MOE-non, accented on the first syllable, is the correct pronunciation.
My dad was a graduate of Depauw University in Greencastle, IN (he left school in 1941 to join the Marines after Pearl Harbor, then returned to school after his hitch was up). He played football for Depauw and they played another school every year for a trophy called, "The Monon Bell", which was a bell off a Monon steam engine. Both schools were along/near the Monon. I've never heard it pronounced any other way than, "MOE-non".
Murphy SidingMy wife was watching some house-hunting show, when something caught my attention. The home that some goobers were looking at in Indianapolis was located right next door to, what they called "The Monon Trail". It appeared to be rails>trails type thing. The thing that caught my attention, was the way they pronounced Monon. I've heard it on train videos pronounced *ma-nun*. These folks called it *MOE-non*, with such emphasis on the first sylable that I immediately thought of Larry and Curly. Which is it? Is there a rail>trail made out of a Monon line in Indianapolis?
I'm not familiar with the rail-trail, but it wouldn't surprise me: the MOE-nahn used to serve Indianapolis, but CSX abandoned the line from Indy to Monticello. The railroad would have come into Indianapolis from due north.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Here is a link to a map of the Monon trail.
http://www.indygreenways.org/monon/mo_images/mo_map.pdf
An "expensive model collector"
It is MOE-NON.The Monon trail is row that was on the Monon to Indianapolis route. I don`t know the distance the trail runs but do know from Carmel it runs to I think to the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds being on 38th street and Carmel around 155st and I think a walking trail only. Also the Monon Bell was was played for by Wabash College and Depaw University.
I live very close to the MOE-non trail. It goes well south of the fair grounds--at least to 25th street or so. Lately, there has been a problem with crime on this south side (unfortunately, closer to where I live). It is a nice little trail, as there are some sincere efforts to preserve some of the rail aspects of it. I like to walk it often in the summer.
Incidentally, I only realized I was pronouncing it wrong after I moved to Indianapolis.
Also, never have I witnessed a state so in love with a railroad like Indiana loves the Monon. There are a lot of Joe-citizens here who know nothing about trains but refer to the Monon with affection.
Gabe
The Monon Trail in Indy is a rather nice path, particularly thru Broad Ripple area and the White River bridge.
The Monon was (is) the state railroad. There is a passion for it that is approached only by the Nickle Plate, in my opinion, but make no mistake the Monon is more popular.
Semaphore signals still provide protection in locations, but those are being replaced between Lafayette and Crawfordsville, perhaps as this is written. There are a few down by Orleans.
The town of Monon did quite well, with a creek, railroad, and trailer manufacturing company named after it. Not bad for a small town of about 3000.
ed
MP173 The Monon Trail in Indy is a rather nice path, particularly thru Broad Ripple area and the White River bridge. The Monon was (is) the state railroad. There is a passion for it that is approached only by the Nickle Plate, in my opinion, but make no mistake the Monon is more popular. Semaphore signals still provide protection in locations, but those are being replaced between Lafayette and Crawfordsville, perhaps as this is written. There are a few down by Orleans. The town of Monon did quite well, with a creek, railroad, and trailer manufacturing company named after it. Not bad for a small town of about 3000. ed
I go to the Casino in French Lick just so I can see the semiphore signals at Orleans . . . . I caught an Indiana Rail Road train stopped by one this summer. What a treat. It only could have been better had there been a meet with a CSX train (I think it was just there for a crew change). I think it was the first time I really noticed, if not saw, semiphore signals.
I agree that the Nickle Plate is a distant second for most beloved Hoosier line. However, you would think it would be the Wabash, as it was also named after a small Indiana town and had the second most popular train song named after a passenger train (in my opinion).
"Up and down the Monon everything is fine. Cause that rooting tooting Monon is a Hoosier line". I remember when this little ditty was played in Dearborn Station prior to the departure of the Hoosier, Tippecanoe or Thoroughbred.
Mark
There is a very good book by George W. Hilton titled "Monon Route". It covers "The Hoosier Line" from start to L&N.
Do any of you Hoosiers know what "Hoosier" means?
greyhounds Do any of you Hoosiers know what "Hoosier" means?
Now that question opens up a whole new discussion. Having been born and raised in the state of Indiana (graduated from Purdue University), I can tell you there is no single, universally accepted definition of exactly what the term Hoosier means or of its origin.
Rather than trying to explain something here, I am including the following link written by Indiana University professor Jeffrey Graf to whom I'm more than happy to defer.
http://www.indiana.edu/~librcsd/internet/extra/hoosier.html
Mike
MJChittick greyhounds Do any of you Hoosiers know what "Hoosier" means? Now that question opens up a whole new discussion. Having been born and raised in the state of Indiana (graduated from Purdue University), I can tell you there is no single, universally accepted definition of exactly what the term Hoosier means or of its origin. Rather than trying to explain something here, I am including the following link written by Indiana University professor Jeffrey Graf to whom I'm more than happy to defer. http://www.indiana.edu/~librcsd/internet/extra/hoosier.html
I hope that your fellow Boilermakers don't find out that you made a positive reference to somebody from Indiana University
CSSHEGEWISCH MJChittick greyhounds Do any of you Hoosiers know what "Hoosier" means? Now that question opens up a whole new discussion. Having been born and raised in the state of Indiana (graduated from Purdue University), I can tell you there is no single, universally accepted definition of exactly what the term Hoosier means or of its origin. Rather than trying to explain something here, I am including the following link written by Indiana University professor Jeffrey Graf to whom I'm more than happy to defer. http://www.indiana.edu/~librcsd/internet/extra/hoosier.html I hope that your fellow Boilermakers don't find out that you made a positive reference to somebody from Indiana University
If the Monon had decided to paint all of its engines in IU school colors rather than Perdue, it would have been the acquiring railroad.
In Hoosier land there are other fine bike and walking trails and one of the better ones {Cardinal Greenway}, are right here {Trail Head location}, in Muncie....60 some miles north of Indy. 30 some miles of smooth paved walkway on ex C&O RR. It increases in length as money is available to do so.
For those who have not seen our converted depot...stop and take a look if passing thru....A renovated jewel. Located at Broadway / Wysor.
Quentin
Monon's passenger cars and power were originally painted in IU colors, although the gray made it look more like Ohio State than IU.
The love affair with the MONON was due in-part, to the fact that it was the only Class 1 railroad was completely inside the state of Indiana. (into Chicago and Louisville, it was trackage rights). The railroad made a rough "X" through the state with the intersection at Monon, IN.
Here's how Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross pronounce it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvSO6dbEvzo
Ahh yes, I wonder what happened to old Gabe? Always enjoyed his posts. Last I recall it was like right at the crux of the 2008 economic melt down, and he was asking about locations where he could take a 4 day hike, to "get away, and think about things".
Never heard from him how that turned out.
Just saw this thread and then found this PR video on the MONON TRAIL. Looks likr a first class trail. Neat mural @ 2:05 for fans.
Shock Controlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvSO6dbEvzo
This has nothng to do with the railroad or the town. Moe-NON is the way the word MONON is pronounced. Some steam whistles can Moan and ghosts may moan.
Electroliner 1935This has nothng to do with the railroad or the town.
As a Lambert, Hendricks & Ross fan, I agree with their pronunciation.
Shock Control Electroliner 1935 This has nothng to do with the railroad or the town.
Electroliner 1935 This has nothng to do with the railroad or the town.
All I hear them singing is a sluring of the word "Moaning" or "moan'un". When I lived in Indiana everybody that I heard say the name of the railroad pronounced it as Moe-non (1st "O" is a long vowel, 2nd is a short vowel) with the accent on the first syllable. If anyone pronounced it differently, no one would know what they were talking about.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
I also have always said MOE-non. Now (here's where I show my ignorance), is that a river? And did the RR vaguely follow the river?
The Monon crossed the state of Indiana in two directions in a rough "X", crossing itself in the town of Monon. I vaguely remember that the RR had a different name originally, but because of where the lines crossed, everybody referred to it as "Monon" and the name stuck so well it took the name officially.
Lithonia OperatorI also have always said MOE-non. Now (here's where I show my ignorance), is that a river?
Some references have it sounding like moe-nan. Personally, I think they should have stuck with something easier to pronounce like "New Bradford".
Overmod Lithonia Operator I also have always said MOE-non. Now (here's where I show my ignorance), is that a river? Two creeks, originally from the Potowatomi 'monong' -- and here's where it gets interesting: the word used is probably spelled using the Great Lakes Algonquian Syllabary following a French orthography. And Potawatomi is one of the languages known for vowel syncope, so it matters which syllable has the emphasis. (Incidentally, Skokie, Oconomowoc, and Kalamazoo are all Potawatomi names, if that helps anyone...) Some references have it sounding like moe-nan. Personally, I think they should have stuck with something easier to pronounce like "New Bradford".
Lithonia Operator I also have always said MOE-non. Now (here's where I show my ignorance), is that a river?
Two creeks, originally from the Potowatomi 'monong' -- and here's where it gets interesting: the word used is probably spelled using the Great Lakes Algonquian Syllabary following a French orthography. And Potawatomi is one of the languages known for vowel syncope, so it matters which syllable has the emphasis. (Incidentally, Skokie, Oconomowoc, and Kalamazoo are all Potawatomi names, if that helps anyone...)
But the bigger question is - are we in the 21st Century USA pronouncing those names as the original Potawatomi would have pronounced them.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACDBut the bigger question is - are we in the 21st Century USA pronouncing those names as the original Potawatomi would have pronounced them.
This is one of those things like Havre de Grace where the locals know what they call their home, and the rest of us, and French orthography and so on, can take a hike. A couple of people have already mentioned what the people who live in Monon call it; a couple of others have mentioned what the railroaders called it.
The question that was asked about 'how it was supposed to be pronounced originally' is what I was addressing, with specific interest in the idea that the stress might go on the second syllable.
OvermodThe question that was asked about 'how it was supposed to be pronounced originally' is what I was addressing, with specific interest in the idea that the stress might go on the second syllable.
We have that problem with a French name. James LeRay de Chaumont (from the Chaumont region of France) figured heavily in the development of this area. One village uses part of his name - Chaumont (LeRay is one of the townships, and most villages in the area have a "James Street).
The usual mis-pronounciation is "Chow' mont." Emphasis on the first syllable.
The correct pronounciation is "sha moe'", with the emphasis on the second syllable.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Also consider any number of place names in Illinois: Des Plaines, Cairo, San Jose, and a host of others.
In Georgia we use that to determine if you are a local.
Or Tippecanoe.
rdamonIn Georgia we use that to determine if you are a local.
You mean such as "Dahlonega"?
Convicted One rdamon In Georgia we use that to determine if you are a local. You mean such as "Dahlonega"?
rdamon In Georgia we use that to determine if you are a local.
Ponce De Leon, Albany, Cairo, Vienna, Houston ... :)
Semper Vaporo The Monon crossed the state of Indiana in two directions in a rough "X", crossing itself in the town of Monon. I vaguely remember that the RR had a different name originally, but because of where the lines crossed, everybody referred to it as "Monon" and the name stuck so well it took the name officially.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Convicted OneYou mean such as "Dahlonega"?
The real test is Youghiogheny.
rdamonPonce De Leon,
I had forgotten about that. The way the locals banged that one up, used to tickle me.
rdamon Convicted One rdamon In Georgia we use that to determine if you are a local. You mean such as "Dahlonega"? Ponce De Leon, Albany, Cairo, Vienna, Houston ... :)
OvermodOr why it's dah-LON-e-ga but tal-le-DE-ga?
That is EXACTLY what I was getting at. I amused several friends when I learned that one, the hard way.
Murphy SidingOK. I'll bite. How would you pronounce those any different than the common way most of us would?
Ponse Duh LEE-on...Howston...Kayrow...and AL-banny
KAY-row
OWL-ba-nee, or call-me-Al-banee (as in Oz), instead of Ahl-banee
Ver-sails (or ver-sigh-lees for the automobile)
Callus, Maine.
VIE-enna (as in the sausage)
As it turns out, Hewston appears to be correct for the Houston from Virginia. The one from New York pronounced it as the New Yorkers do, HOW-ston. (And it's possible there are other unusual low-Virginia pronunciations I can't render correctly to this day without IPA, a bit like Hoossse-ton.)
I grew up pronouncing Ponce de Leon in a sort of weird way, a bit like an upscale Flagler: PON-ssuh-deh-Leeyon, with the ssuh almost like syncope. (Flagler of course just said Pons, as in Lily or Asinorum) You could torment it and say PAWN-say (it's definitely two syllables in Spanish) and the Latin American Spanish version of Leon is closer to Leyon.
I tremble to think how Floridians do it. I haven't a clue how the real Miami, in Ohio, is supposed to be pronounced. Perhaps it is like Cordwainer Smith's Meeya Meefla.
Don't get me started on Colorado.
It seems like every place has certain ways of pronouncing things that make it easy to tell if someone is an "outsider".
Being from Louisiana, there are amazing pronunciations from the Louisiana mixture of French, Spanish, English, American Indian, Creole, Cajun, and backwoods Southern swamp.
Some of their pronunciations are not even close to the way the name is spelled.
I have been mispronouncing "Monon" for years. Now I will have to consciously think about it when I see that name.
York1 John
I spent a lot of years in Georgia. The pronunciation I'm used to for Albany (GA) is ALL-benny.
York1Being from Louisiana, there are amazing pronunciations from the Louisiana mixture of French, Spanish, English, American Indian, Creole, Cajun, and backwoods Southern swamp.
... and things are very different yet again across the Sabine...
The Vienna in Central NY is also pronounced VIE-enna.
The Madrid in Northern NY is MAD-drid.
For Irondequoit, the T is silent...
OTOH, "Penet," used in several places in NNY is properly pronounced "Pen-AY," from the French, but is commonly mispronounced Pen-NET.
And in Kentucky, Versailles is apparently pronounced "Ver-SALES," whereas in France, it's Vare-SIGH.
And people wonder why to-too-two and your-you're-yore is so confusing...
Murphy Siding Semper Vaporo The Monon crossed the state of Indiana in two directions in a rough "X", crossing itself in the town of Monon. I vaguely remember that the RR had a different name originally, but because of where the lines crossed, everybody referred to it as "Monon" and the name stuck so well it took the name officially. Good thing they didn't cross at Lipschitz. (Dad joke. Sorry man, the made me do it.)
Good thing they didn't cross at Lipschitz. (Dad joke. Sorry man, the made me do it.)
Then there is the famous Sprint Car racer from the Amish area of Pennsylvania - Tommy 'The Flying Farmer' Hinnershitz
Overmod Murphy Siding OK. I'll bite. How would you pronounce those any different than the common way most of us would? KAY-row OWL-ba-nee, or call-me-Al-banee (as in Oz), instead of Ahl-banee Ver-sails (or ver-sigh-lees for the automobile) Callus, Maine. VIE-enna (as in the sausage) As it turns out, Hewston appears to be correct for the Houston from Virginia. The one from New York pronounced it as the New Yorkers do, HOW-ston. (And it's possible there are other unusual low-Virginia pronunciations I can't render correctly to this day without IPA, a bit like Hoossse-ton.) I grew up pronouncing Ponce de Leon in a sort of weird way, a bit like an upscale Flagler: PON-ssuh-deh-Leeyon, with the ssuh almost like syncope. (Flagler of course just said Pons, as in Lily or Asinorum) You could torment it and say PAWN-say (it's definitely two syllables in Spanish) and the Latin American Spanish version of Leon is closer to Leyon. I tremble to think how Floridians do it. I haven't a clue how the real Miami, in Ohio, is supposed to be pronounced. Perhaps it is like Cordwainer Smith's Meeya Meefla. Don't get me started on Colorado.
Murphy Siding OK. I'll bite. How would you pronounce those any different than the common way most of us would?
Murphy SidingOh, that's easy. Call-oh-rad-oh.
I say coll-o-rah-doh. That may not be fully right, but the last half is.
Overmod Murphy Siding Oh, that's easy. Call-oh-rad-oh. At least you didn't say kull-o-rad-o. I say coll-o-rah-doh. That may not be fully right, but the last half is.
Murphy Siding Oh, that's easy. Call-oh-rad-oh.
At least you didn't say kull-o-rad-o.
Not call oh ray dough?
Miz-uhr-ee, or Miz-uhr-ah...
After living several years in Georgia, while making a business trip to Seattle, it just seemed like Puyallup Washington was missing an apostrophe.
tree68 Miz-uhr-ee, or Miz-uhr-ah...
Here is how Monon is pronounced in French:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fSDDxu29aU
One of the local versus tourist tests in my neck of the woods is pronouncing "Garnet Avenue in PB" - the emphasis is on the second sylable in both Garnet and PB.
Other S.D, County names: Poway is pronounced Pow-way, Otay is pronounced Oh-tie, though the original ponunciatioons were Poh-wye and O-tay (go figure). Similarly, Cabrillo is pronounced Cuh-BREE-yo, but should be pronounced Cuh-brill-oh (Juan was Portugese, not Spanish).
Other places:
Nevada: Pronounced Nuh VAD uh in the Silver State, Nuh VADE uh for the city in Iowa. NB: I lived in Carson City during 6th and 7th grade and one of my 7th grade teachers was very emphatic on how that state's name should be pronounced, she later was the dean of the Western Nevada Community College.
Ohio: sometimes pronounced O-HIGH-uh... (my mom was from Ohio)
Convicted One After living several years in Georgia, while making a business trip to Seattle, it just seemed like Puyallup Washington was missing an apostrophe.
Good one! I see what you did there.
Journalists seem to have recently settled on Nuh-VAD-uh, which must be what the locals say. But all my life I thought it was Nuh-VAHD-uh. I figured that was correct because of the Spanish influence; I don't think Spanish has our short-A sound.
Through school I spent 1st throug 4th grade in 4 different schools in 3 different states - the balance through HS graduation was spent 5 different schools in 3 different states. College ended up being 3 schools in two states.
No matter where I went I would always get the same comment - You aren't from around here are you!
At each stop along the way I would pick up speaking mannerisms from where I was at the time - at the next stop the local mannerisms would be different in some aspect.
When I went to Jacksonville for CSX's centralized dispatch center I expected a wide range of 'local accents' - and there were. The anticipated 'heavy southern' accent among the Dispatchers from the South was nowhere near as bad as I had thought it would be. That changed when one listened into the dispatchers communications with field personnel on subdivisions in the South. The 'locals' in the South had HARD Southern speech mannerisms.
My aunt was from Louisville, Kentucky, but she pronounced it "Louh-vull". (I find it really hard to spell how she said it! I can hear it in my mind so clearly, but there are just no letter combination that can spell it!)
One of the fun things people from around there do is to stop people on the street and ask, "How do you pronounce the the name of the capital of Kentucky? Is it, 'Louis-vill', 'Loov-ill', or 'Louey-vill'?" Then stand back and watch them try to say what they have heard others call it.
The joke, of course, is that you pronounce the name of the capital of Kentucky as, 'Frankfort'.
Yes, Louisville has two syllables when you live or are from there.
Semper Vaporobut she pronounced it "Louh-vull
Thats how the locals pronounce it. I spent on year living in Elizabethtown, KY and another in Ratcliff, KY. Not a bad state to live or retire in. Winters for me still a little too cold.
BaltACD Then there is the famous Sprint Car racer from the Amish area of Pennsylvania - Tommy 'The Flying Farmer' Hinnershitz
To get this thread back on track: MOE-non is a (franco)anglicized version of the Pottawatami word for "swift running." Not a bad nickname for a railroad.
Someone mentioned another possible Hoosier Line, the Wabby. The new line SW out of Fort Wayne crosses the Wabash River a couple of times. It came really close to this, but only missed by a couple of miles. The Wabash RR crossed the Wabash River in Wabash County, next to the City of Wabash. Wabash also had two lines across the state, but they did not cross like the subject C.I.&L.
To derail it again: Indiana also has a Ver-SAILS. It's down by Kentucky, so it's possible they kept the mis-pronounciation with which they were familiar.
The State Park nearby is another franco-anglicized word: Ouabache State Park. Twenty years ago it was Quabache State Rec Area. Obviously, there has been disagreement on what the Pottawatami called the river.
rrnut282Wabash also had two lines across the state, but they did not cross like the subject C.I.&L.
At one time the Wabash, St Louis, and Pacific controlled the Indianapolis, Peru, and Chicago RR, giving it crossing lines centered at Peru.
rrnut282The State Park nearby is another franco-anglicized word: Ouabache State Park.
rrnut282 To get this thread back on track: MOE-non is a (franco)anglicized version of the Pottawatami word for "swift running." Not a bad nickname for a railroad. Someone mentioned another possible Hoosier Line, the Wabby. The new line SW out of Fort Wayne crosses the Wabash River a couple of times. It came really close to this, but only missed by a couple of miles. The Wabash RR crossed the Wabash River in Wabash County, next to the City of Wabash. Wabash also had two lines across the state, but they did not cross like the subject C.I.&L. To derail it again: Indiana also has a Ver-SAILS. It's down by Kentucky, so it's possible they kept the mis-pronounciation with which they were familiar. The State Park nearby is another franco-anglicized word: Ouabache State Park. Twenty years ago it was Quabache State Rec Area. Obviously, there has been disagreement on what the Pottawatami called the river.
The Midwest has many French place names due to the heritage of French control prior to the treaty of Paris, 1763.
Many are mispronounced.
Plus.....the Wabash had a namesake canal....take THAT,.. Moe-non fans!!
Lithonia OperatorLithonia Operator wrote the following post yesterday: Convicted One After living several years in Georgia, while making a business trip to Seattle, it just seemed like Puyallup Washington was missing an apostrophe. Good one! I see what you did there.
Did you ever wonder where all the "R"s that are never prononced in New England go? Warshingdon!
Wonder what the proper way to say BNSF is? binz-f ?
ORNHOODid you ever wonder where all the "R"s that are never prononced in New England go? Warshingdon!
No, they go to the Ninth Ward of New Orleans for the words "terlet" for "toilet" and "erl" for "oil".
My old bosses, who were still mad about the Great Northern being "taken away" by the Burlington Northern, pronounced it BIN-siff
York1New Orleans
Don't you mean "Nawlins?"
charlie hebdo rrnut282 To get this thread back on track: MOE-non is a (franco)anglicized version of the Pottawatami word for "swift running." Not a bad nickname for a railroad. Someone mentioned another possible Hoosier Line, the Wabby. The new line SW out of Fort Wayne crosses the Wabash River a couple of times. It came really close to this, but only missed by a couple of miles. The Wabash RR crossed the Wabash River in Wabash County, next to the City of Wabash. Wabash also had two lines across the state, but they did not cross like the subject C.I.&L. To derail it again: Indiana also has a Ver-SAILS. It's down by Kentucky, so it's possible they kept the mis-pronounciation with which they were familiar. The State Park nearby is another franco-anglicized word: Ouabache State Park. Twenty years ago it was Quabache State Rec Area. Obviously, there has been disagreement on what the Pottawatami called the river. The Midwest has many French place names due to the heritage of French control prior to the treaty of Paris, 1763. Many are mispronounced.
tree68 York1 New Orleans Don't you mean "Nawlins?"
York1 New Orleans
Depends on what neighborhood you're from.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Paul of Covington tree68 York1 New Orleans Don't you mean "Nawlins?" Depends on what neighborhood you're from.
Everyone in the city who I knew called it New Orluns. Usually tourists who wanted to fit in called it Nawlins.
Another funny thing is that Hollywood films have New Orleans people with a Southern accent. I remember almost no one there having a southern accent unless they had moved into the city from some other southern area. The NO natives talk reminded me more of an eastern big city accent.
York1Another funny thing is that Hollywood films have New Orleans people with a Southern accent. I remember almost no one there having a southern accent unless they had moved into the city from some other southern area. The NO natives talk reminded me more of an eastern big city accent.
I saw a comment once about the movie "Fried Green Tomatos" that noted that each of the four leads had a different accent. I don't recall the specifics, though.
Hey, York. Where'y'at, man? How's yomominem? (your mom and them)
You must have lived in mid-city: New Orluns or New Orlins
Uptown: New Or-le-uns (As I recall, this is the official pronunciation.)
Irish Channel: N'orlins
Ninth Ward: Nyawlins or Nawlins
If you hear New Or-LEENS, it's either someone from out of town or you need to say it that way to make it fit in a song.
York1Another funny thing is that Hollywood films have New Orleans people with a Southern accent.
Yeah, we Yats get a kick out of films about New Orleans where they talk with a southern accent. Sometimes I hear locals talk that I would almost swear came from New York. I suspect that it may be because being a port city, the same waves of immigrants came here as in the eastern ports.
I remember hearing that when Emeril Lagasse started out, many people in New York thought he was one of their own.
Paul of CovingtonHey, York. Where'y'at, man? How's yomominem?
I was out makin' groceries.
I worked in MidCity -- the school was on Canal Street. I lived in the Navarre section of Lakeview.
It amazed me that, as you point out, small sections of the city each had a distinct accent.
One of the janitors was a Cajun. He would talk to me while he worked, and then laugh when he saw I didn't have the slightest idea what he had said. That's another amazing thing -- an area exists in our country where people have lived for 200 years who still speak a different language among themselves.
I once had a conversation with a woman from New Orleans and her accent struck me as a combination of Southern and Brooklyn.
York1 Paul of Covington Hey, York. Where'y'at, man? How's yomominem? I was out makin' groceries. I worked in MidCity -- the school was on Canal Street. I lived in the Navarre section of Lakeview. It amazed me that, as you point out, small sections of the city each had a distinct accent. One of the janitors was a Cajun. He would talk to me while he worked, and then laugh when he saw I didn't have the slightest idea what he had said. That's another amazing thing -- an area exists in our country where people have lived for 200 years who still speak a different language among themselves.
Paul of Covington Hey, York. Where'y'at, man? How's yomominem?
Consider Native Americans. Much longer than 200 years.
York1an area exists in our country where people have lived for 200 years who still speak a different language among themselves.
As I was growing up, one of the neighbor's had a wife from Decatur, Il. She spoke fast, in short bursts and had an unusual inflection where the end of most multi-syllable words were given a fade. She would pronounce Decatur as "DeeKAYTaahhh". A conversation with her was an assault upon the eardrums. Whenever we would hear a squirrel chattering, my dad would frequently joke "there's ol Ada from Dekaytahh"
Most folks would ask her to repeat herself frequently when talking to her. She insisted that "everyone talks like that back home" ...having never been there personally, I wouldn't know either way. But it definitely seemed like a second language, until you got used to it.
York1I worked in MidCity -- the school was on Canal Street.
Warren Easton, Sacred Heart or St. Ant'ny? I lived one block from Warren Easton and went to Sacred Heart two blocks away.
CSSHEGEWISCH I once had a conversation with a woman from New Orleans and her accent struck me as a combination of Southern and Brooklyn.
That might have been Nint' Wawd. Sort of Brooklyn with a twang.
charlie hebdoConsider Native Americans. Much longer than 200 years.
Gratiot and Livernois.. If you're not from Michigan take your best shot..
CSSHEGEWISCHI once had a conversation with a woman from New Orleans and her accent struck me as a combination of Southern and Brooklyn.
There is a section of New Orleans that was settled by German and Irish immigrants. This linguistic/accent combination is responsible for the New York accent, and this accent also naturally evolved, more or less, in this section of New Orleans.
John Kennedy Toole's brilliant A Confederacy of Dunces references this factoid in the preface.
To SD60MAC: As for Gratiot and Livernois:
I'll have a go.
From listening to CKLW in the 1960's, this (former) Clevelander believes this intersection (?) would be pronounced GRAAH-shut & LIVER-noy.
(It's difficult to write out our Great Lakes-ese accent with its the very flat "aah" sound which I tried to indicate. It might be pronounced as aah as in grab.
Considering I had family in the vicinity of Gratiot, and grew up in the outer 'burbs, I'll have to disqualify my self.
Dad lived on Bewick.
BaltACD Through school I spent 1st throug 4th grade in 4 different schools in 3 different states - the balance through HS graduation was spent 5 different schools in 3 different states. College ended up being 3 schools in two states. No matter where I went I would always get the same comment - You aren't from around here are you! At each stop along the way I would pick up speaking mannerisms from where I was at the time - at the next stop the local mannerisms would be different in some aspect. When I went to Jacksonville for CSX's centralized dispatch center I expected a wide range of 'local accents' - and there were. The anticipated 'heavy southern' accent among the Dispatchers from the South was nowhere near as bad as I had thought it would be. That changed when one listened into the dispatchers communications with field personnel on subdivisions in the South. The 'locals' in the South had HARD Southern speech mannerisms.
I have a thick Southern accent (when I talk you can smell the magnolias and the biscuits and gravy). Spent about three years working for a guy of Finnish extraction from the upper reaches of Min-ne-so-ta, yah; his Minnesota accent was as heavy as my Southern one. It took us about six months to be able to reliably communicate, and even after that occasionally one of us would say something that stumped the other one. Once took a business trip to the interior of Wiss-kahn-sun and sat in a meeting with some people who had grown up there. The locals and I might as well have been jabbering in Swahili at each other; luckily my boss (from Oklahoma) and his boss (from somewhere in the Midwest) were able to interpret when needed.
Lithonia Operator I spent a lot of years in Georgia. The pronunciation I'm used to for Albany (GA) is ALL-benny.
That's how the locals pronounce it; my mother's sister lived there, and other family south of there. Cairo, GA is pronounced KAY-ro by the locals, and Lafayette is Luh-FAY-ett. For Tree68, Vienna, GA is also pronounced Vie-ENNA.
SALfanSpent about three years working for a guy of Finnish extraction from the upper reaches of Min-ne-so-ta, yah; his Minnesota accent was as heavy as my Southern one. It took us about six months to be able to reliably communicate,
https://www.pbs.org/video/tpt-documentaries-how-talk-minnesotan/
SALfan, regardless of how you sound, you write beautifully.
And my Fort Bragg, NC, Army service taght me to understand Southeners.
It is interesting, however, to hear a CSX DS located in Jax talking to a crew in the Midwest. Not all of the dispatchers have Southern accents, but some sure do.
I was born in New Orleans. My family always said/says New OR-lins. But some of my relatives say New-AWL-yuns.
daveklepper SALfan, regardless of how you sound, you write beautifully. And my Fort Bragg, NC, Army service taght me to understand Southeners.
Thank you for your very kind compliment; I will treasure it all the more because I learned how to write in the school of hard knocks, by people reviewing my writing and telling me what I did wrong. Spent two years with the same English teacher in high school (it was a small school) without writing a single composition or theme. We diagrammed about a million sentences and identified about 20,000 parts of speech, never even wrote a short report. In Business Writing in college, we wrote every type of letter you can imagine, but only one short (5 or 10 page) report. Have had jobs that required some or a lot of writing (most of them a LOT) since 1979, and it's still a struggle.
PM me if you would like to hear the epic tale of a 6-8 page letter I wrote early in my career.
Some years ago, when answering an 800 number on assigned days was part of my duties, I was trying to assist a caller from somewhere south of the Ohio River. After a few minutes of each of us asking the other to repeat, I quipped that we seemed to be having problems understanding each other's accent.
CSSHEGEWISCH Some years ago, when answering an 800 number on assigned days was part of my duties, I was trying to assist a caller from somewhere south of the Ohio River. After a few minutes of each of us asking the other to repeat, I quipped that we seemed to be having problems understanding each other's accent.
I speak on the phone with Grace is JOE-juh about once a month. By mutual agreement we both speak slowly and work hard to enunciate our words so that we can do business together.
How about two people from the same state-- when I was in the army in Alaska, I met someone from Natchitoches, La. I could hardly understand a word he said.
Paul of CovingtonHow about two people from the same state-- when I was in the army in Alaska, I met someone from Natchitoches, La. I could hardly understand a word he said.
And how about the pronunciation of Natchitoches? It looks something like nach ih toe ches.
If I remember, it's pronounced nak' uh tish.
My state has a county named Keya Paha. It's pronounced kip' uh hah.
That's about right on Natchitoches. Keya Paha must be an Indian name.(?)
NKP guy To SD60MAC: As for Gratiot and Livernois: I'll have a go. From listening to CKLW in the 1960's, this (former) Clevelander believes this intersection (?) would be pronounced GRAAH-shut & LIVER-noy. (It's difficult to write out our Great Lakes-ese accent with its the very flat "aah" sound which I tried to indicate. It might be pronounced as aah as in grab.
Pierre, our state's capitol was named after a frenchman. He'd probably have an issue with the way it's pronounced- Peer.
Having grown up just outside Detroit, I'll second the pronounciations. My late father's family ran a coal yard on or near Gratiot. Pardon if this is a repeat...
As an aside, as a teen I listened to CKLW (50,000 watts, clear channel), WXYZ, and WKNR. Mom and Dad listened to WJR (also 50,000 watts, clear channel) in the morning.
WKNR is now in Cleveland, WXYZ is no longer on the radio, but CKLW is still on the air, albeit as a news channel. WJR is now primarily chat and news.
In high school, we'd gather the top 20/30/40 lists published by the rock stations and compare which group was where on the list.
I had the same reaction when the Facebook competitor, Parler, is pronounced "Parlor". I see it as "Parlay". To speak, in French. I learned too much French growing up.
Wisconsin's got plenty of town names that trip "foreigners" up. Shawano... is "Shaw..no". Berlin is BURR..lynn. Goes back to WWI. The town didn't want to be associated with the enemy.
To Backshop & tree68:
"CKLW...the Motor City...." I can still hear in my head the jingle that station would play announcing their call letters and location. As a teenager I really enjoyed listening to this powerhouse of music; no one played more or better Motown. Also, at 50,000 watts they could be heard as if they were down the block.
In the 1960's & '70's CKLW had what they called "the Hot Line News Tip number." If anyone saw "news happening," they were call to the station and possibly win $100 in the weekly award scheme. Well, on New Year's Eve of 1975 I was snuggled up with my girl friend listening to "Die Fledermaus" (what? you don't do that on New Year's Eve?) when the phone rang. It was Byron MacGregor, CKLW News Director, informing me that my news tip was the Tip of the Year and I had just won $1,000.00 (that's $4,840.00 in today's money)! Better yet, they were taping the call; the next day all of my friends heard the announcement on the radio! I always smile broadly at the memory. I still have the Raleigh bicycle and carpet I bought with part of my winnings, so CKLW will always have a place in my heart. (My news tip concerned a federal case being thrown out of court regarding the role of National Guardsmen at Kent State University in 1970.)
By the end of the 1970's and into the 1980's my interest in current rock & roll waned and I then discovered "the great voice of the Great Lakes," WJR "atop the Fisher Building in Detroit" and really enjoyed their Sunday afternoon programming of adult music.
So...Pat St. John is on Sirius radio's channel 6? I thought I knew him from somewhere!
As for pronunciation, I have always wondered what kind of person calls Detroit "DEE-troit"?
But then again, in Pittsburgh, the name Carnegie is always pronounced car-NEG-ee, while in Cleveland, the street with that name is often (but not always) pronounced CARN-a-gee; I've heard that same pronunciation in other parts of the USA, too.
Did any of you Detroiters ever listen to Cleveland's KYW (letters later swapped in Philadelphia) or WKYC? That was our 50,000 watt channel.
Back when AM Radio was worth listening to, I used to lie in my dorm bed at night, with my transistor radio's one earphone and enjoy listening to clear channel stations from all over the US & Canada. I still thrill when I hear "O, Canada" because I used to love the rendition played on CBM (did I get that right?) in Montreal when they signed off at 1 o'clock.
Did anyone else here listen to "Music till Dawn" on a few radio stations and sponsored by American Airlines?
Great (Lakes) memories!
other Ohio city names: YUNX-town; KLUM-bus; Ree-VAN-a; Kuh-HOG-a Falls;
MY-lun (Milan, where Edison was born); Vy-ENN-a
(Vienna), usw.
Way back when, the radio in your car was the best way to hear most of the country after the sun went down. I rememberr from my college days when we drove to Denver for a fraternity (Alpha Phi Omega) national convention. We listened to WLS until we passed out of range in western Nebraska and switched to KOMA in Oklahoma City.
York1And how about the pronunciation of Natchitoches? It looks something like nach ih toe ches. If I remember, it's pronounced nak' uh tish.
Now, Nacogdoches (which I think comes from the same word) is not pronounced anywhere near the same.
For some reason I remember the western PA pronunciation of Andrew's name as more like car-NAYg-ee. (Which did not match at all what I used in New York, where the karn-eh-gee hall you get to with practice, practice, practice was located...)
OvermodFor some reason I remember the western PA pronunciation of Andrew's name as more like car-NAYg-ee.
I recall a pronunciation which put the emphasis on the second syllable, as "car-NEG-ee. Perhaps just how I remember it.
All this discussion of pronunciation reminds me of my eighth grade American history teacher, who would sometimes point out that you had to put the em-FAHS-ses on the right sil-AH-bul....
Being a Wisconsin native that spent 40 of the first 50 years of my life there, I naturally learned the correct way to pronounce towns like Manitowoc (MAN' ih toe walk), Kewanee (key WAN' ee or KEY' win (or won) ee) (I rode the C&O boats quite a few times), and where I lived for a couple years when my dad was in a nursing home there: Oconomowoc (Oh CON' oh mo wok). The river and street in Milwaukee is even trickier: Kinnikinnic (KIN' e kin ick or most often: KAY' kay).
Then I got a lesson in street name pronounciation in a taxi cab in New Yawk City - Houston St. The identically spelled city in Texas is pronounced HUE' ston, but the street in NYC and the directors last name is HOUSE' ton. Go figure.
On a business trip 40+ years ago to Massachusetts, I called on a customer at Worcester. I foolishly called it Wor CHES ter (with an 'h'). I was quickly corrected to pronounce it as WUSS' ster. Little did I know then that I'd move to the Springfield MA area in 1995 and have been here ever since.
Growing up in Milwaukee, I had a new-fangled transister radio in my room and connected about 150' of single wire around the walls to the antenna. At night, WJR, KDKA, WXYZ, WJR and WGN were easily pulled in. The AM band was so much more interesting before FM took over.
bratkinson called on a customer at Worcester. I foolishly called it Wor CHES ter (with an 'h'). I was quickly corrected to pronounce it as WUSS' ster. Little did I know then that I'd move to the Springfield MA area in 1995 and have been here ever since.
So you know the way locals pronounce Leominster?
Major fail on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel:
She was doing a voiceover for Pall Mall cigarettes and she pronounced it "Paul Maul."
Anyone doing a Pall Mall commercial circa 1960 would have known better.
WLS. Yes, Dick Biondi, the Silver Dollar Survey.
Lemon..ster? Spent my senior high school year in Easthampton, Mass.
Amherst has a silent H there, a spoken H in Wisconsin.
bratkinsonI had a new-fangled transister radio in my room and connected about 150' of single wire around the walls to the antenna.
You reminded me of being a kid in the 1950s. My brothers and I had a wire running out the basement window and up into a tree. We could pick up Harry Caray announcing St. Louis Cardinals games on KMOX.
NKP guySo you know the way locals pronounce Leominster?
LEMON-stir... at least that's the way I remember it from when I lived there. Of course that was about 70 years ago.
NKP guy Did anyone else here listen to "Music till Dawn" on a few radio stations and sponsored by American Airlines?
Oh, you know how to bring back memories. Grew up listening WLW. our car had a push pull tube amplifier and its sound was better than our table radio. WLW had a show at night of Gregorian Chants and another of pipe organ music. And falling asleep to "Music till Dawn" plus no tv, all the radio programs. Grand Central Station, Sgt Preston and his dog, Lone Ranger, etc. Thanx.
NKP guy "CKLW...the Motor City...." I can still hear in my head the jingle that station would play announcing their call letters and location.
During the mid-sixties, there was a fire next door to the riverfront studios of CKLW, and they had large, illuminated letters facing across the river.
Apparently the fire damaged the "W," so for a little while the morning drive DJ was stopping the sung version of the callsign after the "L." Not really legal (and someone on staff called him on it), but, hey - it's fun!
I was rarely up at those hours, but WJR did carry the program. The main times I heard it was on our overnight trips from MI to NY (through Ontario), since WJR was also the station of choice in the car.
If one listens to radio at all any more - who still listens to AM channels?
BaltACD If one listens to radio at all any more - who still listens to AM channels?
I'm usually listening to satellite in the truck - if I even have the radio on.
I recall being able to pull in WJR while living in Denver, from my 11th story apartment using a home brew antenna. It was an even tougher trick getting WJR in Atlanta, because of WSB, a local channel at 750 Khz.
BaltACDIf one listens to radio at all any more - who still listens to AM channels?
Of course I could never figure out AM stereo any better than the rationale for 8-track over cassette once autoreverse became 'mainstream'. (And I was an early and enthusiastic advocate of QS four-channel, so it's not that I don't approve in principle of heroic measures to extend obsolescent tech...)
Happy Birthday to this odd thread that is 12 years old today! I'm a WKRP fan myself. In the early 70's I recall that on the upper plains you could get WBAP out of Fort Worth / Dallas after dark.
Murphy SidingHappy Birthday to this odd thread that is 12 years old today!
Murphy SidingHappy Birthday to this odd thread that is 12 years old today
I'll bookmark this thread in my calendar, to remind me to bump it in 8 years, and ask if anyone remembers how to pronounce "CSX".
Overmod Murphy Siding Happy Birthday to this odd thread that is 12 years old today! And it only ever needed to be two posts long!
Murphy Siding Happy Birthday to this odd thread that is 12 years old today!
And it only ever needed to be two posts long!
Murphy SidingYou say that with kind of a weird accent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8ZNnlYvXw0
Reminds me of the story about a European complaining that Americans could only speak one language.
The reply was that the American in question said he could speak a good Midwest, a fair New England and New York, Was OK with Texan, but had some trouble with the Deep South...
Or something to that effect...
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