Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer, and I'd like to meet the
request of some viewers who asked me to say the names of the 50 U.S. states and
capitals. But did you know I already did this? Yes. Way back when in 2008, I went
over all the names in a four-part video. I'll put the links to that older lesson
in the video description just in case you'd like to take a trip down memory
lane. YouTube and my video making were quite different then. And by the way, to
those who subscribed early and stuck with me all these years, thank you.
And to newer viewers, please subscribe. There's still so much more we can learn together.
When my children were younger, I gave them place mats like this one to
help them learn geography. I remember when they were in fourth grade, they had to
pass a test on the 50 states and capitals, and I helped them prepare, which
was a good review for me because most adults tend to forget a bit of geography
as the years pass. But actually, I think it's a little unfair. If I'm not mistaken,
Canada has ten provinces. Australia has six states. American schoolchildren have
to learn 50 states: how to spell them, how to say them, their capitals, and their
locations. It's a lot. Don't you think?
Well, the point of going over all the names is for you to hear my model and
some possible variations. But before we get to the states,
let's talk about regions. As I said, we adults tend to forget some of the
specifics, but we have a general idea in our head. Sometimes we talk about the
North and the South. We're referring to the Northeast and the Southeast.
Our associations may be connected to history, particularly pre-Civil War. The
Mason-Dixon Line is a boundary between the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland.
This line became away Americans separated slave states from free states.
Slave states in the South. Free states in the North. We can also talk generally
about the East, the West, and the Central States. The East Coast is here along the
Atlantic Ocean. And the West Coast is here along the Pacific. The East Coast
breaks up into three regions: New England, the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast. Not
everyone agrees on which states belong to which regions. For example, Texas. Some
classify it as part of the South. Others see Texas as part of the Southwest. Yes.
Just like we broke up the East, we can also break up the West. We talk about the
Midwest, the Southwest, and the West Coast or Pacific Coast States. We can also talk
specifically about the Pacific Northwest.
Not surprisingly, the oceans and the mountains help determine the regions. Out
in the West we can talk about the Mountain States or the Rocky Mountain
States. Do you know the short name for that mountain range? The Rockies.
So, the next time you hear an Americans say where they're from, you can clarify
by asking questions like, "Arizona...is that in the Southwest? Is that a Southwestern
state?" "Kentucky...is that in the South or the Midwest?" Okay. While we're talking
about regions, let's briefly mention time zones. How many time zones are there in
the US? 3, 4, 5, 6? Six. On the mainland, the 48 states have four time zones: Eastern,
Central, Mountain, and Pacific. Then there's Alaska and there's Hawaii.
Hawaii doesn't observe Daylight Saving Time, so it gets confusing sometimes for
us to make the time conversions.
Okay. Now that we've gone over all the regions, let's go through the states and
capitals. I'll use the map, and we'll go region by region.
I'll also list the state abbreviations, the two letter postal code. For example,
Massachusetts is MA. Maryland is MD. Did you know when I was
in school, I also got quizzed on the postal codes? At one point I had to
memorize all 50 abbreviations. And did you know that each state has at least
one nickname? Something that the state is known for. We become familiar with these
nicknames because we see them on license plates of cars. I've spent a lot of time
in the East so I know the nicknames of most of these states. I don't know the
others as well. But to be fair, I'll include the nicknames of all the states.
Okay. Here we go. Augusta, Maine. Maine is the Pine Tree
State. It's also called Vacationland.
Montpelier, Vermont. The Green Mountain State. Concord, New Hampshire. The Granite
State. Now, I say kon-kerd. Some might also say kon-kord. Let's not talk about right
or wrong. Let's just talk about the variations you may hear. I say kon-kerd.
Concord, New Hampshire. Boston, Massachusetts. My state. Massachusetts is
the Bay State. Providence, Rhode Island. The Ocean State. Hartford, Connecticut. The
Albany, New York. The Empire State.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Did you know that Pennsylvania is the only state that
uses the two-letter abbreviation in conversation? For example, my hometown is
Pittsburgh, PA. Pennsylvania is known as the Keystone State because of its
central position within the original 13 colonies. Trenton, New Jersey. The Garden
State. Most Americans will use a glottal stop when they say that capital city. You
could say Trenton, but most will say Trent'n. Trenton, New Jersey.
Dover, Delaware. The First State. Annapolis, Maryland. It's called the Old Line State,
but personally, I know it as the Crab State. They have wonderful steamed crabs
in Maryland. Charleston, West Virginia. The Mountain State. Richmond, Virginia. The Old
Dominion State. It was one of the 13 colonies. Frankfort, Kentucky. The
Bluegrass State. Nashville, Tennessee. The Volunteer State, and I'm not sure why it
has that nickname. If you're curious about any of the nicknames, Google them.
It will be interesting reading in English. Raleigh, North Carolina. The Tar
Heel State. Another nickname worth researching. Columbia, South Carolina. The
Palmetto State. I hear pal-metto, pahl-metto. The Palmetto
State. Atlanta, Georgia. The Peach State. You may hear that second T dropped
sometimes. at-lan-a Atlanta, Georgia.
Tallahassee, Florida. The Sunshine State. Now, as someone from the Northeast,
I say flor-da. Flor-da with two syllables. Some people say flor-i-da with 3 syllables,
and there are also vowel variations: flor-da, flar-da, flar-i-da. Let's not talk about
right or wrong. It's just about what you'll hear. Personally, I say flor-da.
Montgomery, Alabama. The Yellowhammer State. That's a bird. Jackson, Mississippi.
The Magnolia State. Little Rock, Arkansas. The Natural State.
I say ar-kan-saw without an S. Some people say the s: ar-kan-saws. I actually saw in
the dictionary ar-kan-ses as a possible variation. I don't hear that much, but
apparently it exists. I say ar-kan-saw. Little Rock, Arkansas.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Pelican State. Notice how I use a
glottal stop Bat'n, like Trent'n, New Jersey. Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeye State. Lansing, Michigan. The Great Lakes
State. You know that we have five Great Lakes. Right?
Indianapolis, Indiana. The Hoosier State.
Springfield, Illinois. Land of Lincoln, as in President Abraham Lincoln. Some people
may say ill-uh-noiz, but I think that's far less common,
I say Springfield ill-uh-noy. Madison, Wisconsin. The Badger State. A badger is
an animal. St. Paul, Minnesota. The North Star State. Des Moines, Iowa. The
Bismarck, North Dakota. The Peace Garden State. Pierre, South Dakota. The Mount
Rushmore State. Lincoln, Nebraska. The Cornhusker State. Topeka, Kansas. The
Sunflower State. Jefferson City, Missouri. The Show Me State.
Denver, Colorado. The Centennial State.
Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Equality State. I say shy-en, but I've also heard
shy-an. Helena, Montana. The Treasure State. Boise, Idaho. The Gem State. Salt
Lake City, Utah. The Beehive State. Carson City, Nevada. The Silver State.
I say ne-va-da. I also hear ne-nah-da sometimes, so take your pick. Austin, Texas.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Sooner State.
Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Land of Enchantment. Notice how I drop the T in
"Santa." san-a fe. You don't have to, but it's very common.
Just like we dropped the T often in Atlanta: at-lan-a, Georgia and san-a fe, New
Mexico. Phoenix, Arizona. The Grand Canyon State. Olympia, Washington. The Evergreen
State. Salem, Oregon. The Beaver State. I think I usually say or-uh-gin, but sometimes
I may say or-uh-gone. People may think that one variation is right and another is
wrong, but be prepared to hear both. Go to a tool like YouGlish. Listen to about a
dozen speakers and you'll start to hear a preference. or-uh-gin is probably what
most American English speakers say. Salem, Oregon. Sacramento, California. The Golden
State. We can drop the T in "Sacramento." Sacramento can become sa-cra-men-o, just
like Santa > sa-na fe. Atlanta > at-lan-a. Sacramento, California. Juneau, Alaska. Our
49th state and our largest state.
Honolulu, Hawaii. The Aloha State. Hawaii is our 50th state. By the way, do you know
that half or more of our states have Native American names? Massachusetts is
one of them. Interesting history. In terms of pronunciation, look for word stress
patterns. This will help you develop a better instinct for saying unfamiliar
names. For example, all the states with "New" have
stress on the syllable that immediately follows: New Hampshire, New York, New
Jersey, New Mexico. And the states with "North" and "South" share the same stress
pattern: North Dakota, South Dakota. North Carolina, South Carolina. Search for other
stress patterns based on syllable count. For example, find the states with four
syllables. Say the names aloud. Do you notice a pattern? Listen. Pennsylvania,
Indiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arizona, California. And hey! Let's not forget the
capital of the United States: Washington, D.C. If you just say "Washington," you may be
asked, "Washington, D.C. or Washington State?" Washington, D.C., our capital, is right there.
It's between Virginia and Maryland. What does D.C. stand for? District of
Columbia. Remember Washington, D.C. isn't part of any one state, it's a district
all by itself. I hope you found the lesson useful. If you'd like to compare
this presentation to the lesson back in 2008, then check out the links in the
video description. In that older lesson, you'll hear the pronunciation of other
native speakers, and I also included the dates of statehood and the state flags.
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