how to pronounce "Appalachia" is a contentious subject. Harpers Ferry and south we say "App-uh-latch-(ee)-uh" (the ee is in parentheses because it's such a small sound most wouldn't hear it). north of harpers ferry they say "app-uh-lay-tcha". then there's one small town of mostly people descended from eastern Europeans who say it "app-uh-lack-(ee)-uh". fun fact, tekking on YouTube, the manga reviewer, is one of those weirdos who are somehow both simultaneously the most wrong and less wrong than most northern Appalachians.

i mean come on, the name comes from the appalachee tribe, and the "lach" there is pronounced mere like "latch" than "laych." at least with "lack" i can reason through that my Ukrainian friend can absolutely not say her "ch"s the way western Europeans do so if you have an insular community of people that pronunciation will stick.