Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
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Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is an unofficial name of Lake Chaubunagungamaug east of Webster, Massachusetts. The Nipmucks and other tribes gave it a variety of similar names. Many residents of Webster call it Webster Lake, because they can't pronounce the Nipmuck name, but others take pride in reeling off the Nipmuck version. Spelling of the long name frequently varies, even in official signs near the lake.
The name means approximately "Englishmen at Manchaug at the Fishing Place at the Boundary". Manchaug was the name of one of the tribes that lived by the shore of the lake, which was known before the Englishmen came as Chaubunagungamaugg, or "fishing place at the boundary". The lake was a noted fishing spot on the boundary of several tribes' territories, and for that reason was also used as a meeting place.
Larry Daly, editor of the Webster Times, wrote a humorous article about the lake, and about disputes concerning the meaning of its name. He proposed the tongue-in-cheek translation "You Fish on Your Side, I Fish on My Side, Nobody Fish in the Middle", which met with so much popular acceptance that the actual translation is fairly little known.
"Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg" is the longest place name in the United States and 6th longest in the world.
The lake has a surface area of 1,442 acres (5.83 km²).
See also: Longest word in the English language and List of interesting or unusual place names
External links
- A history of the lake (http://www.oldewebster.com/history/lake_chargogg.htm)
- NY Times - What's the Name of That Lake? It's Hard to Say (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/20/national/20lake.html)
- Photos of Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg:
- USGS (http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.GetDetail?tab=Y&id=619290) for official nameja:チャーゴグガゴグマンチャウグガゴグチャウバナガンガマウグ
sl:Čargogagogmančaugagogčaubunagungamaug sv:Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg zh:查哥加哥文程加哥朮巴根加馬古