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Comment by Aldipower

1 day ago

Schleswig-Holstein is even harder to pronounce then Massachusetts.

Hmmm. I am not sure.

"Hol" is short. Stein is like a beer keg or stein beer.

Schleswig is a bit awkward of a word. But Holstein should be easier, also there is the Holstein cow, black-white fur.

If you can read the phonetic alphabet, the pronunciation is given on both the German and English Wikipedia page for Schleswig-Holstein. But the English page gives an English variant, not the original (and correct) German pronunciation.

What about Connecticut though?

  • I just go with The Nutmeg State. Much clearer for everyone.

    (As a RI/ NH New England lifer, I, as is typical of us, think of Connecticut as New York's attic: a place you hide that which you don't need anymore but it would be gauche to throw out.)

> Massachusetts

If English had proper 'c' (not just fake 'k' or 's') you could simplify it at least to: 'Massačusec'.

Similarly 'Schleswig' can be compressed to 'Šleswig'.