? or crevasse for that matter?

 

[Grumpy]

I am probably getting in over my head by venturing to offer information about the ADKs, but I cannot suppress my google finger.

. . .

Ausable Press says that it is a not-for-profit independent literary press located on the East Branch of the Ausable River in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York, and that the pronunciation "aw-say'-bul".

This story by W. Mackay Laffan, published in 1878 in Scribner's Monthly, says "AuSable (pronounced up here Sawble, the Au, too being generally dropped)" -- but it refers to a Michigan river.

. . .

There is a famous Michigan river known as the Au Sable, pronounced "Aw Saable" or "Aw Sobble." It flows into Lake Huron. There also is a Sable River in Michigan, that flows into Lake Michigan and is commonly pronounced "Sawble."

I concur with those who pronounce New York's Ausable River as "Aw-say-bull."

Have heard Boreas (mountain, pond and river) pronounced "Boris" but that's not how I'd say it. Does that mark me as a flatlander?

G.

 

[lumberzac]

Have heard Boreas (mountain, pond and river) pronounced "Boris" but that's not how I'd say it. Does that mark me as a flatlander?

G.

Only if you also pronounce Schroon as Shrewn and not Skroon.

 

[Mad Townie]

Oldsmores

The words "col", "arete" and "crevasse" are all of French origin.

Col=collar
arete=edge
crevasse=crack, crevice

Of course, we are now required to call them "freedom collar", "freedom edge" and "freedom crack" respectively!



l'habitant de ville fou

 

[Grumpy]

AlpineSummit, the man who understands and appreciates nuance!

I buy your analysis of how to pronounce Ausable. Very good.

And, lumberzac, thanks for the encouragement. As it happens, I do pronounce Schroon as "Skroon."

Now, what's the correct pronunciation of Tahawus? "Ta-haaaah-wis?" Or, "Ta-haw-wis?"

G.

 

[bgatie]

Geographic Dialect

As a non-native NEer, I am sitting here taking notes. People give us southern folk trouble for our slang. Some of the pronounciations are brutal for my tounge. I am afraid if I ever ask for directions on trail. You all (pronounced yall) might just cock your head to one side and look at me funny!


Brian

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Glacial terms

....and the pronunciation of the three glacial terms is:

col = col (as in first syllable of col-lar)

arete = a-ret (soft 'a'; ascent on second syllable)

crevasse = cre-vass (soft 'e'; ascent on second syllable)


how about another glacial term, moulin?

prizes for definition and pronunciation.

 

[lumberzac]

moulin pronounced moo (like a cow) lan' soft a
n.
A nearly vertical shaft or cavity worn in a glacier by surface or rock debris falling through a crack in the ice.


What do I win?

 

[JimB]

Grumpy, that is a question I would really like the answer to. I've visited the town of Adirondac and it's environs for almost 40 years and have always called it Ta-haws as that was how I first heard it pronounced( though I would be considered a flatlander). I would really like to know the correct pronunciation of that most pleasant and historic area.

 

[Raymond]

good Scrabble word

cwm="koom"

A few years ago somebody had a link to a Web site which pronounced words. I thought it was some sort of Microsoft dictionary, but I don't see it now after a quick search.