(mumbles) (upbeat music)
- Hi, I'm Mui.
And today, myself and some other Brits
are gonna to try to pronounce American town names.
- I've been to the States a few times now,
but only ever New York.
And as far as I'm aware, I've pronounced that correctly.
- Us British people are very aware of American culture,
because we get a lot of American media.
- I love American town names
and are derived from other languages
like Spanish and stuff like that.
So my pronunciation of other languages
is not great.
- Off the top of my head,
I wouldn't say that American town names
seem particularly difficult to pronounce,
but I'm sure this video is going to prove me wrong.
So, let's bring it on.
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- This one I know it because of High School Musical.
- I have a memory of Bugs Bunny saying it.
I think he pronounces like, Albuquerque.
I'm sorry if that's really cranial and awful.
- Albuquerque? Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- Nailed it, boom.
One on the board.
- [Both] Albuquerque. New Mexico.
- Ooh, I do try and do an American accent on some of these.
Albuquerque (groans), don't put that in.
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- Ooh, the next one, I so know
because of Will and Grace,
and I believe that Grace is originally from, (mumbles).
(groaning) - Schenectady (laughs)
Schenectady, it sounds a bit saucy, for some reason.
And I don't know why.
Maybe it's 'cause it kind of sounds like...
No, I won't say that.
- (chuckles) I'm just trying to read this thing
and it's not really going too well.
- This doesn't sound like (laughs) a real place.
- Schenectady, (mumbles). Schenectady.
No, it isn't the word, Schenectady.
- Schenectady, Schenectady. (mumbling)
- Schenectady, Schenectady, New York.
- Schenectady, Schenectady, Schenectady?
- This is just like a proper mess.
- Schenectady, Schenectady, okay.
Now I'm just saying the same thing over and over again.
- [Instructor] Schenectady, New York.
- (groaning) I'm so good at this game.
- Oh, I was way off.
- [Instructor] Schenectady, New York.
- (sighs) Yeah, Schenectady, Schenectady.
Sounds like some surgery, you might have Schenectady
or like a bad rush, I've got Schenectady
on my foot.
- [Instructor] Schenectady, New York.
- (groans) Schenectady. Schenectady, New York.
- Schenectady, Schenectady, Schenectady.
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- Oh my days, the next one is impossible to pronounce.
- Oh no, (laughs) I don't know.
- It's like P-F star and L (mumbling) Pflugerville.
- I think that the P is the only thing about this
that's confusing on it.
That's the thing that you would stumble on.
- I believe the P is silent
and I think it's pronounced, Pflugerville.
- Pflugerville, Texas. Pflugerville
(laughs) Pflugerville. - (mumbling) like a ville,
(mumbling).
- [Instructor] Pflugerville, Texas.
- Pflugerville, boom! That's a funky name,
Pflugerville. - I feel a bit sorry
for these people who live in Pflugerville
just 'cause it sounds horrible,
but maybe it's beautiful, who knows?
Let me know, I'd love a trip to-
- [Instructor] Pflugerville, Texas.
- Sometime (laughs). (upbeat music)
- There is somewhere near where I grew up.
That's called Chechen boys and Bois was spelled
B-O-I-S, so I think it's very similar.
- It could be like a French pronunciation.
So maybe it's like Boise.
- Then why you spoke Boi?
Just trying to mix it up a bit.
It sounded cool, but yeah, for B-O-I-S-E, Boise.
- I think if it was Boise, it would have another E
or something, so I'm gonna go Boise, Idaho.
- That's Boise, Idaho.
- [Instructor] Boise, Idaho.
- God, damn it.
- Oh, so, it was Boise.
That's so fun!
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- So the next one, I don't see how I could get it wrong.
- It didn't seem too hard.
I'm just gonna straight out say it.
- Camarillo, California, sorry (laughing).
- Camarillo, I bet it's something weird
like Camarillo. - So I read this
as Camarillo, California.
- So I assume maybe that is the spelling of Amarillo
and then you just walk a C on in.
Camarillo, Armadillo, Brillo, (mumbling).
I don't really know what's going on here.
- So for this one, I'm gonna go for Camarillo.
Like Amarillo, which I think means yellow in Spanish.
- [Instructor] Camarillo, California.
- Boom, I knew it.
- [Instructor] Camarillo, California.
- Camarillo. No, (laughs) oh no.
- Camarillo, it sounds definitely like
the kind of place where you might ride a horse.
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- Whilst I'm tempted to say Des Moines,
because it looks French, I think it's pronounced De Moines.
- It's either going to be De Moines or the De Moines.
- I know you're expecting us Brits to say Des Moines,
but I'm not saying that.
I'm saying Des Moines, California (beep).
- [Instructor] Des Moines, Iowa.
- You just don't pronounce the S.
So basically, you'd say-
- [Instructor] Des Moines, Iowa.
- Des Moines (groans), whatever that was.
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- Okay, this was (mumbling) I guess,
it doesn't really seem to make much sense to me.
I might spell it first.
It's G-L-E-N (mumbling), that seems all right.
And then they just walk an E-L-G on that,
which is, it's working me like Scottish verb.
- If you asked me that, if I didn't know
that it was from Marryland, I would have guessed
it was made from Scotland.
- Marryland, it's not pronounced, Merryland.
We have a brand of cookies here that we put Merrylands,
- Glenelg, Marryland, I thought that was
the sound, does it?
Glenelg, Marryland. - Marryland, I-E-O-M cookies
are often (mumbling).
I'm a big fun of the choc chip.
- Marryland, Marryland, Marryland?
I can't even say that.
- I'm actually going to change it.
My answer for this one is gonna be Glenelg.
Not Glenelg, I feel like the G is silent.
- Let's go with, Glenelg.
- [Instructor] Glenelg, Marryland.
- (sighs) Yes. What's the point
in adding that G and N if you just not gonna use it?
- Glenelg? (upbeat music)
Where did the last G go?
- Glenelg, where's the G, go?
Glenelg. - It is just straight,
drop the G.
He didn't give (beep).
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- Lafayette, I don't know how else to say it.
That's how I think you pronounced that.
I feel like I've heard of it.
- That's the place you wanna stay,
you wanna stay at a nice bed and breakfast in Lafayette.
- So this one, I think is Lafayette.
- I used to be the biggest (mumbling) of that.
And so this is Lafayette.
That should be right, right?
- [Instructor] Lafayette, Louisiana.
- Lafayette, he's like he's puffing as he's saying it.
- La is such an American way to pronounce this.
- I don't know, it depends on
the essence of this whole thing.
You may give me some points.
(beep) (upbeat music)
- Louisville Fried Chicken.
Yeah, wouldn't mind to visit.
- Louisville, Louisville. It's basically
sticking two words together.
Louisville, Louisville, Louisville.
- I think it's, Louisville, Kentucky.
- I think this is pronounced, Louisville.
- [Instructor] Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky.
- (humming) What? Alright, close, Louisville,
Louisville. - The spelling doesn't say
that to me, but here we go.
- Louisville, so not Louisville?
Louisville, is that Louisville?
- It's just like dropping stuff.
Don't be like, Glenelg, like-
- [Instructor] Louisville, Kentucky.
(dramatic sound) - (humming) No.
- Tucson, Arizona, it looks like Tuckson, but it's Tucson.
And I know this because an Ugly Betty,
one of the characters moves from New York to Tucson
for his job.
And yet it's based in Arizona, but it's like Tuckson,
but it sounds like-
- [Instructor] Tucson, Arizona.
- I feel like I've had people with us at this place,
is Tucson, but I'm like, is it Tucson?
(dramatic music)
No, it doesn't makes sense.
Or does it?
- Tucson, Tucson, Arizona,
- [Instructor] Tucson, Arizona.
(groans) - America, I'm gonna need you
to drive it harder with difficult names 'cause I got it.
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And this last one looks like somebody
just mashed the (mumbling).
- Part of me feels that this is a prank,
'cause a word.
- I don't even really think this is real.
- Zzyzx, (mumbling), come say, sorry.
- That's just the end of the alphabet.
- Zzyzx, Zzyzx, Zzyzx.
- Zzyzx, I don't think that was right
but I don't think I'm gonna get this one.
So I'm just gonna guess Zzyzx.
- Zzyzx, Zzyzx. Which is half say Zzyzx.
Like physics, but Zzyzx.
- I believe it's actually pronounced (mumbling).
- [Instructor] Zzyzx, California.
- What's that, I need to know the history behind that.
'Cause that's a crazy name.
(typing) (upbeat music)
- [Instructor] Zzyzx, California.
- It sounds like a mythical place.
Somewhere like a Greek (mumbling).
- It doesn't- You know what?
It's kind of a hot name to a place, not in line.
- [Instructor] Zzyzx, California.
- Zzyzx, I never would've got that.
- Funny one, I was spelling going Zzyzx,
and it needs a friend, let me know.
- I don't think it did, I think I did amazingly.
I'm not gonna lie to you.
- I was very close with most of them,
if I didn't get any right.
I didn't get Camarillo, Camarillo.
- I think I did all right.
People might say otherwise, maybe I've absolutely
butchered their hometown and they so pervert.
- I think I got over half, (mumbling) a degree.
- Zzyzx, see you there.
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