Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1907-05-25

Names of Cities Pronounced Differ
eztly Positions Change.

eztly as Positions Change.
Prof. Hart, In his interesting article
on Oklahoma, admonished his New
England readers that 1t is pronounced
Oak, not Oklahoma, says the Boston
Transcript Prof. Hart did well, as
al editorial paragraph of the same is
sue thereby noted. The same paragraph
commented on other pronunciations 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,"
disregardlng our solemn "Oh-hi-oh." We
and the. gazetteers say New Orleans"
accent on the 'Or." Down there they
stress the last syllable and call II
''leens." Omaha is "Omahaw," not
"Omahah." Las Vegas is Las Vayas."
Missouri is "Mizzoura." You are more
likely to hear "Coloraydo" than Colo
rahdo" in that State. Spokane is as
If there was no 'e'' In It Manitoba is
accented on the penult, not the ulti-
mate. Quincy CHI is not "Quinzy."
Galveston stresses the ives" rather
than the Gal" Terra Hut" the ma
tives call It
More say 'Loosiana" than "Louez-
lana" Tucson" is ''rooson," accent on
the ultimate, and so on. You have per-
haps heard of the Frenchman who
came to America to see the city of
Winona, Mimi, attracted by It's beauti-
full name, which he 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-
sissippi 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 up before
stopping at the station, the Frenchman
half rose from his seat In feverish an
ticipation, when the brakeman opened
the door and yelled "Weinony!" The
Frenchman collapsed In his seat heart
broken, and did not leave the train al
Winona.
what queer pronunciations ex
claim my New England readers. In
deed Here let my neighbor, an Iowa
, man, take his pen In hand and put II
. type the glowing words he has otter
. emitted in my presence. This Is what
he says:
Eyes, l am from Iowa and I never
heard any other than the pronouncia
ton Iowa (accent on the first syl
, lable) until I came east. Oh, yes
occasionally the older and more rura
people would call 1t T-o-way,' which Il
really the original Indian pronuncia
ton. But this 1-oh-a' was unknown Il
Lowndes or anybody else In the Hawk
eye State. Yet no one here calls I
anything else When go to registei
and 1 am asked where I was born, thu
solemn clerk puts 1t down Ireland an.
asks If 1 have my naturalization pa
pers. Now, how do you folks get sucl
a pronunciation? 1t isn't found in an.
cyclopedla or gazetteer that 1 ever saw
4
| vince me. Why on earth do you sa.
Quincy when the syllable begins wit
C. never pronounced other than S
or *? Why do you say 'Waltham
| and 'Wrentham' and slam out tina
than roundly? Used to those pro
| nunciations and the dwelling on tn
| last syllable In Newburyport, ETC.,
once innocently pronounced the name o
| that Cape Cod town as 1t is spelled
| "Barnstable,' thinking stable as goo
word as barn and as we'll wort
dwelling on, and the office roared a
Ie me- Why say 'Wooburn' when yo
II spell 1t Woburn? But worst of all
n that pretty little Middlesex town, who's
< name 1 rather liked until l heard
Y over and over again blared out 'Bi
d Kicker"
t. l am afraid my Iowan's case Is
l. desperate one. But confess some syn
pathy for him, don't your