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3 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,A pril 25,2019 w aterloochronicle.ca When it comes to place names in Waterloo Region, there is no shortage of tricky pronunciations. With Waterloo Region's Germanic and Dutch back- ground, many place names, such as Weber Street, are anglicized ver- sions of German words. But, with decades of change, comes arguments of how exactly certain words are pronounced. While we can't say which way is correct - that's up to the speaker - we've com- piled some information on famous place names that have multiple pronuncia- tions. Rych Mills, a local histo- rian and former president of the Waterloo Historical Society, said there are many pronunciations for different places and names in Waterloo Region, but it's difficult to discern which one is "correct." "Who is to say what is correct? There is no 'cor- rect' way to say any word in English, only the way most people talk. Luckily, unlike France, we have no Acade- mie Francaise to lay down rules," said Mills. In some cases, when Eu- ropean settlers came to Canada, they would change their names to bet- ter assimilate with the lo- cal vocabulary. Mills says some examples of this are Schneider becoming Snid- er and Snyder, but retain- ing the "SH" sound. Shantz, a popular name in Wool- wich Township, originated from Tschantz.Breithaupt- Common pronunciation: BRIGHT-Hup Alternate pronuncia- tions: BRIGHT-upt, BREATHE-hopt The origins of the Breithaupt name in Water- loo County date back to 1853. Philip Louis Breithaupt, son of Breithaupt Leather Company founder Liborius Breithaupt, started his own tannery in Berlin (now Kitchener). Philip, who was better known as Louis, had made several trips to Waterloo County from the Breith- aupt Leather Company's original location in Buffa- lo, N.Y., when he met his soon-to-be wife, Catherine Hailer. He moved to Waterloo County and started his own tannery in 1857, build- ing and living in a home on 108 Queen St. N., in down- town Kitchener. Weber Common pronuncia- tion: Wiebe-er Alternate pronuncia- tion: Web-ber The Weber name dates back to German settlers in the mid-1800s, but it is hard to track who exactly was the first Weber to come to the Region of Waterloo. Mills says the name is also derived from the German Weaver, and the pronunci- ation that evolved to be pro- nounced as Wiebe-er. Picard Common pronuncia- tion: PICK-erds Alternate pronuncia- tion: Pick-ARDS Starting in 1979 in St. Ja- cobs, Picard's Peanuts was the first to introduce the nuts to Ontario soil. A fam- ily-run business, started by the Picard family, the com- pany has expanded to Tal- botville, Waterdown, Niag- ara-on-the-Lake and in Wa- terford, where the main processing facility is locat- ed. According to Renée, the company name is pro- nounced Pick-ERDS, al- though it is often pro- nounced Pick-ARDS. St. Agatha Common pronuncia- tion: St. AGatha (emphasis on AG) Alternate pronuncia- tion: St. AgATHa (empha- sis on ATH) People in the Village of St. Agatha are generally split over the pronuncia- tion of St. Agatha. Cheryl Gordijk, Ward 2 councillor for the Town- ship of Wilmot, says gener- ally, more established fam- ilies pronounce it with an emphasis on the ATH, while newer residents em- phasize the AG. Woolwich Common pronuncia- tion: Wool-witch Alternate pronuncia- tion: Wool-itch Named after Woolwich, which was a town in Kent, England at the time, the pronunciation of Woolwich is often split. Oftentimes, locals drop the W sound, opting to Wool-itch, while others pronounce it Wool- witch. According to Mills, the name originated as Woo- litch, but eventually gained a W, to become Woolwich. While the pronuncia- tion of certain place names may cause argument among some, Mills says there is no "correct" an- swer - it's up to the person who is speaking. "The English language has always been a sponge, accepting 'foreign' words with ease, and often alter- ing pronunciations.....we do speak English, so when we talk about things in oth- er languages we do not (and need not) try to mimic their language. If we travel, we do not go to Paree or Moe-ray-all, indeed we of- ten change the original lan- guage's word altogether," said Mills. IS IT WEEBER OR WEBBER? GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF ALTERNATIVE PRONUNCIATIONS OF LOCAL LANDMARKS ADAM JACKSON ajackson@waterloo chronicle.ca NEWS WHILE WE CAN'T SAY WHETHER ONE IS MORE CORRECT OVER THE OTHER, HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THESE MULTI-PRONUNCIATION LANDMARKS Rych Mills, a local historian and former president of the Waterloo Historical Society, said there are many pronunciations for different places and names in Waterloo Region, but it's difficult to discern which one is "correct." Peter Lee photo Nobody ever plans to make the taxman a beneficiary of their will. 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