I am an American failure

[bugabean]

Considering how many Americans don't even know how many states there, I doubt you're alone on that one.

[bugabean]

That's a biggie. There are too many M-states for most people to get those right!

[anna7602]

If it makes you feel any better, I always have to think about how my foreign-born mother pronounces "Connecticut" to remember how to spell that one. (She pronounces that c between the e and the t, as in "connect.")

Also, now that I am living in French most of the time, it really bothers me that Massachusetts doesn't end in -settes.

ETA: I modified the last part as there was a proboards hiccup while I was typing and posting the first time.

[travelingturtle]

Someone recently misspelled Massachusetts on either a forum or blog I read. When I was younger I was obsessed with that state since that's where my dad is from, but I hadn't really been there. I did a report about it in 4th grade and spelled it MassachussettEs. Since then, when my teacher corrected it, I've spelled it correctly.

[clogged]

Jun 13, 2012 2:05:51 GMT -5 bugabean said:

Considering how many Americans don't even know how many states there, I doubt you're alone on that one.

Really? EVERYONE knows there are 52....

[allibally]

I still have to spell Mississippi while doing the chant I learned in 1st grade.

[crimsonandclover]

Jun 13, 2012 4:15:03 GMT -5 allibally said:

I still have to spell Mississippi while doing the chant I learned in 1st grade.

I always wondered if that was a nation-wide thing or not. I grew up along the Mississippi, so I thought it might be a local thing.

And my pet peeve is how the German pronounce Illinois with an "s" at the end. I mean, you don't have to go all out like the French (who just pronounce it like it's a French word, which it originally was), but it would be nice if they would place the emphasis on the correct syllable (they place it on the first one instead of the third) and leave off the s. I won't go into proper pronunciation of the "i"s, since even the people of Illinois can't agree on that.

[clickerish]

Thanks, C&C. I just spent a minute trying to figure out how to put the emphasis on the first syllable of Illinois...

[bail229]

Jun 13, 2012 1:59:37 GMT -5 @publius said:

I still can't spell Massachusetts.

Don't worry about it. We were in the city a few weeks ago and saw a little boy running around with a "Boston Massachubetts" sweatshirt on. this is actually what was printed on the shirt. I would love to know where it was purchased. I dont think the poor people even knew it was wrong. At least you didn't print it on clothing incorrectly.

I really want to go to Massachubetts, I hear it's lovely this time of year!

[ktkl09]

Jun 13, 2012 7:17:31 GMT -5 crimsonandclover said:

Jun 13, 2012 4:15:03 GMT -5 allibally said:

I still have to spell Mississippi while doing the chant I learned in 1st grade.

I always wondered if that was a nation-wide thing or not. I grew up along the Mississippi, so I thought it might be a local thing.

And my pet peeve is how the German pronounce Illinois with an "s" at the end. I mean, you don't have to go all out like the French (who just pronounce it like it's a French word, which it originally was), but it would be nice if they would place the emphasis on the correct syllable (they place it on the first one instead of the third) and leave off the s. I won't go into proper pronunciation of the "i"s, since even the people of Illinois can't agree on that.

The French way annoys me. That's all I have to say.

[allibally]

Crimson - I always wonder if learning to spell Mississippi so young was a Midwest thing too.

[bail229]

Jun 13, 2012 8:14:26 GMT -5 @publius said:

Jun 13, 2012 8:00:06 GMT -5 bail229 said:

Don't worry about it. We were in the city a few weeks ago and saw a little boy running around with a "Boston Massachubetts" sweatshirt on. this is actually what was printed on the shirt. I would love to know where it was purchased. I dont think the poor people even knew it was wrong. At least you didn't print it on clothing incorrectly.

I really want to go to Massachubetts, I hear it's lovely this time of year!

I think what I did was worse. I spelled it incorrectly in a letter to the clerk of the court in MA. For some reason it slid through autocorrect but thankfully H caught it. It must be a regional thing. In school we learned how to spell Mississippi. He learned MA and Connecticut.

At least he caught it before you sent it! Don't worry about it too much.
For what its worth, I grew up in NY and learned how to spell Mississippi, not MA and CT.

[glitterfart]

This whole thread had me laughing! I doubt I could spell MA, either. I just abbreviate states that I can´t spell. It´s the only thing that stuck from the 5th grade!

[elenetxu]

I lived five minutes from the border and still never really learned (or bothered, to heck with that!) how to spell Mass. Mississippi I did learn, and cannot write it without thinking of the rhyme.

Dad is from CT - that's another one that gives me trouble. Don't feel bad!

[loveday]

Jun 13, 2012 8:00:02 GMT -5 @publius said:

Hearing British people say Maryland as "merry-land" makes me giggle. Every time. I pink puffy heart that pronunciation.

Busted! I say it that way still lol

Did you know there is a station on the Liverpool Street line also called Maryland? It amuses me everytime I ride past it.

[bugabean]

I learned Mississippi. I learned Connecticut as "connect I cut" but I can't remember if I learned it in school or from my mother. I never learned any tricks for MA.

[mouseinlux]

It's ok, I fail at being a brit...I don't drink tea!