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Old 07-28-2010, 09:37 PM
 
Location: Both feet on banana peel's, on ice.
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ok, people keep saying the street "kirkendhal" but its spelled Kuykendhal....which one is it or are they two different streets? I just need clarity because I'm fairly new to the area.
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Old 07-28-2010, 09:47 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
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People are saying it wrong! Is Kuykendhal. This is Dutch/Belgian name and will be pronounced: Kuh-ken-dal - not exactly right, but close.
There is no letter "R" in this name!
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Old 07-28-2010, 10:13 PM
 
5,976 posts, read 15,183,395 times
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Default Long time...

When I moved to Houston as a teenager in the 80s, I said it like it was spelled, as most out of towners do in any city, and was chastised! I kept calling it like it was spelled anyway. I must admit, when some people try to say it correctly, it sounds like Curly form the Three Stooges!
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Old 07-29-2010, 12:05 AM
 
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,631,181 times
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In Houston it's pronounced KIRK-en-doll. Saying it any other way will earn you stares.
The name is probably Dutch.
However, that part of Houston was largely settled by Germans.
Usually mispronunciations are the result of the way one family may have pronounced their name, or it may be an approximation reflecting the original spelling. Or the name could have simply changed over time.
Interesting site may shed some light. A woman trying to locate a place her ancestors came from known as "Kruikendal": http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.co...-05/1148688767
Another site shows Anglicized versions of the original name Kuykendaal as "Kirkendale," "Kirkendall," and other variations, so there is some precedence for including the 'r' sound. http://w3.gorge.net/forest/FAMILY%20...0BY%20GENE.htm
I even found a blog run by a Houston-area attorney whose last name is Kirkendall, who I'm sure is descended from same. http://blog.kir.com/
Etymology is fun!

Last edited by houstoner; 07-29-2010 at 12:39 AM.. Reason: adding links
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Old 07-29-2010, 06:50 AM
cla
 
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It is the same in many cities - in NOLA there is Calliope St, which should be pronounced kə-LYE-ə-pee but is actually pronounced like KAL-ee-ope, or Burgundy St, which should be bər-gən-dee, but is pronounced by locals as bur-GUN-dee
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Old 07-29-2010, 07:25 AM
 
2,480 posts, read 7,095,979 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by USNomad View Post
ok, people keep saying the street "kirkendhal" but its spelled Kuykendhal....which one is it or are they two different streets? I just need clarity because I'm fairly new to the area.
Um, yes. It's the same street. It's spelled Kuykendhal, but pronounced Kirkendahl.

First thing you should know about Houston is that pretty much every street/major road as 2 names! Literally.

Examples:
- I-45 - North freeway (north of downtown), Gulf Freeway (south of downtown)
- 59 - Eastex freeway (north of downtown), SW freeway (south of downtown
- I-10 - Baytown or Katy freeway depending on the direction you are going
- Westheimer/Elgin
- Holcombe/Bellaire
- Then just listen to the traffic on the radio and see how confused you can get regarding the 610 loop!! "On the South Loop there's an accident on the right shoulder at Telephone Road if you are going East." WHA?? You just have to figure out that there's a North, South, East, and West side of the loop, and then they will give information depending on which direction the traffic is flowing. But very confusing at first.

On of the first things I did when I moved here was get out a blank piece of paper. Drew a medium sized circle in the middle of the page (this representes 610). Put a big X in the middle of the circle (extending out past the circle edges)(this representes 45/59). Then draw a straight horizontal line through the middle of the X (this represents I-10). All other roads extend off of this diagram in some form or fashion. But if you can get that overview of roads straight in your head, it will help keep you from getting lost.
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Old 07-29-2010, 07:29 AM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX
381 posts, read 1,087,152 times
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Ok how is the street Weslayan pronounced? My MIL who is a native Houstonian pronounces it "Westland".

What is the proper pronunciation for bayou? I have heard both "bye you" and "bye yo" from news reporters and experts.
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Old 07-29-2010, 07:32 AM
 
1,488 posts, read 5,214,849 times
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I have known 2-3 families in different cities over the years with the name Kuykendhal.....and every one of them pronounced it KIRKendal. I figure if it's your name you can pronounce however you choose , but, I agree, it's odd.
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Old 07-29-2010, 07:44 AM
 
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,307 posts, read 38,657,867 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by USNomad View Post
ok, people keep saying the street "kirkendhal" but its spelled Kuykendhal....which one is it or are they two different streets? I just need clarity because I'm fairly new to the area.
Same thing. Texas has a tradition of perpetuating mispronunciation.
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Old 07-29-2010, 07:45 AM
 
Location: West Houston
1,075 posts, read 2,902,498 times
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It's pronounced however the locals SAY it's pronounced, not how it "should" be pronounced.

"Illinois" may be pronounced "Ill-i-noy" when referring to the state, but the street in Dallas is "Ill-i-noise" Avenue.

"Lafayette" is "La-fay-ette" to most of us, but in Tennessee it's "La-FAY-ette" and in southern Louisiana it's sometimes "LAFF-e-ette" (depending on which local you ask (And in Arkansas, the town is "Fay-ette-ville" but many natives pronounce it "Fed-vul").

So, in Houston, no matter how it's pronounced in the original dutch, the street is pronounced KIRK-en-dahl.

Another one in Houston: "Fuqua" is "Fuu-kway"

"Humble"---the "H" is silent, yielding "Umble".

Many native Houstonians leave the "H" out of Houston, yielding "Uus-tin".

But, as we all know, in New York they pronounce it "House-ton" and that's fine when you're talking about the street in Lower Manhattan. For one of us to go to New York and insist on calling it "Hew-stin" street is just as ludicrous as a New Yorker referring to our city as "House-ton".
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