Mispronunciation of Native-American town names like Wantagh and Patchogue is prevalent even among Long Island residents. Local expert Harry Wallace explains that the original sounds have been distorted over centuries due to miscommunications from European settlers who struggled with the intricacies of Algonquian languages. Wallace compares this to the evolution of Romance languages from Latin, highlighting that changes in pronunciation are natural over time. He emphasizes that while some names have anglicized pronunciations, the true sounds remain largely misunderstood. This ongoing 'telephone game' of pronunciations showcases a unique aspect of local culture.
He compared how Algonquian is the root base of many different Native American languages, some of which were spoken on Long Island, much like the Romance languages, such as French, Spanish, and Italian, all of which stem from Latin.
During colonial times, much was lost in translation because the European settlers 'didn't know how to spell,' especially with hard consonants like the letter 'H,' which are vital to the Algonquian language.
Wallace recognizes that there's no one official way to sound out some towns, such as Wantagh, which islanders say as 'wan-tah.' And the local way of saying Patchogue as 'patch-hog' is pretty close to its origin.
Ultimately, it turned into a telephone game that has been ongoing for a few hundred years - a continuous evolution of pronunciations that has led to common mispronunciations.
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