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#1
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Re: how much say do you have in pronouncing your name or town?
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They also insist on pronouncing the "s" in Louisville. [/ QUOTE ] I correct people who say Louisville wrong. Its not "Lou-wee-ville" it is Lou-a-vull" |
#2
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Re: how much say do you have in pronouncing your name or town?
In high school I was friends with an offensive lineman named Kwame Harris, who almost chose Michigan but instead went on to play for Stanford and now plays for the 49ers.
I was talking about him with a friend of mine from Michigan who basically knows everything about college football, and it went kind of like this: Friend: How's Kwame doing? (she said it like Kwame Brown) Me: I haven't talked to him in a while. It's KWAME though (rhymes with fame) Friend: What? no it's not Me: That's how he says it Friend: Does he know he's saying it wrong? I didn't know what to say, so I laughed, even though she was being totally serious. |
#3
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Re: how much say do you have in pronouncing your name or town?
Hey, I live in Rhode Island, where some things just don't make sense. Like why is East Greenwich pronounced (GREEN-witch) but West Greenwich is pronounced (GREN-nich).
Also I used to live in Mass, and have no idea why it's FramingHAM, WareHAM, WalthAM, and WilbraHAM, but Hingham is prounounced HINGum. And I grew up in New Jersey where Newark is basically pronounced "Nurk" but in Delaware it's pronounced like it's a two word description of what Noah replaced the old ark with? And while we're at it, to all Spanish speakers, why are all the other "New" states, "Nueva" in Spanish, but New Hampshire isn't? |
#4
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Re: how much say do you have in pronouncing your name or town?
Is there any state name that gets mispronounced as much as Oregon? It's or-a-gin not or-a-gon, even though the dictionary for some reason lists both. I guess I'm just a local nit. The only other state I can think of that might be close is Illinois.
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#5
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Re: how much say do you have in pronouncing your name or town?
Or a State Capital name that get's mispronounced as often as Pierre, SD
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#6
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Re: how much say do you have in pronouncing your name or town?
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Or a State Capital name that get's mispronounced as often as Pierre, SD [/ QUOTE ] Hmm, I don't know this one. I'm guessing it must be pear, since the French man's name would be instinctive? What about Montpelier, VT? Is that pronounced frenchy or non? |
#7
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Re: how much say do you have in pronouncing your name or town?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Or a State Capital name that get's mispronounced as often as Pierre, SD [/ QUOTE ] Hmm, I don't know this one. I'm guessing it must be pear, since the French man's name would be instinctive? What about Montpelier, VT? Is that pronounced frenchy or non? [/ QUOTE ] I'm pretty sure Pierre should be pronounced the french way - "Pee-yair". I've always heard Montpelier pronounced in the anglicized fashion "Maunt Pee-lee-er". However, I'm sure at its founding, it was pronounced "Mohn Pell-ee-ay" |
#8
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Re: how much say do you have in pronouncing your name or town?
I have a weird name, and so have thought about it a little...
My name begins with a "Hey" ...which looks like hay (which is for horses) But it comes from the German "Hei" so it's pronounced Hi (how ya doin?)...SO really, I say it wrong. It has a Y so it should be pronounced more normally. Really it's actually spelled wrong, but again that's my Dutch-Jewish ancestor's fault for trying to be different... I hear Hay a lot. My policy: 1. Phone solicitors, tellers, clerks, my boss: I don't correct. Let em be "wrong"...it don't matter 2. Teachers, co-workers, bartenders, other acquaintances: ONE correction. If they persist, let it go. Not their problem. 3. Friends, chicks, hookers: correct once…more if necessary, get slightly annoyed if chronic… In conclusion, names, like all words, have only suggested pronunciations. The standard is determined by the culture at large, NOT by the individuals or groups closest to the words. This can change, and be odd. Sorry: JAPAN, FARVRUH, PARIS (TX), KANT, NUKELEER, DAYCARTE, oDISSe-us, PRINCE… Good Work: Beijing, Missourah, Dem-EE, Conan O’Brien, Vagner, Socrates… And if Steely Dan says: OragON, then so do I! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] Personal Greetings in this Holiday Time --GA |
#9
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Re: how much say do you have in pronouncing your name or town?
SD's capital is pronounced PEER, not pee-AIR
VT's is mont-PEEL-ee-ur, not moan-pell-YAY Sort of like that big city in MI is dee-TROYT, not du-TWAH [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] |
#10
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Re: how much say do you have in pronouncing your name or town?
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Is there any state name that gets mispronounced as much as Oregon? [/ QUOTE ] I think you're right. But a lot of people say Nev-aah-da instead of Nevada. They say awe instead of ah. We are on the west coast, thus we don't use an east coast accent when pronouncing our state name. |
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