how do you pronounce swarthmore?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
1

<p>Do you say the first "r" or not??</p>

<p>Is it pronounced "swathmore" or "swarthmore?"</p>

2

<p>[Swarthmore</a> College :: Writing Program :: A Sociolinguistic Investigation<br> of the Pronunciation of Swarthmore](<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/x10916.xml]Swarthmore”>http://www.swarthmore.edu/x10916.xml) </p>

<p>Though I don’t think their samples were broad enough. In short, though, both are accepted.</p>

3

<p>Oohh, cute, interesting. Harriet, thanks for posting, because I have felt so gauche in that I could not make myself drop the “r”.</p>

<p>I like the young linguists looking at this.</p>

<p>And I think this is probably a fairly consistent phenomenon, that a local population will evolve its own pronunciation and entering folks WILL apply rules from other situations.</p>

<p>Cases in point: I live in Suffolk (Suffik – not proper symbols, I know) County, but my dad insisted on calling it Suffo-l-k county.</p>

<p>And visitors frequently call Houston Street in New York Houston Street as in Houston, Texas.</p>

<p>I think Bowdoin has a more interesting problem with it’s name, which is wittily addressed in a cartoon on its website. Just when the pronunciation is sorted out, I think someone says, “Oh, so this is Colby?”</p>

<p>Vassar actually imports a program to pronounce Poughkeepsie for purusers.</p>

4

<p>And please, don’t anybody pronounce the “H” in Amherst!</p>

5

<p>As a Philly native, even though I haven’t lived there in ages, I would say “Swathmore.” No r. I also drop the r from Charlie; it comes out more like Cholly unless I make an effort otherwise.</p>

6

<p>Also a Philly native, and this being my third year at Swat…I pronounce it with the r. I think that basically all students pronounce it with the r but many locals (from the area - not Philly) drop the r, as the linked article seems to agree with. :]</p>

7

<p>I live in New Jersey, near Trenton: Chre-in. I retain the first “R” Swarthmore, My Colleague (from PA.) drops it.</p>

8

<p>just got a DVD from Swarthmore - it’s pronounced both ways by the students in the video.</p>