1477-Caller-Francisco-Shibboleth by A Way with Words published on 2017-07-23T20:52:00Z We've talked before about surprising local pronunciations, like the name of a particular town or street. A term or pronunciation that distinguishes locals from outsiders is called a shibboleth. The word derives from the biblical story of the warring Gileadites and Ephraimites. Gileadites would demand that fleeing Ephraimites pronounce the word shibboleth, and if they could not, because their own language lacked an sh sound, they were exposed as the enemy and executed on the spot. http://waywordradio.org