Mispronounced Localities in NM (Albuquerque, Ruidoso: buy, to live, areas)

[Zoidberg]

To'hajiilee means (I've been told) "place near water".

Just call it Twahili (rhymes with Swahili, the language). It seems like just another spanish word once you get past how complicated it looks (and you have the correct pronunciation).


I've noticed that just as there is a bit of snobbery or good-natured snickering toward the ignorant mispronunciations of places (Poe-joe-ak-ee) coming from the locals, some of the locals get also irritated at the overaccentuation from out-of-towners (or ambitious young adults) who insist their background gives them carte blanche to vary from the common pronunciation.

I think it's most noticeable when someone is speaking English to you but will accentuate the locality like they're speaking Spanish (not AL-boo-cur-key but awl-boo-KAIR-KAY), with the accents far in excess of anything heard in English. If it's a Spanish sentence, then that's different.

It's just speech, after all, but is switching languages midsentence supposed to achieve a positive result? Funny how there's so much more to the spoken word than the written word.

[hopeful transplant]

We are hoping to move to Raton. Is this pronounced 'RA-TONE' or 'RA-TON' ?
Also does anyone have any pics of the Whittington Center?

Thanks,
Linda

[loborick]

Originally Posted by Zoidberg

To'hajiilee means (I've been told) "place near water".

Just call it Twahili (rhymes with Swahili, the language). It seems like just another spanish word once you get past how complicated it looks (and you have the correct pronunciation).


I've noticed that just as there is a bit of snobbery or good-natured snickering toward the ignorant mispronunciations of places (Poe-joe-ak-ee) coming from the locals, some of the locals get also irritated at the overaccentuation from out-of-towners (or ambitious young adults) who insist their background gives them carte blanche to vary from the common pronunciation.

I think it's most noticeable when someone is speaking English to you but will accentuate the locality like they're speaking Spanish (not AL-boo-cur-key but awl-boo-KAIR-KAY), with the accents far in excess of anything heard in English. If it's a Spanish sentence, then that's different.



It's just speech, after all, but is switching languages midsentence supposed to achieve a positive result? Funny how there's so much more to the spoken word than the written word.

You should always pronounce Spanish place names correctly. Just because you are speaking in English doesn't mean you should not pronounce them correctly. You are not switching languages, just pronouncing a word correctly.

And To'hajiilee is a Navajo word, not a Spanish word.

[WasSoggyInSeattle]

Not in NM but what about Canyon de Chelly? My Dad (native New Mexican) pronounces it Canyon de Shelley... like the woman's name. However, I've been told by someone up here in the PNW that it is Canyon de Shay...

Dad, growing up in Eastern NM, also prounounces Ruidoso as Ree-Uh-doso... I'm the bad ex-Texan that puts an A at the end... sorry. And I also interject 'S's where they don't belong... Wal Mart(S), K-Mart(s), Fred Meyer(s)... I'll try to do better when I get there, although 15 years in the PNW hasn't cured me yet.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by hopeful transplant

We are hoping to move to Raton. Is this pronounced 'RA-TONE' or 'RA-TON' ?
Also does anyone have any pics of the Whittington Center?

Thanks,
Linda

The correct pronunciation would be ra-TON. It should also have an accent mark..as in Ratón....but you don't see that.

I am not even sure how the natives pronounce it though. I've never been there, nor heard anyone from NM say it.

[desert sun]

Originally Posted by SoggyInSeattle

Not in NM but what about Canyon de Chelly? My Dad (native New Mexican) pronounces it Canyon de Shelley... like the woman's name. However, I've been told by someone up here in the PNW that it is Canyon de Shay...

Dad, growing up in Eastern NM, also prounounces Ruidoso as Ree-Uh-doso... I'm the bad ex-Texan that puts an A at the end... sorry. And I also interject 'S's where they don't belong... Wal Mart(S), K-Mart(s), Fred Meyer(s)... I'll try to do better when I get there, although 15 years in the PNW hasn't cured me yet.

I do that too sometimes with the S's, depending on the word,I've always heard people in Portales add S's where they dont belong, for instance two of the most common--macaronis and Sonics

and Im glad someone else pronounces Ree-uh-doso like I do,maybe its an eastern NM thing I dont know.

[WasSoggyInSeattle]

Maybe... I think someone earlier said Texans also pronounce it that way, maybe Eastern NM picks it up from there? United we stand desertsun... may only be three of us (well 6 counting my Mom & grandparents who say it Ree-uh-doso too) but united we stand. hee hee

Ahhh, Sonics... yep. I blamed it on my Okie Mom but Dad does it too. And they both put the L in salmon. Only took me a couple times being laughed at in 'salmon' country to learn to prounounce it correctly. haha

i was talking to my insurance agent here and told him where our temp address would be (Pep, NM) so he looked up agents for me there and the closest he could get was at Portal-ez. I'm like, "Where?" then it dawned on me - Portales!

And as mentioned in other threads - its taking some time convining people, especially credit cards, utility companies, that we are NOT moving to another country. Exactly...

[Jiggs69]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

The correct pronunciation would be ra-TON. It should also have an accent mark..as in Ratón....but you don't see that.

I am not even sure how the natives pronounce it though. I've never been there, nor heard anyone from NM say it.

I've always pronounced it the Spanish way but I've heard it said as Ra-tone and Rat-un...from a Texan

As for Albuquerque it's supposed to be Alburquerque but an Anglo trader couldn't pronounce the first "r" so was left off his sign.

The pronounces that kill me as a native are:
Mad-Rid (Ma-dreed) w/a roll on the r
Te-su-key (Teh-su-keh)
Po-wa-key (Po - wha - keh)
Ree-uh-doe-ser (Roo-ee-doe-so)

Someone mentioned Tecolote and Tecolotito,those are good areas to avoid if you're not a native,lol.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Jiggs69

I've always pronounced it the Spanish way but I've heard it said as Ra-tone and Rat-un...from a Texan

As for Albuquerque it's supposed to be Alburquerque but an Anglo trader couldn't pronounce the first "r" so was left off his sign.

The pronounces that kill me as a native are:
Mad-Rid (Ma-dreed) w/a roll on the r
Te-su-key (Teh-su-keh)
Po-wa-key (Po - wha - keh)
Ree-uh-doe-ser (Roo-ee-doe-so)

Someone mentioned Tecolote and Tecolotito,those are good areas to avoid if you're not a native,lol.

OMG.....someone from the Midwest tried to tell me that the correct pronunciation for Pojoaque was: Poh-HOE-kee...*groan*

LOL!!

I've heard Ruidoso all of my life as Ria-DO-suh....but never "ser." At least not that I noticed!

The correct pronunciation of Tecolote (owl) is obvious to me, but how is it butchered (do I want to know)??

[Jiggs69]

Te-call-oat is the worst I've ever heard,took me quite awhile to figure out where they were talking about until I saw their truck on the Tecolote exit as I passed by heading back to Burque.