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How is Lima Pronounced?

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Posted by Metro Red Line on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 9:09 PM

Overmod

 Similar to Sam Houston, who came from the East where the New Yorkers still know how to pronounce his name...

 

Correction: Sam Houston may have been from Virginia, but he himself pronounced his surname, "Hyoo-ston." Houston Street in NYC was actually named after someone else - William Houstoun (pronounced, "how-ston"), a lawyer and member of the Continental Congress.

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Posted by zugmann on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 8:53 PM

gmpullman
Now, is it LAN-Caster or LANK-ister? (I prefer the former)

You may prefer the former, but it's wrong. 

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 8:47 PM

SeeYou190

Albany, New York: All Buh Knee

Albany, Georgia: Al Bin Ee

Or... Just be like Florida, and name your cities things like Apalachicola, Kissimmee, Okahumpka, Steinhatchee, Immokallee, Weewahitchka, etc., and laugh at the tourists trying to pronounce them.

-Kevin

 

You left out Okeechobee......

Sheldon

    

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Posted by gmpullman on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 8:38 PM

One I frequently get a chuckle about is the Pennsylvania Dutch area near Lancaster.

You won't see very many people in wooden shoes there. These are German descendents, i.e. The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsilfaanisch-Deitsch)

Now, is it LAN-Caster or LANK-ister? (I prefer the former)

Cheers, Ed

 

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Posted by Enzoamps on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 8:27 PM

Here in Michigan we have the small town of Pompeii, which is pronounced POM-pee-EYE.  For that matter, just across town from me is Delhi Township, of course pronounced DELL-HIGH.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 6:24 PM

Albany, New York: All Buh Knee

Albany, Georgia: Al Bin Ee

Or... Just be like Florida, and name your cities things like Apalachicola, Kissimmee, Okahumpka, Steinhatchee, Immokallee, Weewahitchka, etc., and laugh at the tourists trying to pronounce them.

-Kevin

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Posted by selector on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 4:39 PM

I have heard Boxpok pronounced both ways by people who narrated films back in the 50's and 60's.  I think there must be a 'correct' way, but you'll have arguments.

And don't axe me which one I use...I'm not tellin'. 

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 1:29 PM

dehusman
And the city in Texas is named for the fellow Sam Hew-ston, and they will fight you over the pronunciation.

Texans fight over other stupid wrong things too.  You have to ask them something like 'if everything is bigger in Texas, is it true that Texas has the largest midgets' to shut them up sometimes. Wink

Look where that fellow Sam "Hewston" came from and you'll see where the right of it is.  It's little different from those folks who established Versailles, Kentucky ... although they are correct in so pronouncing the name of the '70s Lincoln competition to the original Seville Nova... Laugh

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Posted by wjstix on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 1:22 PM

Of course in Russian, Russian is pronounced "Roo-ski".

Stix
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Posted by tstage on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 12:56 PM

snjroy
I believe there were French-speaking settlers back then. It's pretty amazing that they kept that pronounciation for all these years, if my interpretation is correct. 

Simon

You are correct, Simon.  According to Wiki, the first settlers in that area were French-speaking Swiss.

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Posted by dehusman on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 12:40 PM

Refugio is pronounced Refurrio in Texas.  The Boll-la-ver peninsula is where hurricanes come ashore in Texas.  And the city in Texas is named for the fellow Sam Hew-ston, and they will fight you over the pronunciation.

Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com

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Posted by snjroy on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 12:26 PM

Roo-shee?  Sounds like the French pronounciation of Russia (Russie in French). I believe there were French-speaking settlers back then. It's pretty amazing that they kept that pronounciation for all these years, if my interpretation is correct. 

Simon

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Posted by tstage on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 11:53 AM

As a resident of OH for 40+ years now, the town of Lima is pronounced "LYE-muh".  And other lesser known but interesting OH towns and pronouciations:

  • Wooster..."WUH-ster"
  • Milan..."MY-lan"
  • Bellefontaine..."BELL-fown-tuhn" (Div. headquarters of NYC's "Big Four")
  • Maumee..."MAH-mee"
  • Gallipolis..."Gal-ih-POLICE"
  • Russia..."ROO-shee"
  • Versailles..."Ver-SALES"

Tom

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Posted by snjroy on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 11:44 AM

We can assume that Lima Machine Works takes its name from Lima Ohio, where the original main shop was located. According to Wikipedia:

The name "Lima" was reputedly chosen in a nod to the Peruvian capital which, during the 1800s, was a major source of quinine, an anti-malaria drug for which there had been a demand in the region, an area known as the Great Black Swamp.

According to the Simple English Wikipedia:

Lima is a city in Allen CountyOhioUnited States. (...) Lima was founded in 1831 as a county seat which was mandated by the Ohio legislature. It got its name from Patrick G. Goode, who was a judge. He insisted on the Spanish pronunciation "Lee-mah" after the capital city of Peru, but the pronunciation — "Lye-mah" — won.

Simon

 

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Posted by NorthBrit on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 10:16 AM

Oops - Sign

David

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 9:48 AM

Let's make this simple.  The Lima bean is from that part of Ohio.  It is not from Peru.  Do the British pronounce this Leema beans?

Some of these names can be bad faux-amis.  Take Simon Bolivar, for example.  In the best Callus, Maine tradition, Tennesseeans pronounce the name of their town "BAH-lu-ver" which is amusing until you realize how close it is to the way he actually pronounced his name.  Similar to Sam Houston, who came from the East where the New Yorkers still know how to pronounce his name...

(If it is any consolation, I pronounced the name of the locomotive works Lee-ma until I was well into my twenties -- and if it helps, it was a native Spanish speaker, Livio Dante Porta, who set me straight...)

Now we can take up the issue of how many of us know how to pronounce Boxpok... Whistling

 

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Posted by wjstix on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 9:45 AM

"Lie-muh" is in Ohio.

"Lee-muh" is in Peru.

Kinda like how the Montevideo in South America is "mon-tah-vah-day-oh" but the Montevideo in Minnesota is "mon-tah-vid-e-oh".

Stix
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Posted by cv_acr on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 9:18 AM

NorthBrit

Then there is Hornby who own Lima  and the Italians who started the Company. They say Leema. 

A case of depending where you are.Laugh

Wrong Lima David.

He's not talking about the European model maker.

He's talking about the North American builder of real-life steam engines in the first half of the 20th century.

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Posted by NorthBrit on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 9:01 AM

Then there is Hornby who own Lima  and the Italians who started the Company. They say Leema. 

A case of depending where you are.Laugh

 

David

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Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 8:47 AM

SeeYou190

I went to Lima, Ohio's official website. They have 27 FAQs, but pronounciation is not included. 

There are YouTube videos where the locals pronounce it as LIE-MUH.

Rich

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 8:41 AM

I pronounced it like Lee-Muh, because that is what my father from the Midwest laught me. Then I met several people actually from that part of Ohio that informed me it is correctly pronounced Lie-Muh.

I went to Lima, Ohio's official website. They have a lot of FAQs, but pronunciation is not included.

https://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/Faq.aspx

-Kevin

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Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 6:54 AM

The locals in Lima Ohio pronounce it LIE-MUH.

Rich

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Posted by NorthBrit on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 6:37 AM

In the UK it is pronounced Leema.

David

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How is Lima Pronounced?
Posted by Southgate 2 on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 6:31 AM

Never having heard Lima pronounced in connection with the great builder of Super Power steam, and early diesel locomotives, I always assumed it was pronounced Lee-ma. But then I saw a video, someone called it LY-ma. like lima beans. Anyone know for sure? Dan

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