#2) seriously - it’s apple-atcha (or appa-LATCH-a if you prefer)

[fireinmywoods]

"and you may occasionally be called upon to throw an apple at someone's head when they insist on mispronouncing 'appalachia'" It feels like there's a story behind this tag and now I'm curious.

Okay, see, what had happened was...

[SCENE: A large-group training session led by yours truly. Someone has just brought up a great point about relative poverty.]

me: Right! So poverty is going to look different in the U.S. compared to Haiti or Bangladesh. It’ll look different here in the city compared to rural Appalachia.

room full of confused teenagers: ?????????

yankee know-it-all: [with the kind of exquisite condescension only a 16-year-old can truly master] Oh, she means Appa-LAY-sha.

me, a hillbilly: I absolutely do not. It’s Apple-atcha. As in, “If I catch any of y’all with your earbuds in again while I’m facilitating, I’m gonna throw an apple atcha.”

teenagers: [amused grumbling with a barely audible scattering of “wait it IS Appa-LAY-sha though right??”]

[10 minutes later]

tattletale: Miss! Miss!!!! J has an earbud in!

me, a woman of my word: [literally throws an apple at a child’s head]

[fireinmywoods]

'#2) seriously - it’s apple-atcha (or appa-LATCH-a if you prefer)' you, friend, are speaking to my very soul (◠‿◠✿)

It’s funny - I feel like most people who say "Appa-lay-sha” don’t even realize there’s another option, but those of us who Say It Right are highly passionate about the one (1) correct pronunciation. Keep on fighting the good fight, pal. ♥