So far I don’t have a favorite place to visit. I think I need more than 18 months of living here to come up with that. Talk to me again in June after I’ve been driving to Portsmouth, NH for work each day (yes I got a job, more about that later this week). As for funny stories, well so far I can list a flood, a layoff and a lawsuit as memorable although they aren’t funny.
But I can share a story from Kent. Worcester is a town about 40 miles west of Boston, although in a way it’s almost part of Boston—people do commute from there to work in Boston. We’ve always giggled at how the local NPR announcer says Worcester: WOOster. OK, we aren’t from here and I certainly laughed at how folks in Columbus, OH say Scioto (cyotah) or people in the Kansas City area say Olathe (oLAYtha).
The day of the flood, Kent grabbed a cab to get home because at the time I didn’t know the water was coming from a water main break and I thought maybe the T lines had flooded or something. So he told the cab driver our address and added that the nearest cross street was Worcester. The cab driver, who was clearly a native Bostonian, immediately asked him how he’d said that word.
So Kent repeated himself, “WOOster.”
The cab driver laughed and laughed. “So how do you say it?” Kent asked.
“WUHstuh.”
We still laugh about that.
11 comments:
Happy anniversary! We all have our odd accents; isn't it great that we can still communicate?
Tinky
http://www.ourgrandmotherskitchens.com
Oh, definitely WUS-stah.
Visit Old Sturbridge Village for me sometime - that is one of my favorite places on earth.
So great to be reading all these New England Blogger posts. From a fellow New Englander (without an accent) LOL
When I lived in Middletown, RI my friend from Fall River, MA taught me how to say "Foowl Rivuh" by way of the phrase "it's awfoowl to be in the guttah."
Yep! Its definitely WUHstah!!! :-)
Hi from a fellow New England blogger!!!
I can so relate to this story! As a kid growing up in CT, I would say, Wor-Sester. Even though we are grown up and live in MA now, my family still uses my snazzy 8 year old pronunciation.
That's a great story! Reminds me of you/Kent and company relaying to Brad and me when we visited from KC about Dunkin' Donuts coffee tasting like ice cream. We still giggle about that. Oh and my fave from our trip east? Kent: "In Boston, there is no shame in a 20-point turn."
Ha! Well there's not, that's for sure. Otherwise we might have died from shame a time or two.
Thanks for visiting my blog, Wuhster!
It's definitely Wuhstuh!
Yeah, this is a dead giveaway that you are a transplant. I grew up in a Pawtucket, a city in RI.
But it's pronounced PUH-tuck-et. And then there's Woonsocket, RI which is pronounced WON-sock-et. Say either of those wrong and people will give you the hairy eyeball.
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