“Vir-Gin-Knee-Uh” or “Vir-Gin-Yuh”? Which is the preferred/higher-class pronunciation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m new to the area, and I’ve noticed a couple distinct pronunciations of “Virginia”.

I’ve noticed well-educated foreign-born people, with whom I tend to identify with more, tend to use the four-syllable pronunciation, whereas native born Americans tend to use the lazier (IMO) three-syllable pronunciation. I’ve noticed the prevalence of use of the three-syllable pronunciation isn’t really bound by SES lines, with people who I’d otherwise associate with being upper-class still using the three-syllable pronunciation.

Which is correct? As native-born Americans, which do you use? If you use the three-syllable pronunciation, why? Does it concern you or make you feel self-conscious that better-educated people might perceive you as a rube? Why does America tolerate such colloquialisms in language?

Laughing. I think you are trying to be funny... are you? Who is the authority who perceives people who say Virginyuh as rubes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they also call Maryland “Mar-ee-land”?

I know upper class, immigrant, non-native English speakers who say it that way. I imagine Virginia would get the 4-syllable treatment, but not the three.

Those are both mispronunciations, according to Merriam Webster. Just because some rando on the internet says “upper class” people pronounce it X way don’t make it right

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are from another country, worrying about class distinctions in pronunciation used by other foreigners (furriners) is absurd.
What rules is how it is pronounced locally.
You will have a lot of fun in Massachusetts.
Cotuit
Scituate
Bedford
Somerville
Gloucester
Leominster
Athol

I haven't read the whole thread but did you forget Worcester?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m new to the area, and I’ve noticed a couple distinct pronunciations of “Virginia”.

I’ve noticed well-educated foreign-born people, with whom I tend to identify with more, tend to use the four-syllable pronunciation, whereas native born Americans tend to use the lazier (IMO) three-syllable pronunciation. I’ve noticed the prevalence of use of the three-syllable pronunciation isn’t really bound by SES lines, with people who I’d otherwise associate with being upper-class still using the three-syllable pronunciation.

Which is correct? As native-born Americans, which do you use? If you use the three-syllable pronunciation, why? Does it concern you or make you feel self-conscious that better-educated people might perceive you as a rube? Why does America tolerate such colloquialisms in language?

Are you concerned that your grammatical and vocabulary mistakes in the OP might cause better educated people to perceive you as a rube?

I apologize. American English is my seventh language.

I’m surprised that someone with your experience and knowledge of languages would ask a question like this. Particularly one that implies a certain amount of ridicule of native speakers of a particular language.

Good lord, you don't really think that's true?
If so, would you care to buy my beachfront home in Iowa?

Haha, didn’t really believe the person, just making a point with a bit of sarcasm. Obviously, not very good sarcasm. 😄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m new to the area, and I’ve noticed a couple distinct pronunciations of “Virginia”.

I’ve noticed well-educated foreign-born people, with whom I tend to identify with more, tend to use the four-syllable pronunciation, whereas native born Americans tend to use the lazier (IMO) three-syllable pronunciation. I’ve noticed the prevalence of use of the three-syllable pronunciation isn’t really bound by SES lines, with people who I’d otherwise associate with being upper-class still using the three-syllable pronunciation.

Which is correct? As native-born Americans, which do you use? If you use the three-syllable pronunciation, why? Does it concern you or make you feel self-conscious that better-educated people might perceive you as a rube? Why does America tolerate such colloquialisms in language?

This is a terrible post. I looked up the word in multiple dictionaries.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/virginia
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/virginia
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Virginia

The three syllable pronunciation is the ONLY correct pronunciation in American English. Anyone who thinks differently (including the OP) is less knowledgeable on this subject. Incidentally, it’s unkind to refer to anyone as a rube.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t read the past 5 pages so diving in here blind. My mother’s name is Virginia and my grandmother (from Boston, deep Irish), always pronounced it with 4 syllables and I loved it. It reminds me of a dearly departed Nana. So, when I named my daughter Virginia, I wanted it pronounced that way. You know what? Doesn’t work with my last name. So 3 syllables it is.

[Anonymous]

Latinized place names are our heritage.

There's

Jor-jee-yah, and Nova Scott-ee-ah

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve lived in Ohio, where you think you know how to pronounce the name of a city because you’ve seen it before in another country, but nope, it’s pronounced totally differently by locals.

Lima is LYE muh
Berlin is BUR lin
Russia is ROO she
Versailles is Ver SALES
Rio Grande is RYE oh grand
Cairo is CARE oh

I also attended a wedding in Bahama, NC, where it’s pronounced Buh HAY muh.

The correct pronunciation is however the locals say it.

+1. I have posted this before but there is also Fauquier County, VA (Faw-keer) and Lord Fauquier and the dorm at W&M both of which are pronounced the French way - Fo-kee-ay.

The dorm at William & Mary was originally pronounced "Faw-keer" but it was back in the day of shared corded payphone in the hallways. People would answer the phone with the name of the Botetourt Complex dorm. But the guys in "Faw-keer" would mispronounce that first syllable *just* a little bit. So they would be inviting people to "F**k-here." And thus the Fo-kee-ay pronunciation was adopted by the school. Given CW's strict adherence to pronunciations, most people think that the colonial governor's name was pronounced "Faw-keer" since that was the original pronunciation used by the school. The governor's father was Huguenot but may well have anglicized his name when he moved to England. I say that as someone descended from other French Huguenots who moved to the US and changed the spellings/pronunciations of their surnames.

And though I agree that the correct pronunciation is how locals say something, that means that Long Island is properly Lawn-Guy-Land.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m new to the area, and I’ve noticed a couple distinct pronunciations of “Virginia”.

I’ve noticed well-educated foreign-born people, with whom I tend to identify with more, tend to use the four-syllable pronunciation, whereas native born Americans tend to use the lazier (IMO) three-syllable pronunciation. I’ve noticed the prevalence of use of the three-syllable pronunciation isn’t really bound by SES lines, with people who I’d otherwise associate with being upper-class still using the three-syllable pronunciation.

Which is correct? As native-born Americans, which do you use? If you use the three-syllable pronunciation, why? Does it concern you or make you feel self-conscious that better-educated people might perceive you as a rube? Why does America tolerate such colloquialisms in language?

This is a terrible post. I looked up the word in multiple dictionaries.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/virginia
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/virginia
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Virginia

The three syllable pronunciation is the ONLY correct pronunciation in American English. Anyone who thinks differently (including the OP) is less knowledgeable on this subject. Incidentally, it’s unkind to refer to anyone as a rube.

Pronunciation guides in dictionaries are horrifically out of date.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m new to the area, and I’ve noticed a couple distinct pronunciations of “Virginia”.

I’ve noticed well-educated foreign-born people, with whom I tend to identify with more, tend to use the four-syllable pronunciation, whereas native born Americans tend to use the lazier (IMO) three-syllable pronunciation. I’ve noticed the prevalence of use of the three-syllable pronunciation isn’t really bound by SES lines, with people who I’d otherwise associate with being upper-class still using the three-syllable pronunciation.

Which is correct? As native-born Americans, which do you use? If you use the three-syllable pronunciation, why? Does it concern you or make you feel self-conscious that better-educated people might perceive you as a rube? Why does America tolerate such colloquialisms in language?

Why is Virginia in quotes? Is there some question concerning its existence?

LOL. No, we question WEST Virginia's existence.

West Virginia went Republican and seceded from the rest of racist Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my accent (British) it has 4 syllables. I had no idea I was offending so many people!

You are not offending people. The OP, who was looking down on the native pronunciation, was offending people. Don’t go around calling people rubes, and you’ll be fine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m new to the area, and I’ve noticed a couple distinct pronunciations of “Virginia”.

I’ve noticed well-educated foreign-born people, with whom I tend to identify with more, tend to use the four-syllable pronunciation, whereas native born Americans tend to use the lazier (IMO) three-syllable pronunciation. I’ve noticed the prevalence of use of the three-syllable pronunciation isn’t really bound by SES lines, with people who I’d otherwise associate with being upper-class still using the three-syllable pronunciation.

Which is correct? As native-born Americans, which do you use? If you use the three-syllable pronunciation, why? Does it concern you or make you feel self-conscious that better-educated people might perceive you as a rube? Why does America tolerate such colloquialisms in language?

This is a terrible post. I looked up the word in multiple dictionaries.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/virginia
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/virginia
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Virginia

The three syllable pronunciation is the ONLY correct pronunciation in American English. Anyone who thinks differently (including the OP) is less knowledgeable on this subject. Incidentally, it’s unkind to refer to anyone as a rube.

Pronunciation guides in dictionaries are horrifically out of date.

1. All three dictionaries?

2. It’s not out of date if that’s how native residents currently pronounce the state. It’s current.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a native Virginian from Fairfax Co. (though parents came down from Connecticut in the 60s).

Vir-gin-yuh is preferred

I frankly have never heard otherwise and I also am a Vir-gin-yuh Tech alum.

University of Vir-gin-yuh alumna checking in to co-sign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m new to the area, and I’ve noticed a couple distinct pronunciations of “Virginia”.

I’ve noticed well-educated foreign-born people, with whom I tend to identify with more, tend to use the four-syllable pronunciation, whereas native born Americans tend to use the lazier (IMO) three-syllable pronunciation. I’ve noticed the prevalence of use of the three-syllable pronunciation isn’t really bound by SES lines, with people who I’d otherwise associate with being upper-class still using the three-syllable pronunciation.

Which is correct? As native-born Americans, which do you use? If you use the three-syllable pronunciation, why? Does it concern you or make you feel self-conscious that better-educated people might perceive you as a rube? Why does America tolerate such colloquialisms in language?

Are you concerned that your grammatical and vocabulary mistakes in the OP might cause better educated people to perceive you as a rube?

I apologize. American English is my seventh language.

I’m surprised that someone with your experience and knowledge of languages would ask a question like this. Particularly one that implies a certain amount of ridicule of native speakers of a particular language.

This.

[Anonymous]

My elderly relatives in New England did pronounce it Vir gin ee yah, as have Brits I've known.