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It Is Whatever The Locals SAY It Is
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Dear pedants: I'm tired of people insisting that the locals in New York mispronounce Van Wyck, the name of the parking lot... er, expressway that links JFK airport to the LIE and Grand Central. Locals say "wick," but the people actually named Van Wyck say "wike." And every city has names that are pronounced differently from how they look. I live near San Pedro, and locals say "PEE-dro." In Philly, the Schuylkill river and expressway are "SKOOK-l." New York has Houston Street -- HOWston -- and the Polish-named bridge in Brooklyn that nobody can spell but everyone says is "kos-kee-OS-ko" instead of "kos-SHUS-ko." What are the names that define whether you're a local or outsider? (New York Times)
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