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Article: UTAHAN OR UTAHN? NEW BOOK PUTS NAMES IN THEIR PLACES.(News/National/International)
- Article from:
- Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
- Article date:
- August 31, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Rocky Mountain News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Dialog LLC by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: James Kilpatrick Universal Press Syndicate
A resident of Spartanburg, S.C., is naturally a Spartanburger. One who lives in Pittsburgh is either a Pittsburgher (preferred) or a Pittsburger (accepted). Why, then, is a resident of Gettysburg, Pa., a Gettysburgian?
Beats me, but Merriam-Webster has just published Paul Dickson's Labels for Locals, a lighthearted glossary of place names that provides some answers. Like many reference works in the field of language, it may revive more controversies than it settles.
And controversies there have been. I dimly recall a furious altercation in Alabama 40 or 50 years ago over the proper name for one ...