Pronounciation of "Kosciuszko"

[abenm613]

Some of the subway station names seem to have many ways to be pronounced, so it's a good idea to know what version is right. The most controversial station name is Kosciuszko Street. While it's pretty clear that it's named after Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish & American national hero, it's not so clear how to pronounce it right. In Russian, I know that the name of the hero is pronounced as "Kostyooshko", but, obviously, this is not the way to say it in English (or even in Polish). Most conductors say either "Kossiyasko" or "Koskiyasko". The latter version is certainly nonsense. I once caught a R160 running on the J (not Z, but J!) and the automated announcement sounded as "Kazoosko". Maybe this is the right way? Someone told me that the Poles themselves say "Koshoosko". So, does anyone know which way is right?

[RearOfSignal]

Look it up in Wikipedia, perhaps they have the phonetics.

[mhig9000]

I grew up in the only county in America with a plurality of Polish-Americans (Luzerne County, PA), and there is a Kosciuszko St in one of the nearby towns and everyone pronounces it "koss-eee-ooo-sko" or sometimes "kosh-eee-ooo-sko" Thats also how i hear them pronounce it when they mention the Kosciuszko bridge in NYC on the morning traffic reports.

I also happen to currently live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, ironically, and once asked a local how to pronounce Zywiec beer, and apparently there are 2 proununciations for c in polish depending on which diacritic mark is above the letter (which makes sense since polish uses a modified roman alphabet to represent cyrillic characters). Plain c is pronounced something like "ts" and a c with an apostrophe over it is pronounced "ch" or something like that. The correct pronunciation of zywiec is something like "zvee-itch."

[Mitch]

Just to the east of us here in rural Indiana is Kosciuszko County. On the South Bend TV stations and localy it's pronounced "Kosskeeosco." But nothing is correct out here. Remember, trimming our toenails is considered custom made footwear.

[Otto Vondrak]

I learned all my pronunciations from Newsradio 88: Tom Kaminski calls it "Kozz-yuse-ko."

-otto-

[pennsy]

According to my Greenpoint, Brooklyn friends, all of Polish decent and all speak fluent Polish, Koshushko. That would be the Polish pronunciation, but as the cop on the beat told me, as anglicized, Koskiosko. No matter, either way they understand you and that is the final point.

Meet you at the Meserole theatre.

[arrow]

I say Kos-Kee-You-Sko

[RearOfSignal]

I say Kosh-yush-ko

[3rdrail]

In Boston, it's Kos You Sko with the accent on the "You".