Guide
to Pronouncing County Names
John L. Sanders; The author is a former director of the Institute of Government
The proper--that is, the customary
local--pronunciation of the names of some North Carolina counties is often
a puzzlement to native as well as to newcomer. The very spelling of some
county names makes their pronunciation baffling--Cabarrus, for example.
In other instances, the spelling suggests a pronunciation, but it is one
with which local practice does not agree-Robeson, for example. And in
yet other cases, the emphasis in pronunciation is put on a different syllable
from the one that seems normal--Bertie, for instance.
The following list has been
compiled to provide a ready guide to customary county name pronunciations.
The advice of readers on how the guide might be improved would be welcome.
(It is recognized that there are local variations that differ from those
shown here--some Iredell County residents call their home "ARE-dell,"
for example--but no attempt has been made to list them here.
North
Carolina Counties: Pronunciations
|
Alamance |
AL-a-mance |
Gaston |
GASS-ton |
Pender |
PEN-der |
|
Alexander |
Al-x-ANDER |
Gates |
|
Perquimans |
Per-QUIM-ans |
|
Alleghany |
Al-i-GAINY |
Graham |
GRAY-um |
Person |
PER-sun |
|
Anson |
AN-sun |
Granville |
GRAN-vill |
Pitt |
|
|
Ashe |
|
Greene |
|
Polk |
|
|
Avery |
A-vur-ee |
Guilford |
GILL-furd |
Randolph |
RAN-dolf |
|
Beaufort |
BO-furt |
Halifax |
HAL-i-fax |
Richmond |
RICH-mund |
|
Bertie |
Ber-TEE |
Harnett |
HAR-nit |
Robeson |
ROBB-i-son |
|
Bladen |
BLA-den |
Haywood |
HAY-wood |
Rockingham |
ROCK-ing-ham |
|
Brunswick |
BRUNS-wick |
Henderson |
|
Rowan |
Roe-ANN |
|
Buncombe |
BUNK-um |
Herford |
HERT-furd |
Rutherford |
RUTH-er-furd |
|
Burke |
|
Hoke |
HOAK |
Sampson |
SAMP-sun |
|
Cabarrus |
Ka-BARE-us |
Hyde |
HIDE |
Scotland |
SCOT-lund |
|
Caldwell |
CAH'LD-well |
Iredell |
IRE-dell |
Stanly |
STAN-lee |
|
Camden |
KAM-den |
Jackson |
JACK-sun |
Stokes |
STOAKS |
|
Carteret |
KAR-ter-et |
Johnston |
JOHN-stun |
Surry |
SURR-ee |
|
Caswell |
KAS-well |
Jones |
|
Swain |
SWANE |
|
Catawba |
Ka-TAW-ba |
Lee |
|
Transylvania |
Tran-syl-VANE-i-a |
|
Chatham |
CHAT-um |
Lenoir |
Le-NOR |
Tyrell |
TERR-il |
|
Cherokee |
CHER-o-kee |
Lincoln |
LINK-un |
Union |
|
|
Chowan |
Cho-WONN |
Macon |
MA-kon |
Vance |
|
|
Clay |
|
Madison |
MAD-i-sun |
Wake |
|
|
Cleveland |
KLEVE-land |
Martin |
MAR-tin |
Warren |
WAR-en |
|
Columbus |
Ko-LUM-bus |
McDowell |
Mc-DOW-well |
Washington |
|
|
Craven |
KRA-ven |
Mecklenburg |
MECK-len-burg |
Watauga |
Wa-TAW-ga |
|
Cumberland |
KUM-bur-lund |
Mitchell |
MIT-chull |
Wayne |
WAIN |
|
Currituck |
KURR-i-tuck |
Montgomery |
Mont-GOM-er-ee |
Wilkes |
WILX |
|
Dare |
|
Moore |
MORE |
Wilson |
WILL-sun |
|
Davidson |
DAVE-id-sun |
Nash |
|
Yadkin |
YAD-kin |
|
Davie |
DA-vee |
New
Hanover |
New
HAN-o-ver |
Yancey |
YANT-see |
|
Duplin |
DOO-plen |
Northampton |
Nor-THAMP-ton |
|
|
|
Durham |
DERR-um |
Onslow |
ONNS-lo |
|
|
|
Edgecombe |
EDGE-cum |
Orange |
|
|
|
|
Forsyth |
For-SYTH |
Pamlico |
PAM-li-co |
|
|
|
Franklin |
FRANK-lin |
Pasquotank |
PAS-quo-tank |
|
|
John L. Sanders. "Guide
to Pronouncing County Names," Popular Government, Vol. 63, no.3, Spring
1998: pg. 38, published by the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute of Government.
Reproduced by permission of
the School of Government, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
|
