I’m always amused by how Siri (mis)pronounces local places when I’m using my phone for directions. One that I can think of is a local town called “Lawnside.” I used to work near Lawnside, and one of the exits from one of the major roads that I took often is named for the town. Siri always says, “Lown-side,” which I find hysterical, because it’s a pretty simple and familiar portmanteau of two words: “lawn” and “side.” And lawn, by itself, isn’t a word I typically associate with curious regional pronunciations.
So “Lawnside” has always made me chuckle. Most recently, I was using the phone for directions, and the suggestion was to turn onto “Delsea Drive.” Delsea is a well-known main road that continues across multiple counties, and like “lawn,” it’s generally pronounced the same way: Del-see, with emphasis on the first syllable.
Siri, however, did a charming take on this pronunciation, breaking the word into two very clear syllables, and placing equal stress on both syllables. So it was more like “Del, See.” I really liked it, and it highlighted for me the last three letters (-sea). It evoked a dreamy kind of shore vibe, like it’s some special, sea-foam green road that connects two very relaxing places.
