Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-02
HOW DO YOU SAY THEMf
Names of Cities Pronounced Differ entity as Positions Change.

Names of Cities Pronounced Differ
 entity 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 we'll, as an editorial paragraph of the same is- sue thereby noted. The same paragraph commented on other accommodations 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 "Uhluh," 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 1t "leens." Omaha Is "Omahaw," not "Omahah." Las Vegas Is Las Vayas.' Missouri Is "Mzzoura." You are more likely to hear "Coloraydo" than Colo rahdo" in that State. Spokane is as If there was no "e" In 1t. Manitoba Is accented on the penult, not the ulti- mate. Quincy Qll) Is not "Qulnzy." Galveston stresses the ives" rather than the Gal" Terra Hut" the na- tives call 1t.
 More say "Looslana" than "Louez- iana," Tucson" Is 'Tooson." 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, Minn., attracted by It's beauti- ful name, which he pronounced Wee nonah." Landing at New York, he scarcely gave any attention to the me tropols. but pushed on to the vest Chicago was seen only In changing cars, and as the train glded along the Mis- slsslppi and approached what Is beau tlful 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- ticipatlon, when the brakeman opened the door and yelled "Weinonyw The Frenchman collapsed In his seat heart broken, and did not leave the train at Wlnona.
 What queer accommodations" ex- claim my New England readers. h. deed. Here let my nelghbor. an Iowa man, take his pen In hand and put in type the glowing words he has often emitted In my presence. This Is what he says:
 "Yes, I am from Iowa and never heard any other than the pronouncia- tion Iowa (accent on the first syl- lable) until came east. Oh, yes; occasionally the older and more rural people would call 1t T-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 I go to register and am asked where was born, the solemn clerk puts 1t down Ireland and asks If I have my naturalization pa- pers. Now, how do you folks get such a pronunciation? It isn't found in any cyclopedia or gazetteer that ever saw. Nor do your own accommodations con- vince me. Why on earth do you say 'Quinzy' when the syllable begins with e. never pronounced other than s or K? Why do you say 'Waltham' and 'Wrentham' and slam out that than roundly? Used to those pro- nunciatlons and the dwelling on the last syllable In Newburyport, etc, once innocently pronounced the name of that Cape Cod town as 1t Is spelled, "Barnstable,' thinking stable as good a word as barn and as we'll worth dwelling on, and the office roared at me. Why say 'Wooburn' when you spell It Woburn? But worst of all Is that pretty little Mlddlese1 town, whose name I rather liked until I heard 1t over and over again blared out Bill 
 am afraid my Iowan's case Is desnere ta one Rut confess some sym-