Any Scots in the Coachella Valley?

[Jock Scot]

Yep that's one of the things about place-names, looking at the word you can't know where the stress is.

2nd syllable cuh-CHELL-uh (where locals put the stress)

1st syllable CO-chull-uh (putting the stress on the 1st syllable)

I've heard British people say BAL-ee where Americans usually say bal-EY (the dance) and BUFF-ee where Americans usually say buff-EY (a type of restaurant) and GAIR-idge while Americans usually say guh-RAJH (where you're supposed to put your car but Brits appear to rarely do so).

Anyhow here's some local place-names to have fun trying to pronounce

Jumilla
Tuolumne
Tujunga
Cahuenga
Trabuco
Jurupa
Tassajara
Ojai
and last but not least Hueneme.

I meant to reply to your post a wee while ago, but somehow, as it does, life has got in the way. Anyhow, to my ear your idea of British accents with words are not anywhere near how my ear receives them or, how my tongue pronounces them!

To my UK ear. Ballet(the dance) is pronounced as BALLAY. Buffet is pronounced BUFFAY. Garage(where one gets petrol from, or mends the car), is depending where one comes from in the UK, is often , GARAHGE, or, GARRIDGE.There is no emphasis on any of the syllables.

And of course, there is the added complication of the correct British way of spelling some of these words!