Say it correctly, please

By Linda Cicoira

One of the most charming things about the Eastern Shore of Virginia is the unique native and railroad names that are found all around here.

Those places are also known to me as identifiers. Not because I don’t know where they are, but because they can tell me where people are from.

Newcomers, or come heres, as they are called, are usually recognized by their accents, whether they arrived from the north, south, west, or another country.

Some have become so immersed in local life that it seems as if they have been here for generations. However, if you listen to the way people pronounce the names of local towns, islands, creeks, and bays, and sometimes last names from the region, their accents may say otherwise.

It takes a while to learn those things. If you can tell, ask them what they had for dinner last night. If it sounds good, but not what you normally eat, you might want to make a friend who will invite you over for dinner.

During the years I lived in other parts of Virginia, I wanted to fit in and learned that the state’s famous caverns are not called La-ray, they are Lou-Ray. Just as in Kentucky, the derby is held in Lou-a-vil, not Louie-Ville, and the birthplace of the late President Woodrow Wilson is pronounced Stan-ton, not Staw-ton.

It takes practice to get it right after hearing other people refer to places incorrectly for years. I believe those who are born in the area, wherever it may be, know the true way a place is pronounced.

Around here, the biggest giveaway of a former out-of-towner is the pronunciation of our Pony-Penning Island. It is not Chink-a-tig. It is Shink-a-tig. Please learn it.

Another place along the seaside, where a man I know grew up, is properly said as Ass-a-woo-man. That is what Native Americans said, and the word is theirs. It is believed to mean middle, place across, or midway fishing stream.” He also says Kig-a-tank, not Keg-a-tank, which is the way the word is spelled.

O-nan-cock is the bustling artsy town with theaters, a beautiful creek, and shops. I’m sure you have heard it pronounced other ways. I can tell you that those are wrong.

Cher-a-ton is not where the famous singer Cher grew up or ever lived. At least not to my knowledge. Cheriton is a historic town in Northampton County that has the motto, “Small Town, Big Heart.” The name may have come from a town with the same name in Kent, England. In Old English, it means “church town.”

Another Northampton town is Exmore. And no, there is not an “S” in front of the name, as teenagers back in my day claimed. The town might have been named for the place in southwest England. Another story is that it was the tenth railroad station from the Delaware state line, with the Roman numeral “X” as ten and “more” being set together.

Local folks have forever been pronouncing the town “Painter,” without using the “t.” It is Pain-ner. Whichever way you say it, the person to whom you are speaking is likely to repeat it back to you, usually with the opposite pronunciation. I do not know why.

The first “g” in the village of Pungoteague is often said as a “c.” I also don’t know why that is done. But it sometimes causes me to misspell it. The translation is “Sand Fly River.” Located in Accomack County, this historic community dates back to the 17th century and is recognized as the site of the first English-language play performed in the American colonies in 1665.

Also, that elementary school outside of Accomac has a spelling that I will never conquer or pronounce correctly, so have at it.

Some of the older folks on the Shore pronounce the high school and area in Accomack named for an Indian princess, Nan-due-e. Most people say, Nan-du-a.

I’ve heard newcomers say Parsley, instead of Parksley. I think it is because spell check wants to change the spelling. I’m not sure if that southern area of the Shore is Towns-end or Town-send. I’ve heard it said both ways.

Also, it is Folly Creek, not Fo-lee Creek. So, please learn to talk.