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How do you say the second word of our grand state? How do you pronounce "Carolina?"
I keep hearing national and some local announcers saying it wrong. In my humble opinion there is only one way to say "Carolina." The first syllable rhymes with hair, stair and bear.
Phonetically it is KAIR-oh-LY-na. The first syllable sounds exactly like the word "care."
Listening to the national announcers calling the UNC-Virginia Tech football game last night you would have thought that we lived in KEER-oh-LY-na. In other words they think the first syllable of Carolina rhymes with steer, beer and deer. Well, it doesn't.
Let's say it right! That's Carolina! Say it with care! Say it like James Taylor sings it.
Bill Leslie's Carolina Conversations
"People are always asking me where to take vacation. What’s a cool place? What’s the most scenic drive?" WRAL News Anchor Bill Leslie attempts to answer those questions and others in his Carolina Conversations blog.
Pronunciation Problem
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Good point! But not surprising, coming from a TV anchorman. And, yes, I truly appreciate the many benefits of a COMMON LANGUAGE, which is spoken according to a fixed set of rules and a standard reference (i.e. a dictionary). But, you also know that in NC, where you were raised determines "correct" pronunciation. I learned this when I married a gal from Kinston (i.e. "Keens-ten") a loooonnnngg time ago. There are many regional dialects, colloquialisms and customs in NC, which I have found to be very interesting, entertaining and endearing as I continue to visit places in my beloved NC. I would imagine that you have already done a feature the speech and language of NC. If so, is that available online?
Thanks,
Wayne F. Gray
November 2, 2009 9:08 a.m.
October 30, 2009 5:55 p.m.
This is now my fifth effort to post abou this.
October 30, 2009 5:22 p.m.
October 30, 2009 4:13 p.m.
October 30, 2009 3:56 p.m.
October 30, 2009 2:45 p.m.
October 30, 2009 12:55 p.m.
A couple others that I have never, ever heard pronounced correctly on TV: Castalia. It's kas-TAIL-yuh, not kes-tilly-yuh
The other is a small community in Franklin County: Alert. Sure, looks simple, right? It's not what you think. It's A'-lurt [stress on the A], not uh-LURT.
Makes me chuckle every time I hear it!
October 30, 2009 11:45 a.m.
October 30, 2009 11:32 a.m.
October 30, 2009 11:11 a.m.