General > Worcester Chit Chat

city pronunciation

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Nikki Star:
Actually, there are many different options. I happen to use the "Wista" one as that is how I pronounce it rather the "Wuh-sta" I say "Wi" not "Wuh". So, it isn't necessarily "wrong"...for the record...   ;)

PolishPryncess:
 :D   Worcester.....the name.....the ways to say it....confusing isn't it?  (Taking from research ~~~>)"Worcester was first settled by the English in 1673, but the modest settlement of six or seven houses was burned to the ground during King Philip's War on December 2, 1675, and the English settlers were either killed or driven off. The town was subsequently resettled and was incorporated in 1684. On September 10 of that year, Daniel Gookin and others petitioned to have the town's name officially changed from "Quinsigamond" to "Worcester"." Before it was declared Worcester, the Nipmuc tribe was the ones who technically settled here....calling this lovely city....or...prior...town...Quinsigamond. Then the English came in.....(go figure). If you look up the towns and such in England...you will notice a common share in names. The reason for the mispronunciation is probably for the simple fact that when people see the "cester" part...they assume its pronounced like the name..."chester" minus the H. "Worcester" is correctly pronounced with two syllables, not three, as {Wus-ter, Wis-ta, Wus-ta} it also depends on the local dialect from around surroundings. For example....Bostonians may pronounce it as {woosta} with an emphasis on the O while people from the immediate surrounding of Worcester may pronounce it as Wusta.....emphasis on the U sound. if you listen really good to the accent from people in England and such...you will here that they have a close uncanny resemblance in accent as Bostonians and Worcesterians do. Dropping of the R! Because This area and state was settled by the English back in the day...the accents sound may have diminished but the dialect of the words has still yet stayed somewhat the same.

wormgirl:
Actually I'm partial to pronouncing it Wustah.  That's how me and my family always pronounced it and the vast majority of people I've talked to over the years...Like you said it's a matter of preference just don't pronounce it Worchester!!!! ;)

theblackprince:
Way back when I saw Bob Dylan's "Rolling Thunder Revue" at the auditorium. During the show, Joan Baez spoke before one of her numbers and she pronounced the name as WORE-SES-TER. The uproar from the crowd was loud and immediate. Joan covered her face with her hands and backed away from the mic. Roger McGuinn (of The Byrds fame) put his arm around her and brought her back to the mic. He said something like... "Joanie's really a nice girl... don't give her a hard time just because she doesn't know how to pronounce WUSTA". At that, the crowd once again roared... this time its approval.

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