LAT article on the history of the evolving pronunciation of Los Angeles (Bradley: office)

[pbergen]

fascinating article. i never knew that there was once a segment of the local population who pronounced "los angeles" with a hard "g" (as in gary). or that people were still debating the city's pronunciation in the 1950s, to the point that the city had to decide on an "official" pronunciation, once and for all.

Then and Now: How do you pronounce 'Los Angeles?' - latimes.com

some snippets from the column:

Mispronouncing L.A. is an old tradition.

In the early 1900s, The Times advocated the Spanish version, carrying a box by its editorial page masthead that proclaimed the way to say Los Angeles was Loce AHNG-hayl-ais.

The Times' campaign aside, the United States Board on Geographic Names decreed in 1934 that the name should be Anglicized to Loss AN-ju-less.

While the Spanish version lapsed into disuse, a debate arose over newcomers using an alternative Anglicized version with a hard G — something along the lines of Loss AN-guh-less.

So, in 1952, Mayor Fletcher Bowron impaneled a jury of experts to determine an official pronunciation, once and for all, for the city.

Of course, when it comes to Los Angeles' name, there is another option, one that Mayor Bowron feared was taking over in 1952.

As The Times reported back then, "the mayor prayed that civic pride would prevent its citizens from ever, ever referring to it as 'L.A.' "

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by pbergen

fascinating article. i never knew that there was once a segment of the local population who pronounced "los angeles" with a hard "g" (as in gary).

You must have never heard Mayor Sam talk...

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

You must have never heard Mayor Sam talk...

yup, exactly. for starters, i'm far too young - i wasn't even close to being born when he was in office.

edit: i found this old video clip of him from the 1969 los angeles mayoral election. at 4:45 of the video, he uses his trademark "law SANG-luss" pronunciation:


YouTube - ‪Tom Bradley's Unsuccessful Campaign for Mayor of LA in 1969‬‏

haha, that sounds so odd to my ears.

was this "hard g" pronunciation still fairly commonplace among older angelenos during your childhood?

[majoun]

Originally Posted by pbergen

yup, exactly. for starters, i'm far too young - i wasn't even close to being born when he was in office.

edit: i found this old video clip of him from the 1969 los angeles mayoral election. at 4:45 of the video, he uses his trademark "law SANG-luss" pronunciation:


YouTube - ‪Tom Bradley's Unsuccessful Campaign for Mayor of LA in 1969‬‏

haha, that sounds so odd to my ears.

was this "hard g" pronunciation still fairly commonplace among older angelenos during your childhood?

I'm a few years younger than Fontucky but I remember being a kid in the '60s.
The "hard g" pronunciation was never common amongst older people. It was mostly known as the way Yorty talked. There are 1930s films which use that pronunciation, however, so Yorty couldn't have been the only person who used it.