6 Strangely Pronounced Words in Portland, Oregon
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Keep Portland Weird”. For one thing, it refers to the unusual nature of Portland locals, as well as its unique business community. In Portland, it would not be unusual to see a man, dressed as Darth Vader, playing the bagpipes while riding a unicycle! In addition to the weird people living in Portland, there are many weird pronunciations of words. Whether you’re a tourist or someone learning English pronunciation, these six words are sure to stump you.
#1: Oregon
First on the list is the state that Portlander’s call home, properly pronounced, “OR-uh-gun”. As out first example, non-locals often mispronounced the state as “or-uh-GONE”.
#2: Couch Street
A second commonly mispronounced word is the name Couch Street, located in the Pearl district of downtown Portland. If you pronounce Couch Street as “cowch”, Portlander’s will immediately know you’re from out of town. “cooch” is the correct pronunciation of this popular street in Portland’s most expensive neighborhood.
#3: Willamette River
For our third example, we look to the river that divides Portland into the east and west sides. Most people from out of town pronounce it “will-am-et”. In this case, many think it was named by early French fur trappers. In fact, it is named for a local native Indian tribe. Mispronouncing it will likely result in a swift correction from a local. We pronounce it: “will-AM-it”. However, there is an easy expression to help you get the name right. It goes: it’s the Willamette, damn it! The river is a lifeline through the city of Portland and knowing its pronunciation will come in handy.
#4: Deschutes
Portland has two major rivers running through it, the Willamette and the Columbia. Our fourth example is both a Columbia River tributary and a popular Portland brewery, Deschutes. Properly pronounced as: “deh-SHOOTS”, people often mispronunce it “des-CHUTES”, “DECH-utes”, or “day-SHOOTS”. While only one pronunciation is used locally, they all have the same meaning, referring to the constant cascades as the river runs through volcanic basalt resulting in a series of waterfalls. The analogy with beer gives the impression of a beverage made with fresh mountain water.
#5: The Dalles
Located along the Columbia River, the city of The Dalles was, in fact, named by French fur traders. The name describes the narrow, rocky channels of the river, which served as both a bottleneck in the river and a major trading post for local native tribes. Therefore, it only makes sense that this historical city’s pronunciation rhymes with “canal”. The correct pronunciation is “DAL”, using the same “a” sound as in “gal”. Mispronunciations of The Dalles includes “DALS” or “dall-uhs”, a city in Texas.
#6: Weidler Street
Finally, we have a street Located in NE Portland called Weidler Street, pronounced “WIDE-ler “. It is named in honor of George Weidler, a 19th century Portlander who was a transportation agent, business owner, and investor. Common mispronunciations include “WEED-ler” or “WAYD-ler”.
By learning the correct pronunciation of these six Portland, OR words, you will sound more like a local! Additionally, take a look at OregonLive’s post which provides audio recordings of commonly mispronounced Oregon terminology.
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