How to pronounce Boise

[Jim Franklin]

Recently I have been posting about our Boise State University Broncos and we have had other posts about accents and pronounciations. The locals here pronounce Boise as "boy c" definitely not "boy z." So many of the national news media types have been pronouncing it with the z rather than the c, but most of them are confused anyway. So the next time the name of our magnificent city comes to your lips, think the third letter of the alphabet and not the last one. Correct pronounciation makes one seem so much more brilliant and it gives you a chance to correct those less well informed. Just how many will thank me for that vital information. LOL

[Cindi Hammons]

Ok Jim...will do.

Now, pronounce Illinois.

[Jim Franklin]

"Illinoy" was correct when I lived in Indiana because we got a lot of annoying pollution from that source. LOL I believe it is a combination of the name of the Illini Indian tribal group and the the name the French explorers gave the area. However I did not specifically look up its origin. Boise does come from the term the French fur trappers exclaimed when they topped a rise to the east of our valley after crossing many miles of barren desert and looking down into the river valley lined with trees, "Les Bois, Les Bois." Meaning "the woods, or the trees."

[Jerry Frank]

Ahh - but are the locals pronouncing it correctly?

For example, Pierre (South Dakota) is pronounced "peer" by the locals. The correct pronunciation based on the person it was named after (Pierre LaVerendrye) would be "pee-air". Most Canadians would pronounce it that way.

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise,_Idaho , Boise got its name from the French word "boisé" which means, "wooded". I was able to confirm the definition on line but not the pronunciation. I assume it would be something similar to "bwah-say".

The same article mentions that it was named by French Canadian trappers who first explored the region. These are known in Canada as "cour-de-bois" so there may also be a connection between that term and the name.

Jerry

[Hans Deventer]

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise,_Idaho , Boise got its name from the French word "boisé" which means, "wooded". I was able to confirm the definition on line but not the pronunciation. I assume it would be something similar to "bwah-say".

In French, it would sound like "bwah-zay" with the stress on "zay". The "z" rather than the "s".

And now, talking about French, how does one pronounce Des Moines, Iowa? Or New Orleans, LA? :basic05

[Cindi Hammons]

Des Moines--Dey-Moin
New Orleans--New Or-lawns...but it is really pronounced New Orrrleeeeens. When growing up, we always said, New Orluns (emphasis on "Or")

Better bwah-zay than Blah-zay is what I say! :)

[Billy Cox]

You will mark yourself as an uppity outsider if you pronounce the name 'El Dorahdo' instead of 'El Doraydo'.

[Marsha Gupton]

Ahh - but are the locals pronouncing it correctly?

For example, Pierre (South Dakota) is pronounced "peer" by the locals. The correct pronunciation based on the person it was named after (Pierre LaVerendrye) would be "pee-air". Most Canadians would pronounce it that way.

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise,_Idaho , Boise got its name from the French word "boisé" which means, "wooded". I was able to confirm the definition on line but not the pronunciation. I assume it would be something similar to "bwah-say".

The same article mentions that it was named by French Canadian trappers who first explored the region. These are known in Canada as "cour-de-bois" so there may also be a connection between that term and the name.

Jerry

Jerry

Are you from South Dakota?

[Cindi Hammons]

Pronounciations are funny though. We live in Ohio which is choc-full of Native American naming patterns which we pronounce and take for granted. That is, until a transplant comes along and absolutely butchers the name. Then I look at the name and think, "Hmmm, that really does look different than we say!"

Try to pronounce the word before reading the pronounciation guide.

Scioto (Sigh'-oto)
Ohio--yes, an indian word. (Oh-high'-o)
Kentucky (once pronounced Can-tuck-ee by indians)
Muskingum (musk-ing'-am)
Pataskala (puh-task'-a-luh)
Olentangy (ohwl'-en-tan'-gee)
Tuscarawas (tus-car-ah'-wus)
Ashtabula (ash-tuh-byu'-luh)
Coshocton (cuh-shock'-tun)
Wapokaneta (wop'-uh-cun-etta')
Chillicothe (chill'-i-coth'-ee)

I'm sure none of these are pronounced exactly like the Indians pronounced them.

Well, you get the point.

[Mike Schutz]

Greetings!

All of the inappropriate "Z"s that should not be used in Boise can be sent to the east coast. We need them to pronounce "Quin-zee," Massachusetts.

This is not another of the strange, New England accent things. The hometown of John Adams and John Quincy Adams - which was named after Josiah Quincy, of Boston mayoral and Harvard University fame, simply says it the way the family did.

What about Quincy, Illinois? Do they say "Quin-zee" or "Quin-see?"

[Jerry Frank]

Born and raised near Winnipeg, Manitoba. Have lived most of my adult life in Calgary, Alberta. Pierre Laverendrye is also prominent in local Manitoba history so that is how I knew about his connection to South Dakota.

Jerry

[John Kennedy]

Do the rules for Boise pronunciation apply to "Boise City" in the Oklahoma panhandle? Was through there last fall, but since there was a power outage throughout most of the town, no one was saying the word "Boise" so I never learned how the natives pronounce it.

In regard to the capital of South Dakota, having lived in the state for a while, the "PEER" pronunciation was universal. In fact the proper French one would have guaranteed laughter from everyone within hearing.

[Jerry Frank]

Wikipedia to the rescue again.

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise_City,_Oklahoma

Boise here is pronounced "boyce", rhymes with "voice" and Boise City is pronounced "boy city".

I could not determine if the name has the same French roots as Boise, ID. It apparantly was founded by a couple of shady developers. Perhaps they copied the name from Idaho.


Jerry

[Jim Franklin]

Although the French fur trappers may have been the first to name the area undoubtedly the first settlers were non French speaking or English speaking and they did not care about pronouncing it the way the proper French way and we haven't cared since. And I used to live not far from "Peer" SD as well. I am well aware that the English speaking Canadians had better pronounce the French terms correctly or there might be an uncivil war or more separatist movement. When I was in Oklahoma I was confounded by the name Ouchita which looked like ow cheeta but found out that it was "Wash i taw." BTW Washington state correctly pronounced is "wash ing ton" and not "worsh ing ton" as so many outlanders seem to prefer. Anyway the difference in the pronouncing of place names was one of my particularly interesting studies in my Geographic studies. And Mike my major professor took his graduate work at Northeastern in "wooster" Mass even if it is spelled Worchester. The one z we would like to keep here in Boy c is Jared Zabransky, the quarterback for the Boy c State Broncos, Fiesta Bowl Champions coached by Chris Peterson, the National Football Coach of the Year. Oh, and Jerry, as further interest my wife's maiden name was Boyce which rhymes with voice.

[Gina Stevenson]

You will mark yourself as an uppity outsider if you pronounce the name 'El Dorahdo' instead of 'El Doraydo'.

But, Billy ... it's rather hard to keep from pronouncing Spanish as Spanish sounds ... it comes so naturally. ;)

[Wilson L. Deaton]

Correct pronounciation makes one seem so much more brilliant and it gives you a chance to correct those less well informed.

I had a professor in college who used to say you could tell who was educated/cultured by whether or not they pronounced the letter "s" both times in, Johns Hopkins. Ever since, it really stands out to me when someone says, "John Hopkins."

Wilson

[Wanda Van Winkle]

my-AM-mee (Miami) in Florida is known well around the world, but the folks of Miami, Oklahoma, pronounce the name my AM uh. There is even a huge sign when you're driving into town from the west that spells it out for you.


AHR-kuhn-saw (Arkansas) pronounces the Arkansas River the same as it pronounces the state name, decreed by state law in 1881 (Wikipedia), but growing up in Kansas, I always heard it called ahr-KAN-zuhz.

[Dennis M. Scott]

So how do they say Worcester, MA? Wister.

How about Worcestershire Sauce? One of the locals this week told me, "You just say wister sauce: wistersure sauce is just too (blank) long."

[Jim Franklin]

In my studies of place names, Wanda, the two different pronounciations of Arkansas are correct depending on which state you are in, raised or preference. Dennis, "wooster" was the way the head of the Geography Department pronounced the name of the city in which he had done his graduate work. It was his way of introducing our discussion of the pronounciation of place names. But then old people have their own set ways. I am old enough to pronounce
"New York" as "New Amsterdam."

[Wanda Van Winkle]

So how do they say Worcester, MA? Wister.

How about Worcestershire Sauce? One of the locals this week told me, "You just say wister sauce: wistersure sauce is just too (blank) long."


This pronunciation, I believe, originates in England, where many cestershires find themselves.

[Wanda Van Winkle]

Des Moines--Dey-Moin
New Orleans--New Or-lawns...but it is really pronounced New Orrrleeeeens. When growing up, we always said, New Orluns (emphasis on "Or")

Better bwah-zay than Blah-zay is what I say! :)

I recently looked up New Orleans because I wanted to know where Old Orleans was--assuming it was France. I noticed some people on t.v. pronouncing the e and a distinctly, but I don't know what's proper:

New Orl e a ns

But I've always heard people say Nawlins presumably after the locals. I've never been there.

[Wanda Van Winkle]

I have seen Scioto before, and confess, I pronounced it in my mind:

skee OH toh

:-)

Oklahoma has some interesting Native American town names, too: Oologah, Talala, Nowata, Chickasha...

[David Cash]

Jerry

Are you from South Dakota?

Don't know about Jerry, but I used to live in South Dakota. They do say "Peer." That's how the French would have said it had they spoken English. :basic05

I think French names are the hardest for those of us in the U.S. The rules by which they assign sounds to letters are different from the ones we use. So when we sound out a word, it's not going to come out right.

For place names and family names, I think the people who live there or who carry the name get pronouncing rights.

David Cash (Pronounced Caish not Cash)

[Barb Bouldrey]

John says "Ohia" and I say "Ohio."

Here is Southeast, MO, people pronounce the names of many cities "incorrectly." LOL

Vienna, HERE, is Vie,(long i) enna, not Vee-enna
Hayti HERE is Hay Tie, so do not say Hay-tee
New Madrid is New Mad-rid, not Mah-drid
Senath is SEE-nath
Canalou is CAN-a-lou, not ca-NAL-lou
Versailles is Ver-sales

We do have a Mexico and Cuba Missouri...Oh yeah, John says "MissourAH" and I say "MissourEE."

LOL

Barb, from OhiO and MissourEE who used to live in IllinOY

[Dennis M. Scott]

How about Houghs Neck, MA? Largely depends on which local you listen to, but Houghs seems to be pronounced like hose. It is not the midwest long o, like a water hose, but more of the o in horse.

When this midwesterner first arrived in the Boston area, all I knew was that everybody was mispronouncing everything, and that made it a little difficult. Now, thirty-five years later, I can understand what they say a lot better, and sometimes that's downright disturbing.

A friend some time ago said it wasn't so much how the words were said, but more important how they were heard. I still don't know what he meant.