History Factlet of the week…
Since we recently hired a communications director, I was reminded of a bit of PR the City did on its original (1996) web site, where they felt it necessary to finally put to rest the burning issue of the day. How to pronounce the name of the City!
I’m not trying to sound snippy. It’s striking to me how fervently many of my predecessors felt about getting this right.
And also, there’s something genuinely charming about the dawn of the Interwebs. There was this notion back then that one could settle this sort of thing simply by putting a recording on the web site. 😀
Listen to the higher power…
The correct way is, of course: Deh Moinz. 😀 That’s what Google, Siri and basically every navigation system on the planet will tell you. And woe unto anyone who argues with our machine overlords.
- Just as East Palestine, OH is mis-pronounced like ‘teenager’ and not like the land north of Egypt.
- Speaking of denial, give it up for Cairo, IL – Pronounced “KAY-ro,” not like the Egyptian capital
- St. Louis is not pronounced ‘correctly’ (Loo-ee for you Frenchy-files).
- Ditto Louisville, KY
- Whilst we’re still in the Bluegrass State, consider Versailles, KY – Pronounced “ver-SAYLZ,” also not the French way.
- Then there’s Worcester, MA. Don’t even try to understand how Brits pronounce stuff.
- I used to live near Houston Street in NYC – Pronounced “HOW-stun” as it is in Dublin, Ireland, and not like the Texas baseball team that cheats all the damned time.
And in conclusion…
A bajillion recycled city names got butchered on their way across the ocean. It’s part of the rich tapestry of America. Vive la différence!
YMMV, of course.