MtheGM

"'Paree'- the old songs often used 'Paree', 'gay Paree', and that is in the back of my mind when I think of the city. In normal conversation I would use Paris, but if a friend is off to Paris, I probably would say, "Hey, off to gay Paree?"

Always hear may-o-nays. Yes, the wines are pronounced inconsistantly[cham paign, beau jo lay).

Hi-a-wa-tha was the way I got it in school; don't think I have heard differently except from Irish-influenced Boston, the last 'a' becoming 'er'. Had a mid-England friend who also used ther 'er' ending. His 'Alabam-er' caused raised eyebrows (we were both working in Texas at the time).

As an owner of a National Geographic Atlas, and a listener to BBC News channel, I am tending to lose some of the old pronunciations- so I sometimes say Lisboa, Napoli, Firenze, Alger- but not Warzawa. The BBC uses the standard English pronunciations for European cities, but tend to use the 'correct' ones for Chinese cities- Beijing I know, but the others confuse me- I know Chungking, but its correct name just confuses me.

Ebbie, ever eaten ley-too-cee?

Tho-roe' the only way I have heard it, but I have never lived in Virginia. I do remember 'Biew-fort' from SC (Beaufort).