Help me talk like a local.

[Király]

Hello Detroiters.

Can you help me with the local pronunciations of these. I've seen them in print a lot but have never heard them spoken aloud. I'd like to know where the syllable stress goes too. e.g. Gratiot = GRASH-it [[I think I have that one right?)

The list so far:

Charlevoix
Livernois
Joseph Campau
Dequindre
Chene

Thanks from a Detroit-phile on the west coast.

[Detroitnerd]

Hello Detroiters.

Can you help me with the local pronunciations of these. I've seen them in print a lot but have never heard them spoken aloud. I'd like to know where the syllable stress goes too. e.g. Gratiot = GRASH-it [[I think I have that one right?)

The list so far:

Charlevoix
Livernois
Joseph Campau
Dequindre
Chene

Thanks from a Detroit-phile on the west coast.

SHAR-luh-voy
LI-ver-noy
Joseph COM-poe
Duh-QUIN-dur
SHANE

[MidTownMs]

[QUOTE=Detroitnerd;354982]SHAR-luh-voy
LI-ver-noy
Joseph COM-poe
Duh-QUIN-dur
SHANE[/QUOTE

Many street names in Detroit are French...Including Detroit. I have never heard anyone pronounce them correctly.

[MidTownMs]

DuBois = Do-Boys....

[313WX]

DuBois = Do-Boys....

That one's funny, because on "The Boondocks" they pronouce Tom's last name as "Do-Bwah."

[MidTownMs]

That one's funny, because on "The Boondocks" they pronouce Tom's last name as "Do-Bwah."

Which is the correct way to pronounce it.

[JVB]

Hello Detroiters.

Can you help me with the local pronunciations of these. I've seen them in print a lot but have never heard them spoken aloud. I'd like to know where the syllable stress goes too. e.g. Gratiot = GRASH-it [[I think I have that one right?)

The list so far:

Charlevoix
Livernois
Joseph Campau
Dequindre
Chene

Thanks from a Detroit-phile on the west coast.

Shar-livoy
Liver-noy
joseph Com-po
De-Quin-der
Shane

That's my "Hooked on Phonics" way of spelling them like they sound. Hope it helps.


edit: nerd beat me to it, his look a little better.

[EastsideAl]

Shar-le-voy
Liver-noy
Joseph Com-po
De-quin-dur
Shane

Extra east side points:
Goethe = Go-thee
Freud = Frood

Pronunciations may vary by native side of town and ethnic origin of speaker.

Edit: Damn, we fast. But pretty much in agreement.

[Zacha341]

Yeah many pronounce the German word Goethe wrong. It's actually like "Gearta"! My favorite is Yosemite as YOSS-MITE!

Goethe = Go-thee

Pronunciations may vary by native side of town and ethnic origin of speaker.

Edit: Damn, we fast. But pretty much in agreement.

[wolverine]

Shar-le-voy
Liver-noy
Joseph Com-po
De-quin-dur
Shane

Extra east side points:
Goethe = Go-thee
Freud = Frood

Pronunciations may vary by native side of town and ethnic origin of speaker.

Edit: Damn, we fast. But pretty much in agreement.

People incorrectly pronounce Goethe as Go-thee in Detroit?

In most other places with that street name, it's correctly pronounced GUR-tuh

[MidTownMs]

People incorrectly pronounce Goethe as Go-thee in Detroit?

In most other places with that street name, it's correctly pronounced GUR-tuh

But those other places aren't Dee-troit

[antongast]

People incorrectly pronounce Goethe as Go-thee in Detroit?

In most other places with that street name, it's correctly pronounced GUR-tuh

Clarence Darrow even mocked us for it during the Ossian Sweet trial.

[Shollin]

I would say Dequindre is De-quinn-der. Wait till you have to restle with Schoenherr.

[JVB]

Wait till you have to restle with Schoenherr.

Showin-her? lol

That's what I used to call it when I'd go chasing those Warren girls.

[Detroitnerd]

Or how Lahser is pronounced LASH-er.

[313WX]

Or how Lahser is pronounced LASH-er.

LAW-SIR seems to be correct though.

Gratiot is GRA-SHIT

[MidTownMs]

[QUOTE=Detroitnerd;354989]Or how Lahser is pronounced LASH-er.[/

Lahser is Pronounced LAH-SER NOT LASH-ER

[Honky Tonk]

[QUOTE=MidTownMs;354995]

Or how Lahser is pronounced LASH-er.[/

Lahser is Pronounced LAH-SER NOT LASH-ER

Gramatically, you're correct. However, most Detroiters, [[even most suburbanites), pronounce it LASH-UR.

[MidTownMs]

[QUOTE=Honky Tonk;355002]

Gramatically, you're correct. However, most Detroiters, [[even most suburbanites), pronounce it LASH-UR.

Your're absolutely correct. Every time someone said Lash-er I cringed. Especially when a newscaster said it.

[rb336]

Or how Lahser is pronounced LASH-er.

depends on what part of town. Everyone I knew said LAH-sur. I think it changes around 11 mile/south to lasher

[Jimaz]

Jjaba used to pronounce Port Huron as Porch Urine.

Schoenherr is pronounced SHANE-er.

[dtowncitylover]

Some more..

City:
Fenkell: Fenk-ull
Grand Boulevard: the Boulevard
Kercheval: Kerr-cha-val
Tireman: I've heard "tire-men" and "tier-man"

Suburbs:
Shiawassee: Shy-ah-wah-see
Tienken: Tinkin'
Quarton: Korten

Towns:
Lake Orion: Lake Orr-ee-an
Wyandotte: Whine-dot
Canton: Cay-glottal-stop-in
Fraser: Frayzh-er
Waterford: Wadder-ferd
Macomb: Muh-comb [[A coworker of mine had a Californian on the phone once looking for where "May-comb" was and she had no idea what city she was talking about)
Ypsilanti: Ip-suh-lanti

[detroitsgwenivere]

Goethe = Go-thee

Das Strasse ist nicht ausgepragt "go-thee," es ist ausgesprochen "guh-teh!"

German Detroiters and readers of great literature know this, now so do we

This is coming from someone [[me) who can barely speak proper english of course...

[EastsideAl]

Das Strasse ist nicht ausgepragt "go-thee," es ist ausgesprochen "guh-teh!"

German Detroiters and readers of great literature know this, now so do we

This is coming from someone [[me) who can barely speak proper english of course...

Ahhh, but when I went to elementary school at the corner of Burns and Go-thee, trust me, no one ever considered pronouncing it any other way.

Cadieux, mentioned here, is another east side street that often causes pronunciation problems for outsiders.

It is, of course, "cad-jou". And even that bastion of east side Belgianness, the Cadieux Cafe, pronounces it that way. Damn the Walloons!

[old guy]

As long as you're on the subject: Campus Martius and Campeau. Is it cam pow?