"Los Angel-ease"?

[Nathan Dodge]

Okay, so this is trivial, but it's a (small) part of the past: Having watched numerous movies from the forties, I can't help but notice the pronunciation of the city's name. Here in Miami, there are still a few old codgers who refer to our fair city as "Miamuh." It's increasingly rare but when I overheard it the other night, I was thrilled all over again. So my question is this: Are there still people out there that use the "old" pronunciation?

 

[Mike in Seattle]

I think anywhere you go there are going to be a certain number of people who use a different pronunciation of whatever town. "Los An-jel-us" vs. "Los An-jel-ease" vs. "Lowse An-jel-ease" vs. "Lowse An-hell-ease" vs. "Lowse An-hell-us" to name a few. I think Jack Webb and an anchorman on the local news were about the last to be using the more archaic pronunciations. Is is "Miz-zur-ee" or "Miz-zur-uh" when talking about the state where you'll find Harry Truman's grave, Saint Louis and Hannibal?

As the old song goes, you say potato, I say po-tah-toe...

 

[LizzieMaine]

There actually seems to have been a conflicting policy on this among the major LA broadcasters in the 1930s. The only pronounciation permitted for the NBC outlets, KFI and KECA, was "Los An-je-less", and it can be so heard on airchecks from that era. But perhaps out of enmity for Earle C. Anthony, the auto dealer who owned those stations, rival broadcaster (and rival auto dealer) Don Lee insisted on a hard-G pronounciation -- so you'd hear "K H J, the Don Lee Station, Los ANG-less."

This situation continued thru the forties, but by the early fifties, with Don Lee himself long dead, and his network passed into other hands, KHJ fell in line with the soft-G pronouncation which has become standard today.

All you LA folks are encouraged to pay tribute to the memory of Don Lee, and say "Los ANG-less," just to keep the tradition alive!

 

[221b]

Most of the time I hear and say L.A. But you are correct, there are many ways to pronounce Los Angeles.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

When in Los Angeles

Pronounce it as the Los Angeleans do? How do the natives pronounce it? [huh]

 

[Lincsong]

Lost in the translation.

I've always said; "loss-san-jell-us" Of course we need Marc Chevalier, our resident linguist and "loss-san-jell-us" native, to give us the correct Castillan pronounciation.lol

It's like the the other Spanish named towns in California; San Pedro is commonly pronounced San Pee-dro. San Pablo is San Paab-blo. And my favorite way to irk people is to refer to San Francisco as "Frisco".lol But, San Ramon is never pronounced San Raymon.

Tijuana is commonly said "tia-wanna"

When I lived in Orlando, FL Altamonte Springs was pronounced; Alta-mont not Alta-monte and Tavares was said; Ta-varies not Ta-va-res.

 

[colleency]

I've lived in L.A. for most of my life, and I think I pronounce it lah 'san jellus or 'lahs an jell us.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Pronounce it as the Los Angeleans do?

We call ourselves "Angelenos" (which is totally fake Spanish, by the way). lol

.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

"Los Angeles", pronounced in Spanish, is "Lohss Ahn-heh-less". Of course, none of the gringos say it that way.

We "natives" get a kick out of hearing out-of-towners pronounce La Jolla (a seaside town near San Diego) as "La Joe-la". We say it the Spanish way: "La Hoy-aa".

.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

And then we turn around and say "Loss Fee Liz." lol

 

[FedoraGent]

Just curious, but what is all this fascination with LA? Ick.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

I've lived in L.A. for most of my life, and I think I pronounce it lah 'san jellus or 'lahs an jell us.

Can anyone recommend any sites with pics of the city circa 1930s-1940s?

 

[Lincsong]

"Los Angeles", pronounced in Spanish, is "Lohss Ahn-heh-less". Of course, none of the gringos say it that way.

We "natives" get a kick out of hearing out-of-towners pronounce La Jolla (a seaside town near San Diego) as "La Joe-la". We say it the Spanish way: "La Hoy-aa".

.

I went to La Jolla for the first time about 3 years ago. That is a really nice place. I almost forgot that nice places like that still existed in California.lol

 

[Twitch]

So is it Illinoize or Illinoy? Or Missouree or Missoura?lol

 

[marshaellen]

loa angel-ease

i pronounce it los angles

 

[Cobden]

Before I went to LA, I pronounced it Loss Anjell-ease. After living there for four years, I now say Loz Anja-lez

 

[Twitch]

It's all in the pronunciation problems gringos have with Spanish.:eusa_doh:

 

[raiderrescuer]

Los Angeles...

I have always pronounced it El-Ayhh.

But then again my home state is Orygun not OR-E-Gone.