Lawmaker seeks official pronunciation of ‘Concord,’ New Hampshire’s capital city

By HOLLY RAMER
Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — I came. I saw. I Concord. A New Hampshire lawmaker wants to amend state law to include an official pronunciation of the capital city, one of many communities called Concord across the country. While North Carolinians pronounce the second syllable so it rhymes with bored, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and California are among those who favor something closer to — in the words of Julius Caesar — “conquered.” Rep. Eric Gallager, a Democrat from Concord, also wants to include an official pronunciation of “New Hampshire” in state law to make it clear that “shire” rhymes with “fur” not “fire.” He proposes including the official pronunciations written out according to the international phonetic alphabet in a section of law that lists symbols such as the official state sport and song.