What is it called when locals intentionally "mispronounce" (compared to the common or historical pronunciation) their home town or other words? I've read somewhere a while back that it was intended to know the difference between a local and a non-local person, e.g. someone who might not belong there.
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4One could make an argument that it's the correct pronunciation.– SpencerCommented Sep 12, 2017 at 0:29
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It's called "Louisville".– Hot LicksCommented Sep 12, 2017 at 1:40
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@Spencer, Sometimes, yes, othertimes, no.– MikePCommented Sep 16, 2017 at 0:25
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1 Answer
Are you by any chance conflating the concepts of an endonym and a shibboleth?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exonym_and_endonym
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth
Shibboleths are when the pronunciation of word distinguishes a 'non-local' from a 'local', and endonyms are an indigenous name or pronunciation, as opposed to the exonym used by outsiders. Neither word applies exclusively to placenames, but placenames are commonly examples of both.
