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And the Capital of South Dakota Is... (Paul Pitlick, USA, 04/03/22 4:13 am)Regarding unusual pronunciations of "European" American place names, don't forget the capital of South Dakota, which, if you are from there, is pronounced "Pir."
JE comments, with Bad Joke of the Day: What do you call an investigation by your colleagues in the capital of South Dakota?
Pierre review. Is this what ensues when the governor's daughter receives special favors?
Paul Pitlick's family has farming roots in South Dakota. It was only after several conversations with Paul that I realized his references to "Peer" were in effect Pierre.
Paul, you've opened up another can of toponymic worms: places that are pronounced nothing like their spellings. Michigan has its share, starting with two Detroit-area thoroughfares: Lahser Road (pronounced "Lah-sher") and Gratiot Avenue. Here we tolerate no Frenchified nonsense: the locals call it "Grass-shit."
Finally, beautiful Mackinac Island does not rhyme with "Cadillac." It's pronounced "Mackinaw."
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Rhymin' Limon, Colorado
(David A. Westbrook, USA
04/03/22 10:40 AM)
Let me add to this discussion, from the Spanish/Anglo borderland in Colorado. Limon is pronounced "LIEmon" (I've been corrected) and Buena Vista, pronounced BYOUna Vista" (short "i"), or sometimes just BYOUnie, or "BV."
Farther south, rules of Spanish pronunciation seem to more or less apply.
JE comments: Buena Vista may actually have nice views, but according to Wikipedia, it took its name from the 1847 battle of the Mexican-American war. And it is not the only town so named:
Buena Vista County, Iowa, in 1859, was named in honor of the battle, as were Buena Vista Township, in Michigan's Saginaw County, and the cities of Buena Vista, Virginia, Buena Vista, Colorado, Buena Vista, Oregon, Buena Vista, New Jersey, Buena Vista, Alabama, Buena Vista, Mississippi and Buena Vista, Georgia. Buena Vista Park in San Francisco is also named after the battle.
What about Pueblo (Colorado)? I've heard two variations, the Spanish one, and a Gringo-ized "Pweeblo." Internet sources prefer the first. Bert, what have you heard?
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