Does the Way People Pronounce "Nevada" Ever Bother You? (Las Vegas: living, authority)

[Tymberwulf]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

I make it a point to correct people that mispronounce it. They ask me about Ne vah duh, and I say, I don't know where that is, I live in Ne vaa da. I don't care if they don't like it. They don't seem to care if they insult me by mispronouncing it. And, yes, we all know that the Spanish pronunciation is Ne vah duh. But we speak Ne vaa dan here. The ones that really make me want to slap them are the one's, like my big sister, that argue that I, who has lived here 49 years, don't know how to pronounce it correctly. If you say Ne vah da you think you are sounding learned, but you are only sounding stupid to us.

And when people like you tell me I am pronouncing the name wrong I simply look at them and say, "It's America, I can say the name of my state however I want to."

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by Tymberwulf

And when people like you tell me I am pronouncing the name wrong I simply look at them and say, "It's America, I can say the name of my state however I want to."

When in Rome do as the Romans do ...and you won't look like a fool.

[Buzz123]

When people insist on doing something wrong because they think being stubborn makes them right, they are really more stupid than the person who does something wrong because he doesn't know better.

[UTES]

Wow - so many upset over something as silly as a pronunciation issue.

Don't sweat the small stuff, my friends. It ain't worth it.

Bill

[ScoopLV]

We had this debate in Key West forever. Is Caribbean correctly pronounced "Car-ibb-EEE-an" or "Ka-RIB-be-an?" We decided it doesn't matter. Although I suggested a third option -- Carib-Bean, just to be contrary.

In this debate, I align myself squarely with the "ne-VAD-a" crowd.

In general, find an octogenarian native and ask. That's how you'll get the correct answer. Although back home, the geezers all said the major city north of Key West is called "My-amm-uh." Not the more nasal "My-amm-me."

[demoknite]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Just curious: Do you speak Spanish, or Tex-Mex? There's a difference. I learned more Tex-Mex than Spanish in Laredo where 93% are Hispanic.

Spanish. I lived in Spain for a small while and had trouble picking up Castellano at first but it made me better and more appreciative of accents.

[124c41]

We met some neighbors that just moved in, down the road, and the man's name is Nevada. To make funnier, they are from Texas. He pronounced it with an "ahh" so I will go with that way.

[ElleTea]

Here in Iowa there is a small town called Nevada. It is pronounced Nuh-VAY-duh, and they get very upset when you say otherwise. I wonder if that adds to the confusion for anyone visiting from my part of the country?

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by 124c41

We met some neighbors that just moved in, down the road, and the man's name is Nevada. To make funnier, they are from Texas. He pronounced it with an "ahh" so I will go with that way.

In Spanish it is ahh, but don't be surprised if locals jump down your throat every time you mispronounce the way we Nevadans want it pronounced. It's our state .... our name.

If I'm not mistaken, in Spanish there is one way to pronounce each vowel, while in English there are several ways to pronounce vowels. Local preference, in other words the people who the name belongs to, should prevail. I have a granddaughter named Ari - pronounced R E. If it was your name and people called you AIR -EE how would you feel?

[Buzz123]

BTW; There is Lima (Lee-ma) Peru, and Lima (Lime-a) Ohio. Go to Peru and say it like it's a bean and see what happens.

There is Genoa (Jen-o-a), Nevada, and there is Genoa (Jen-a-wah), Italy. You think those Tallys wouldn't kick your butt if you pronounced their city Jen-o-a?