Detroit Street Name Pronunciation

[michmina]

Lash-er. Nobody said Lahs-er, at least south of 8 Mile.

I can vouch for that--we always said Lash-er...

[Honky Tonk]

My favorite pot-head game show:

For a million dollars; what was the last thing we were talking about?

Uh, uh, ummmm, Hey man, was that some kind of buzzer......?

[bust]

I'm relieved there remains disagreement about some of these pronunciations. Especially since they are obvious mispronunciations of the originals. Historically, the way people said these names must have been varied and changing to get to where they have. Back when Detroit was collecting a lot more immigrants [[whether from Pennsylvania or Transylvania) hearing that variety must have been much more common. Speak to some immigrants and you'll still find variety today. Local / family / cultural accents are a simple indication of differences in perspective. This gets back to some points raised in the 'Detroit out-migration, in-migration, and the "other"' thread before it derailed.

It's amazing all the ways people say DeKalb within a few blocks of it in Brooklyn. It's a mistake to think there is a specific "New York accent". When people mention it I think "which one?". What they mean of course is the one they consider "typical". But what's typical is a matter of opinion. Even within a common ethnic group there there are differences by neighborhood and recency to the location. It's still a city very in flux, with people like and unlike me constantly moving in and messing things up. I really like that.

My family says a version of LAHser sometimes with a hint of LAHzher [[parents didn't agree), and it was a word frequent in our vocabulary. But those are just two ways.

[Jimaz]

WWJ is always giving traffic reports. They must have some standard pronunciation guide for street names.

[missn]

I'm relieved there remains disagreement about some of these pronunciations. Especially since they are obvious mispronunciations of the originals. Historically, the way people said these names must have been varied and changing to get to where they have. Back when Detroit was collecting a lot more immigrants [[whether from Pennsylvania or Transylvania) hearing that variety must have been much more common. Speak to some immigrants and you'll still find variety today. Local / family / cultural accents are a simple indication of differences in perspective. This gets back to some points raised in the 'Detroit out-migration, in-migration, and the "other"' thread before it derailed.

It's amazing all the ways people say DeKalb within a few blocks of it in Brooklyn. It's a mistake to think there is a specific "New York accent". When people mention it I think "which one?". What they mean of course is the one they consider "typical". But what's typical is a matter of opinion. Even within a common ethnic group there there are differences by neighborhood and recency to the location. It's still a city very in flux, with people like and unlike me constantly moving in and messing things up. I really like that.

My family says a version of LAHser sometimes with a hint of LAHzher [[parents didn't agree), and it was a word frequent in our vocabulary. But those are just two ways.

I seem to remember JJABA once telling us the hs sounded like the s in pleasure or leisure. Almost all Westsiders I knew said Lasher.

[macster1]

I knew a family who lived on Goethe. They pronounced it GO-thay. [[TH as in theme).

[macster1]

How about Stahelin? I lived on Stahelin for over 70 years. When I moved there in 1940, it was pronounced STAY-lin. After whites moved out and blacks moved in, the pronunciation changed to
stah-HAY-lin or stah-HE-lin. The name derives from a German farmer who owned the land. Actually, the current pronunciation is more like the correct German one.

[macster1]

There's the infamous "Lahser" it is not Lash-er, but Lahs-er. And then there's Charlevoix too.

I say SHAR-luh-voy.

[Scottathew]

Gratiot

Grá - shìt

[A2Mike]

One of the Farms' more secluded streets seems to be pronounced locally as "Pro-VON-shul". I wouldn't trust any ratatouille or crespeou made there.

[downtownguy]

How about Stahelin? I lived on Stahelin for over 70 years. When I moved there in 1940, it was pronounced STAY-lin. After whites moved out and blacks moved in, the pronunciation changed to
stah-HAY-lin or stah-HE-lin. The name derives from a German farmer who owned the land. Actually, the current pronunciation is more like the correct German one.

When mom married her second husband in the 60s, she moved into his house on Artesian, one block over from Stahelin. I never recall hearing it called anything but stah-HAY-lin, and that was years before whites moved out in any numbers.

[The Nerd]

I must say that I'm happy someone has finally corrected the Forman Mills commercial with Dequindre comically mispronounced as "dee-KIN-der."

[canuck]

One of the Farms' more secluded streets seems to be pronounced locally as "Pro-VON-shul". I wouldn't trust any ratatouille or crespeou made there.

Try Pro-Von-Sal and again, try to mute the "n" in Von.

[Meddle]

I take this thread to be about how local residents [[maybe of different periods in time) pronounce the names, not how they SHOULD be pronounced.

It was always Sta-hay-lin for me.

Dubois was dewboyz since we were not in France, or we would have lived in 'Detwah'.


Yet Charlevoix was pronounced correctly as well as many other French based street names.

And I'm surprised we got to page three before somebody mentioned 'dik-winder'.

[Meddle]

I can't count the number of times I heard la-fye-it or similar variations on Laf-FAY-ette.

[Bucket]

I've heard Winder Street in Brush Park pronounced both with a long "i" that rhymes with grinder or finder and with a short "i" that sounds like cinder or hinder.

I'm not 100% sure of the correct pronunciation, but people living in Brush Park today tend to pronounce it more frequently with a long "i."

Based on Silas Farmer's History of Detroit, the street was named for Colonel John Winder [[1804-1897), who owned property at the present intersection of Winder Street and Woodward Avenue.

[Király]

I can't count the number of times I heard la-fye-it or similar variations on Laf-FAY-ette.

Is Laf-FAY-ette really how Detroiters say it? Not La-fee-YET the way they say it in Lafayette, Indiana ?

How about Pontchartrain? I can think of about ten ways to say that one, no idea which one is right.

[EastsideAl]

I've heard Winder Street in Brush Park pronounced both with a long "i" that rhymes with grinder or finder and with a short "i" that sounds like cinder or hinder.

I'm not 100% sure of the correct pronunciation, but people living in Brush Park today tend to pronounce it more frequently with a long "i."

Based on Silas Farmer's History of Detroit, the street was named for Colonel John Winder [[1804-1897), who owned property at the present intersection of Winder Street and Woodward Avenue.

Hmmm.... see, I've always used and heard used the short i - so, "wind [[as in blowing) -er", rather then "wind [[as in a watch) -er"

[EastsideAl]

Is Laf-FAY-ette really how Detroiters say it? Not La-fee-YET the way they say it in Lafayette, Indiana ?

How about Pontchartrain? I can think of about ten ways to say that one, no idea which one is right.

Yup, La-FAY-ette

Pontch-a-train.

[Király]

Yup, La-FAY-ette

Wow. I never would have guessed that the stress goes in the middle.

Pontch-a-train.

WHERE does the STRESS go?

PONTCH-a-train?
pontch-a-TRAIN?

[archfan]

PONTCH-a-train

[the rock]

PONTCH-a-train

Out my way, Provençal gets about 4 different pronunciations.

[Zacha341]

Yosemite off Joyroad:

YOSH-MIGHT

or

Yo-sem-i-TEE

[Oldertimer]

gothee in Detroit. gerta elsewhere

[Honky Tonk]

Yosemite off Joyroad:

YOSH-MIGHT

or

Yo-sem-i-TEE

Yeah, I've cross country skied in Yoshmight National Park before.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com...81_600x450.jpg