Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1907-05-25
HOW DO YOU SAY THEMr
Names of Cities Pronounced Differ
emily nv Positions Change,

emily nv Positions Change.
Prof. Hart In his interesting article
on Oklahoma, admonshed his New
England readers that 1t is pronounced
Oak, not Oklahoma, says the Boston
Transcript. Prof. Hart did well. as
an editorial paragraph Of the same Is
sue thereby noted The same paragraph
commented on other recommendations OF
places, used by their residents that are
quite different from our usage The
editorial notes Iowa, Virginia and Ore
gon among other names not pronounced
here as at home. Then there Is Ohio,
which the native jerks out "Uhiuh,"
disregardng our solemn ooh hi-oh." We
and the gazetteers say "New Orleans"
accent on the Or" Down there they
stress the last syllable and call It
"leens." Omaha Is "Omahaw," not
"Omahah." Las Vegas Is LAS Vayas."
Missouri Is "Mlzzoura." You are more
likely to hear "Coloraydo" than Colo
rahdo" In that State. Spokane Is as
If there was no sc" In 1t. Manitoba is
mate. Quincy (Ill) is not "Qulnzy."
Galveston stresses the ives" rather
than the Gal" Terra Hut" the ma
tiyes call 1t.
More say "LoosIana" than "Louez-
lana" Tucson" Is ''Tooson," accent IN
the ultimate, and so on. You have pr
haps heard OF the Frenchman wlo
came to America to see the city Of
Winona, Mimi, attracted by It's beaud-
ful name, which lie pronounced "Wee-
nonah." Landing at New York, he
scarcely gave any attention to the me-
tropolis, but pushed on to the west.
Chicago was seen only In changing cars,
and as the train gllded along the Mis-
sIsslppi and approached what is beau
tiful city surrounded by the rich YER
dure and romantic bluffs of the upper
Mississippi, the Frenchman was en-
chanted. The train slowed mp before
stopping at the station, the FrenchmaD
half rose from his seat In feyerlsh an
ticlpaton, when the brakeman opened
the door and yelled 'Weuony" The
Frenchman collapsed In his seat heart
broken, and did not leave the train at
Winona.
what queer pronuncations!" ex-
claim my New England readers In
deed Here let my nelghbor, an Iowa
man. take his pen In hand and put In
type the glowing words he has often
+,J IL, Il, l., hck
he says:
Eyes, | am from Iowa and never
heard any other than the pronouncia-
ton Iowa (accent on the first syl-
lable) until l came east. Oh, yes;
occasionally the older and more rural
people would call 1t 1-o-way,' which Is
really the original Indian pronuncia-
ton. But this I-oh-a' was unknown to
Lowndes or anybody else In the Hawk
eye State. Yet no one here calls 1t
anything else. When l go to register
and I am asked where l was born, the
solemn clerk puts 1t down Ireland and
asks If | have my naturalization pa
pers. Now how do you folks get such
cyclopedia or gazetteer that | ever saw.
Nor do your own pronunclations con-
vince me. Why on earth do you say
Quincy when the syllable begins with
a e. never pronounced other than g.
or *? Why do you say 'Waltham'
and 'Wrentham' and slam out that
than roundly? Used to those pro-
nunciatons and the dwelling on the
last syllable In Newburyport, etc,
once innocently pronounced the name OF
that Cape Cod town as it Is spelled,
"Barnstable,' thinking stable as good
a word as barn and as well worth
dwelling on, and the office roared at
me. Why say 'Wooburn' when you
spell 1t Woburn? But worst OF all is
that pretty little Mlddlesex town, whose
name l rather liked until | heard 1t
over and over again blared out Bill
Kicker"
am afraid my Iowan's case Is a
desperate one. But | confess some SYM
no +bu for him don't you2