“the natives of Calais, Maine, pronounce the name 'callous,' even with francophones right across the border. I do not know how the francophones across the border pronounce it (and now I'm mildly curious)”
I can't speak to the how the francophones over the border pronounce it, but I can tell you the anglophones over the border think that pronunciation is pretty darn funny. In Nova Scotia, we got our american networks on cable in the form of their Bangor, ME, affiliates. Mentions of Calais were often met with snickering (while at the same time acknowledging that it was correct, in that it was the dominant local pronunciation). If you wanted belly laughs, you had to wait for the community announcements when they mentioned an upcomming ceilidh (which they called a "sell-ih-dah").
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I can't speak to the how the francophones over the border pronounce it, but I can tell you the anglophones over the border think that pronunciation is pretty darn funny. In Nova Scotia, we got our american networks on cable in the form of their Bangor, ME, affiliates. Mentions of Calais were often met with snickering (while at the same time acknowledging that it was correct, in that it was the dominant local pronunciation). If you wanted belly laughs, you had to wait for the community announcements when they mentioned an upcomming ceilidh (which they called a "sell-ih-dah").