Erm... anyone who's lived here for any length of time knows it's "Naw-fuck." If someone pronounces the "folk" part the way it looks, they're an outsider and should be shot on sight. If someone FROM HERE pronounces "folk" the way it looks, they should be strung up by their toes and left to die. No, really. Ask anyone.

-- Anonymous, January 29, 2001

Answers

The last time I flew back from St. Louis to Norfolk, the pilot said, "The weather in Nor-folk [the way it looks] is partly cloudy..." Everybody on the plane was like, "Aghghghgh!" Except me, I just felt bad for the guy -- before I moved here, I thought it was "Nor-folk," too.

Turn on the news here sometime, and almost every single reporter pronounces it differently. I hate hate hate hate hate when people say "Naw-fa." Nawfa? What the hell? It's fuck, not fa. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck... hee hee.

-- Anonymous, January 29, 2001

Then there's the original Norfolk in England, which is pronounced 'Nor-fock'. A subtle difference, you'll appreciate. :)

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Maybe it's just my Yankee heritage getting in the way, but I usually pronounce it NOR-fuck. I don't think it matters how you pronounce the first syllable, as long as you "fuck" the last one.

I have to giggle when I hear out-of-towners pronounce it "Nor-fork."

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

A local guy was sitting in a fastfood joint on Granby Street in Norfolk lisetning to a woman talk about the fun time she had in "Nor- fork" at Mcarthur Center and the Naval Base and all... The guy walked up to the woman and said "Maam, you're pronouncing it wrong... it's Naw-fuck, not Nor-fork." "But we have a town where i come from spelled the same way and we call it Nor-fork!" "Well maam, we call it Naw-fuck here... i'll prove it to you." So he goes over to the woman cleaning out the trash can and says "Can you help us out? Can you go over to that woman over there and tell her real slow where she is?" So the trash lady goes over to the woman, kneels down and puts her hands on the woman's shoulders, looks her in the eyes, and says... "BURGER KING!"

I love that joke...

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Yeah, I say "NOR-fuck," too.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

I say Norfolk the wrong way, but what do you expect from an Illinoisan? Speaking of Illinois, why oh why to people feel the need to pronounce the 's'? That absolutely annoys the hell out of me. It's even worse when people who live in Illinois say the 's'. That's just wrong.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Oooooooooooh, I can't stand when people say "Illinoise." It's Illinoy. ILLINOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYYY.

Even worse: "Missoura." What's mind-boggling is that everybody in Missouri pronounces it with an "a." Missoureeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Not aaaaaaaaaaa. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Uuuuugh.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

If you say it "nor-fuck" that seems to be almost exactly how one would say "nor-folk"...unless one over pronunciates the l or something. We have Polk Street here in San Francisco and when one says it it sounds just like "Poke." It seems like people would would say "Naw-fuck" rather than "Nor-fuck" would probably do so due to a Virginian accent, no?

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2001

Oh yeah, and how about people from Colorado? They pronounce it Colorehdo. With a long e sound. I guess it's their state, they should pick the pronunciation, but sheesh. it just sounds weird.

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2001

There should be a city named Aufolk.

"Aw, fuck!"

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2001

True, but I think what we really need is a Dumfolk.

Then you'd have people saying, "I'm a Dumfolker." That would be good.

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-- Anonymous, February 01, 2001

What are denizens of the cities/counties around here called, anyway? Like, I live in Newport News -- what the hell am I? Newport News-ite?

-- Anonymous, February 02, 2001

Newport Newsians? I don't really know. Don't think we have a word for it. However, people from the County are most definitely Countyites. I think Hampton's people are Hamptoners. As for the rest, your guess is as good as mine.

-- Anonymous, February 03, 2001

What kind of name is Newport News for a town/city/county/whatever it is?? Sounds like a newspaper from a town called Newport..

-- Anonymous, February 05, 2001

The Friels or Jeremy (I'm not sure which one; sorry, Jeremy) said, "We live in the snooze." So, instead of Newport News, it's Newport Snooze. So, you're a Snoozer, sort of....

Isn't that exciting?

-- Anonymous, February 05, 2001

1) Hampton folks are "Hamptonians" or "Hamptonites," or if you're really lazy, "Folks from Hampton." or "Fucks from Ham'n," if you want to pronounce it properly. Take that, Angela.

2) Treva, 'twas the Friels what done it.

3) [long-winded know-it-all history lesson] Newport News derives its name from Captain Christopher Newport, commander of the fleet of ships that brough the Virginia Company to the New World. Legend has it that the settlers who lived where downtown NN is now were so overjoyed when Capt. Newport came to them with news of fresh food and supplies from England during a particularly bad winter, they named their settlement "Newport's News." The apostrophe-s got dropped over the years... And, since nothing goes on in Newport News, we call it Newport Snooze, or "The Snooze" for short. So everyone in NN is a "Snoozer."

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Thanks, Jeremy -- now should I also shove it?

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Just a joke, Angela. :P

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2001

I know! :) I forgot to add my smileys - silly me. Anyway, thanks for the clarification, yo.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2001

hey... I thought it was Naw-fck? Like Suffolk is pronounced suf-fck - I think you guys just like the idea of saying fuck in public without repercussions. ;)

-- Anonymous, February 10, 2001