I’ve heard it pronounced laFAYette by some broadcasters from out of town as well as some others in the neighborhoods – but that always seemed antagonistic, to match their demeanor. The vast majority of people in the Elmwood area where I spent my younger years pronounced it lafee-YETTE – the e-sound rolling into the y to give it softer emphasis, the first two syllables run together.
As too much time has been spent over-thinking this, today, I’ve considered it as over-emphasized, as if frustrated explanation to someone who wasn’t understanding where they should be going, and putting excessive emphasis on the syllable of emphasis, as in, “Down on lafee-YETTE, man.” It still sounds more accurate to what I’ve heard than, “Down on la-FAY-ette.”

Everyone I know pronounces it like Kimberly Craig -- but listen to the way Jeff Vaughn pronounces it:




Clearly, he's wrong! Though, I never heard it called VAN dyke, either, until I met my wife. I guess, as long as we all know where we’re going, we shouldn’t worry too much about putting the emPHAsis on the wrong sylLable.