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 A pronunciation guide for everything Wisconsin. (And by the way, please slap anyone who says WESconsin!)  About the origin of Wisconsin's pronunciation guide |
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HERE'S A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO HOW AN IDEA WAS BORN
Not a day goes by when I don't hear somebody botch the name of a Wisconsin city, park, Indian tribe, lake or county. I really can't blame them, because we've got some real doozies, many of which are Indian and French, with a Wisconsin twist. It's unlikely those names will be changing any time soon, so we may as well figure out how to say them correctly, right?Living in Wisconsin most of my life gives me a certain amount of credibility regarding the state's pronunciations. I love cheese; I've eaten plenty of brats boiled in beer; I drink milk; I know how to pronounce "Favre;" I have lived through tornados and significant snowfalls; I'm convinced that the start of deer season is a major holiday; I've ridden on some of the state's many bicycle trails; I have actually witnessed over 1,001 uses for duct tape; and I also happen to know that Wisconsin is fastly becoming the Silicon Valley of the Midwest. Anyway, let's get back to the idea for MissPronouncer.com. Despite having lived in this state for umpteen years, I still manage to find unfamiliar names. So, if I occasionally stumble on a pronunciation, imagine how difficult it must be for new residents? How about tourists? Visiting family members? Students? Curiosity-seekers? Local and national reporters and broadcasters using Wisconsin-specific references? Celebrity speakers and rock stars visiting our fine state? And then there's the President of the United States of America. Sure Madison's mayor has a hard-to-pronounce name, but how does Barack Obama get "chess-LOU-skee" out of Cieslewicz? So, you ask, aside from living here, what makes me qualified to take on such a difficult task? Well, I've had a lot of radio jobs in the state. I had embarrassed myself on the air more times than I care to remember after butchering a few words, but I got slapped up a few times and learned my lesson. As for other questionable names I had not yet mastered, I painstakingly called local librarians, double-checked with chambers of commerce and talked to random local residents. Regarding lawmakers, I ask them directly. If they mispronounce their own name, it's not my fault. My brother is sort of a jack-of-all-trades, including computer hardware and software. So I recruited him to do the hard stuff, like Java and JavaScript. (No, they are not the same thing. He told me so.) Also, it's great to work with him because he polishes up my ideas by using CSS, CNC, PHP or something else I don't quite understand.
This website is intended to be a free resource for anyone and everyone interested in accurately pronouncing names of people and places specific to the Badger State. Please help us to maintain and improve its content. Thank you.
STATE COAT OF ARMS
Finalized in 1881, Wisconsin's Coat of Arms contains symbols that represent the diversity, wealth and abundance of resources here in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin State Symbols
Top:
Forward, the state motto.
A badger, the state animal.
Center, the state shield:
Top left: A plow, representing agriculture.
Top right: A pick and shovel, representing mining.
Bottom left: An arm and hammer, representing manufacturing.
Bottom right: An anchor, representing navigation.
Center: The U.S. coat of arms, including the motto E Pluribus Unum.
The shield is supported by a sailor and a yeoman (usually considered a miner), representing labor on water and land.
Bottom:
A cornucopia, representing prosperity & abundance.
13 lead ingots, representing mineral wealth and the 13 original United States. Thanks (wikipedia!)
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