MissPronouncer.Com
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Posted: 10:51 PM Nov 23, 2007
Last Updated: 10:52 PM Nov 23, 2007
Reporter: Mary Rinzel
Email Address: mary.rinzel@weau.com

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We live in a state full of tongue twisters, from the cities we live in to the legislators we elect and the Packers playing at Lambeau.

But, if you’re stuck on a tricky town or a certain city, there is help available.

It's a website we're very familiar with in our newsroom: MissPronouncer.com.com, an on-line guide to all things Wisconsin.

So, if Oconomowoc has you shaking in your socks, fear not; Miss Pronouncer, who by day is a radio newscaster, is here to help.

There are 190 cities, 400 villages and 1,260 towns in our fine state.

"You can walk the streets and hear mispronounced words, cities... I did,” says Jackie Johnson, creator of MissPronouncer.com.

Being in the broadcast business, a job that requires precise pronunciations Johnson had had enough. So, she started making some calls.

"I acted as though I was a regular person or a customer, added in a little chit-chat, and asked them how to say their town," says Johnson.

What she was really looking for slowly started showing up on-line: Audio versions of Ashwaubenon, St. Nazianz and Alma Center.

And Johnson kept calling.

"I talked to Chamber of Commerce’s, local residents, eventually I called almost all 3000," she says.

The result is crystal clear; and Miss Pronouncer is hearing lots of good things.

"Governor Doyle gave me a certificate and that’s pretty cool. He’s basically saying he really likes the website and it's a great contribution to the state," Johnson says.

You can hear Doyle himself on MissPronouncer.com. Jackie says you just never know.

"Why not put all of them on? I mean for heaven’s sake, Eau Claire! People still say ‘Ah Claire,’” she says.

And it's not just cities; you certainly don't want to mispronounce the green and gold.

For example: Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Brady Poppinga and especially not Brett Favre.

So, with Johnson still making calls…

“Now when I call and ask how to pronounce a city, they say ‘there's actually a website for that.’ They don't know they’re talking to me, Miss Pronouncer!”

..Don't be surprised to see a couple more mis-cellaneous mentions on MissPronouncer.com.

Besides cities, pro athletes and reps from the government, Johnson also has help for pronouncing Native American tribes, parks and forests and famous Wisconsinites.

One more FYI, Miss Pronouncer, a Clark County native, still uses her own website!

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