Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
#31440 06/06/01 08:40 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
of troy Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
In NYC Houston rhyms with house (mouse, louse). but when we speak of the city in Texas that is Houston (the first sylable is hue (as in hue and cry) or cue. But we are consistent.. one way for the street, an other way for the city in texas..

but we are not alway so consistent.. as an article in this week's New Yorker points out, we haven't reach consensus on how to pronounce the names of a highway and two bridges..
http://www.newyorker.com/THE_TALK_OF_THE_TOWN/CURRENT/?TALK_DEPT_OF_ONCE_AND_FOR_ALL

It this a NYC thing? or do you have place about town (or country) that have two alternate (and equally valid) pronounciations?



#31441 06/06/01 10:06 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Lived downtown in NYC for awhile...so I know Houston Street well, of troy!

In Atlantic City (NJ) they practice the same strange linguistic dichotomy with Arkansas Street...pronouncing it
'ARE--kansas' instead of ' ARE--can--saw' like the state...don't know why. Just a localism, I guess.

Which brings to mind this question...Why do we pronounce Kansas one way and Arkansas another? Anybody have the background on this one? ( I would assume it has to do with has to do with American Indian tribal language)


#31442 06/07/01 11:21 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393
N
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
N
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393
The territory was called Arkansaw. I don't know whether it's related to Kansas at all. As it was (I presume, without checking a map) originally part of Louisiana, it could have been spelt Arkansas in French and retained the pronunciation Arkansaw.


#31443 06/07/01 11:43 AM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771
I recently figured out the Midwest's excuse for their insistent mispronunciation of my home state for which I depart anon... apparently there's some little burg in Wisconsin (I think) named Oregon, but they pronounce it or-uh-gone rather than the more melifluous (and right) or-@-gun.

Oooooooh it steams me when I hear or-uh-gone! Agreed, Geoff?


#31444 06/07/01 12:44 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
G
old hand
Offline
old hand
G
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
Oooooooh it steams me when I hear or-uh-gone! Agreed, Geoff?

I'm amused when I hear folks from Eye-O-Way calling it Aura-Gone. Of course, with the massive population influx, THEY'RE RIGHT!


#31445 06/07/01 01:49 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Arkansas is a French variant of the Siouxian word Quapaw (also a tribe located in the area around the area where Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas almost meet, and, additionally, a town in northeastern Oklahoma, between Miami and Baxter Springs, Kansas). Quapaw means, literally, "downstream people." see http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/markansa.html

It seems that Arkansas retained the French pronunciation, while Kansas went with an English spin. The Arkansas River which runs from Colorado, though Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, is pronouced like the state of Arkansas in Colorado, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, but while in Kansas, it is pronounced "Are Kansas". see http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=72271




#31446 06/07/01 03:22 PM
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 609
R
addict
Offline
addict
R
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 609
and do "Ouichita" Louisiana (where my niece is currently on exchange with the National Parks service), and Wichita have anything in common apart from the same pronunciation (I think)?

Rod


#31447 06/07/01 03:44 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Ouichita and Wichita

Dunno, but the early music group Ensemble Ouabache gets its name from the Wabash in Indiana.


#31448 06/07/01 07:01 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
W
wow Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
do you have place about town (or country) that have two alternate (and equally valid) pronounciations?

We have a river in New Hampshire called the Piscataqua.
And a group of folk have a club with the same name. You have to have Colonial ancestry to join.
However:
The river is the Pis-CAT-a-kwah.

The club is the Pis-cuh-TOCK-wah.



#31449 06/07/01 09:04 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Odd that both pronunciations supply a gratuitous S (???)


Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,271
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
1 members (A C Bowden), 285 guests, and 4 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,502
LukeJavan8 9,915
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5