Proper Pronunciation of "Colorado" (Hispanics, accent, ethnic)

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by 'M'

Back in the 70's when I lived in Texas...we pronounced it Colla-rah-dah.

I think that's how a lot of original Coloradans pronounced it.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Nope. Next?!

It's my understanding that the name Colorado came from the red or "ruddy" colored earth.

River? Well the Colorado River was named after the territory or state, was it not?

In Mexico, they call the Rio Grande the Rio Bravo.

Now... due to wiki... I'm seeing something about a Canadian River that the Spanish called the Rio Canadiano... aka Red River. Something like that. This one looks like it starts just south of Branson Colorado and goes through New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

It's my understanding that the name Colorado came from the red or "ruddy" colored earth.

River? Well the Colorado River was named after the territory or state, was it not?

In Mexico, they call the Rio Grande the Rio Bravo.

Now... due to wiki... I'm seeing something about a Canadian River that the Spanish called the Rio Canadiano... aka Red River. Something like that. This one looks like it starts just south of Branson Colorado and goes through New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Actually, the Colorado River was known as the Grand River in Colorado until the 1920's. Thus, the names such as Grand Lake, Grand County, Grand Valley (first named Parachute, then Grand Valley, then back to Parachute), and Grand Junction.

As to the pronunciation of Colorado, most midwestern transplants (whether recent or otherwise) butcher Colorado's pronunciation with the "short 'a'" Anglicized pronunciation. Nearly all of the native Hispanic population, and most Colorado native Anglos in the southern and western part of the state pronounce Colorado with the Spanish pronunciation of the "a." The pronunciation is somewhat geographical within the state. In the northern half of Colorado (where many Midwesterners have historically located), you will likely hear the "short 'a'" version. Go south of about US50 and west of I-25 and you're more likely to hear the Spanish version. I personally have always used the Spanish pronunciation, even though I've lived all over Colorado. Part of that is because that is what I heard most of the time, and part because my mother, though Anglo, was fluent in both English and Spanish.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

It's my understanding that the name Colorado came from the red or "ruddy" colored earth.

River? Well the Colorado River was named after the territory or state, was it not?

In Mexico, they call the Rio Grande the Rio Bravo.

Now... due to wiki... I'm seeing something about a Canadian River that the Spanish called the Rio Canadiano... aka Red River. Something like that. This one looks like it starts just south of Branson Colorado and goes through New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

You get partial credit. The upper Canadian River, which flows from just North of the New Mexico border to the Arkansas (pronounced with the "s" on the end like Kansas) River was originally called Rio Colorado by the Spanish, meaning "colored river". It's a common misconception that Colorado means red. In Royal Academy Spanish, it just means something of any color. It became associated with red because of your region's reddish colored rivers and earth. Something red would be "rojo".

There's some controversy as to its subsequent name, the Canadian. Some say it was named for some French Canadian fur trappers. A more likely interpretation, and the one I favor, is that it comes from the Spanish word "canada" (not sure how to put a tilde over the n on here) meaning glen or river that flows through steep rocks on either side. A third is that it's from a Caddo word for red.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

The pronunciation is somewhat geographical within the state. In the northern half of Colorado (where many Midwesterners have historically located), you will likely hear the "short 'a'" version. Go south of about US50 and west of I-25 and you're more likely to hear the Spanish version. I personally have always used the Spanish pronunciation, even though I've lived all over Colorado. Part of that is because that is what I heard most of the time, and part because my mother, though Anglo, was fluent in both English and Spanish.

I still disagree. Many, and probably most, of the early folks of European heritage in the Southern part of the state were Midwesterners and pronounced it with the short "a" and a "duh" instead of a "doh" at the end. I'll refer you again to oral history recordings of local old-timers at the Center of Southwest Studies in Durango.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

I still disagree. Many, and probably most, of the early folks of European heritage in the Southern part of the state were Midwesterners and pronounced it with the short "a" and a "duh" instead of a "doh" at the end. I'll refer you again to oral history recordings of local old-timers at the Center of Southwest Studies in Durango.

Well, sad to say, some of that was actually a racist thing. A lot of the "old-timers" held a low view of the local Hispanic population and deliberately Anglicized the pronunciation of many Spanish-named places. Some Anglos never softened that attitude and some still haven't. That is one of those less-than-savory aspects of Colorado history, and some of that legacy persists yet today.

And, by the way, many Spanish-named Colorado towns were not named by the indigent native Hispanics, they were named by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway, whose founder, General William Jackson Palmer, had an original plan to build from Denver to Mexico City. It was at his insistence that many Colorado towns founded by the D&RG during construction of it various lines were given Spanish names. Salida and Durango were two still-prominent towns given Spanish names by the railroad.

[rushhournewb]

Co-lo-rah-do, Ne-vah-dah. Both wrong!

Another news story on PBS. A pollster was talking with those-who-knew-their-state-governments. The pollster kept calling Nevada Nevahda. The guy from that state finally interrupted the from-back-east pollster with "hey, it's pronounced Nevada. You come out here mispronouncing our state name and nobody will take you seriously". The pollster was miffed being told that, got all huffy---but he indeed was mispronouncing it.

He also mispronounced Colorado but nobody corrected him.

I'm looking at the results of the poll on this thread. Just shows me what percentage of people responding are transplants. Not that being from somewhere else is a bad thing, just learn to pronounce your new adopted states name correctly. Colorado. Makes you wince? Hickenlooper pronounces it correctly, why can't you?

[CAVA1990]

Perhaps the legislature needs to pass a state name pronunciation bill akin to designating English as the official language.

[blacksmith76]

Originally Posted by rushhournewb

Co-lo-rah-do, Ne-vah-dah. Both wrong!

Another news story on PBS. A pollster was talking with those-who-knew-their-state-governments. The pollster kept calling Nevada Nevahda. The guy from that state finally interrupted the from-back-east pollster with "hey, it's pronounced Nevada. You come out here mispronouncing our state name and nobody will take you seriously". The pollster was miffed being told that, got all huffy---but he indeed was mispronouncing it.

He also mispronounced Colorado but nobody corrected him.

I'm looking at the results of the poll on this thread. Just shows me what percentage of people responding are transplants. Not that being from somewhere else is a bad thing, just learn to pronounce your new adopted states name correctly. Colorado. Makes you wince? Hickenlooper pronounces it correctly, why can't you?

What's next, I have to start saying Dinver and maysure? Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I live in Florida right now and there are all kinds of accents. People from the north say "Arrrlando, Flaarida." Some people say Floorida, some people say Meeami. Some South Florida natives have Southern accents, some don't. Just accept that a lot of states have become melting pots and move on.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

And, by the way, many Spanish-named Colorado towns were not named by the indigent native Hispanics, they were named by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway, whose founder, General William Jackson Palmer, had an original plan to build from Denver to Mexico City. It was at his insistence that many Colorado towns founded by the D&RG during construction of it various lines were given Spanish names. Salida and Durango were two still-prominent towns given Spanish names by the railroad.

Here's a link to a series of 1877 maps that pre-date some of the railroad towns in the Southern part of the state:

Hayden Survey maps: inventory of collection at SW Studies Center

Collection C 004: Hayden Survey map, 1877, at the Center of Southwest Studies

Note on the map at the second link that was surveyed in 1874/75 how many of the major towns at the time like Animas and Parrott Cities were laid out along the Old Spanish Trail that ran from Santa Fe to Southern California.