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jlb2012
10-25-2005, 12:59
just a little humorous poll about the "correct" way to pronounce the word Appalachian :D

CynJ
10-25-2005, 13:09
lol....depends on if you want a southern twang or a northern accent! :p

rickb
10-25-2005, 13:33
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=appalachian&x=15&y=14






Lay, of course. But why does the dictionary voice have it with an extra syllable? Its only got 4, right? In either version, right?

:datz :datz :datz :datz :datz :datz :datz :datz :datz :datz :datz

Sly
10-25-2005, 13:35
I don't see a "t" in appalachian, do you?

Footslogger
10-25-2005, 14:01
...and once you get that correct, try and pronounce the town of Marietta, GA.

Hint ...hint ...it kinda goes like this: MAY - RETT' A

'Slogger

scouterjhenry
10-25-2005, 14:06
I think that the 5th syllable comes from the "i".

Ap-pal-a-chi-an rather than Ap-pal-a-shun

ScouterJoe

the goat
10-25-2005, 14:09
ha, ha, ha. i live near the thornton gap & it's kinda like the people from front royal almost always pronounce it, "FRUT-RAWL". same with luray, they pronounce it, "LOO-RAY".
skyline can probably relate to this too.:)

Whistler
10-25-2005, 14:15
Don't forget BUCK-hanun, for Buchanan, VA [which I mistakenly said as byoo-CAN-an].

I still shudder when I hear non-locals pronounce my birthtown of Dahlonega as doll-la-NAY-guh. It's Duh-LAWN-uh-guh!
-Mark

Miss Janet
10-25-2005, 14:21
If you check out the signs in the rest rooms at the ATC in Harpers Ferry you will see that it is correct both ways... as long as you keep the Mason Dixon line as the dividing line.

Mags
10-25-2005, 14:22
Supposedly the Appalachians are named after the Apalachee tribe found in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. This tribe's name is pronounced Ap-a-latch-eee. So, I guess App-a-latch-eee-an would be the "right" name to pronounce the mounain range as well.

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/florida/apalacheeindianhist.htm

Connection in which they have become noted. The Apalachee were mentioned repeatedly as a powerful and warlike people, and this character was attested by their stout resistance to Narvaez and De Soto. The sweeping destruction which overtook them at the hands of the Creeks and Carolinians marks an epoch in Southeastern history. Their name is preserved in Apalachee Bay and River, Fla.; Apalachee River, Ga., Apalachee River, Ala.; and most prominently of all, in the Appalachian Mountains, and other terms derived from them. Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, the name of which signifies "Old Town," is on the site of San Luis de Talimali, the principal Spanish mission center. There is a post village named Apalachee in Morgan County, Ga.

.......

Of course this Yankee transplant still calls the mountains the App-ah-lay-shuns. :-)

the goat
10-25-2005, 14:25
Don't forget BUCK-hanun, for Buchanan, VA [which I mistakenly said as byoo-CAN-an].

I still shudder when I hear non-locals pronounce my birthtown of Dahlonega as doll-la-NAY-guh. It's Duh-LAWN-uh-guh!
-Mark
and who could forget "bee-yoo-nah vista" for "buena vista", va. i guess us virginians are just phonetically challeneged:jump :jump :jump

CynJ
10-25-2005, 14:33
And for Worchester, MA - its not war-chester its wusster....:D

rickb
10-25-2005, 14:36
Supposedly the Appalachians are named after the Apalachee tribe found in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. This tribe's name is pronounced Ap-a-latch-eee. So, I guess App-a-latch-eee-an would be the "right" name to pronounce the mounain range as well.

Interesting, but since DeSoto did the naming, shouldn't it be pronounced with a Castillian lisp?

Mags
10-25-2005, 14:40
Don't forget BUCK-hanun, for Buchanan, VA [which I mistakenly said as byoo-CAN-an].

I still shudder when I hear non-locals pronounce my birthtown of Dahlonega as doll-la-NAY-guh. It's Duh-LAWN-uh-guh!
-Mark
Try having my last name. Very few people pronounce it correctly. (Hence the family nickname of Mags!)

Mags
10-25-2005, 14:41
Interesting, but since DeSoto did the naming, shouldn't it be pronounced with a Castillian lisp?
And how would that be done Rick? :)

peter_pan
10-25-2005, 15:26
There is a reason it is spelled.... AT.

HYOH...garble your own words.

Pan

Cuffs
10-25-2005, 16:10
Ok, now that you have that settled, what is the proper pronunciation of the final summit in Maine, Katahdhin. More importantly, where is the emphasis?
Kata DIN, Ka TA din, KA ta din? I have all 3 versions used... Confusing...

gumby
10-25-2005, 17:01
And for Worchester, MA - its not war-chester its wusster....:D
You go girl and Barre is barry not bar. That's wher I'm originally from.

DavidNH
10-25-2005, 17:05
Well folks,

I have hiked on the AT all over New England and I have always heard it prounoucned as Appalashun trail. I know the pronounce it differently in Dixie and to hear it its like fingernails on a black board! ouch!


DavidNH

CynJ
10-25-2005, 17:10
You go girl and Barre is barry not bar. That's wher I'm originally from.
Cool beans :D

or should I say Wicked!

lmao

Jack Tarlin
10-25-2005, 18:18
Actually, Rick, if De Soto had an accent, it was more likely Extremaduran, and not Castillian, as he was born in the Extremadura region, which in the early 1500's had it's own dialect and inflections, considered to be separate from Castillian. In fact, there are still close to 200,000 people in the area who consider themselves Extremaduran speakers, and not Castillian.

Whether or not De Soto lisped, I'll leave to you.

Kerosene
10-25-2005, 18:26
I pronounce it as App-a-lay-tchin, combining both forms so I offend everyone.

Dances with Mice
10-25-2005, 18:31
I still shudder when I hear non-locals pronounce my birthtown of Dahlonega as doll-la-NAY-guh. It's Duh-LAWN-uh-guh!I was so guilty of that when I first moved here. I was familiar with Talladega, of course, because of the race track. So Dallon-AYE-guh seemed natural.

Georgians got no room to talk, though. It grates my Texan nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard the way they mispronounce "Houston" http://www.houstoncountyga.com/ HOUSE-ton?!

and "Martinez" http://www.city-data.com/city/Martinez-Georgia.html Martin-ess?!

Don't get me started on Ponce de Leon.... Poncey dee LEE-yon?!

Rain Man
10-25-2005, 18:56
Kata DIN, Ka TA din, KA ta din? ...

As long as they don't say "MOUNT" Katahdin?!!!

Rain:sunMan

.

rickb
10-25-2005, 19:17
Actually, Rick, if De Soto had an accent, it was more likely Extremaduran, and not Castillian, as he was born in the Extremadura region, which in the early 1500's had it's own dialect and inflections, considered to be separate from Castillian. In fact, there are still close to 200,000 people in the area who consider themselves Extremaduran speakers, and not Castillian.

Whether or not De Soto lisped, I'll leave to you.


Thanks Jack.

I had always understood ;) that Desoto was raised in the new colony of Panama, and therefore would have assumed the intonations of the region. If I am wrong about that, your point is well taken.

As you know, Spanish (AKA Castillian) as it is spoken in the Spain, is known to be correctly spoken with a lisp. Were Desoto infact talking with the members of his expedition in Spanish (I still find it hard to accept that he was not), It is entirely reasonable to think he may have called our beloved mountains the APP-A-LATH-E-UNS.

Rick

:D

rickb
10-25-2005, 19:36
By the way Jack, I know you are a student of history, and appreciate your correction. Just wanted to make sure noone thought my comment about a lisp was anything other than a comment on the Spanish heritage of Desoto.

Que le vaya bien!

Rick

Jack Tarlin
10-25-2005, 19:36
De Soto was almost certainly raised in Spain, first arriving in the New World (Panama) in 1514, at which time he was either 14 or a grown man of 18. (There seems to be some question as to 1496 or 1500 was the correct year of his birth).

As to the lisp and inflection, I'll defer to Rick, as I only know about two words of Spanish.

One of them is "cerveza" and the other one isn't.

jlb2012
10-25-2005, 20:10
Well folks,

I have hiked on the AT all over New England and I have always heard it prounoucned as Appalashun trail. I know the pronounce it differently in Dixie and to hear it its like fingernails on a black board! ouch!


DavidNH

Interesting - I have exactly the same reaction when I hear the _non_ southern pronouncation - it is so much so that the DVD Appalachian Impressions with its narrator irritated me so much that I gave the DVD away instead of listening to it again. :datz

Groucho
10-25-2005, 20:37
Well folks,

I have hiked on the AT all over New England and I have always heard it prounoucned as Appalashun trail. I know the pronounce it differently in Dixie and to hear it its like fingernails on a black board! ouch!


DavidNH

You must really have trouble with Massachusetts. Funny though, I don't think that I've ever heard any one pronounce the underlined as "shoe". Would like to hear Sly's pronunciation. :-?

betic4lyf
10-25-2005, 20:49
it's woostah,

Saluki Dave
10-25-2005, 20:51
Ayy-Tee. 'nuff said.

MedicineMan
10-25-2005, 21:49
in east TN we have to get the uh sound in apuhlachin

Miss Janet
10-25-2005, 22:30
[QUOTE=DavidNH]Well folks,

I have hiked on the AT all over New England and I have always heard it prounoucned as Appalashun trail. I know the pronounce it differently in Dixie and to hear it its like fingernails on a black board! ouch!



Well David,
Come on down and we will teach you how to say it down here!

MedicineMan
10-25-2005, 22:40
its known around the world....the funny thing is to hear an Indian (country) say it....but they mean well just like you Yanks :)

Sly
10-25-2005, 23:15
You must really have trouble with Massachusetts. Funny though, I don't think that I've ever heard any one pronounce the underlined as "shoe". Would like to hear Sly's pronunciation. :-?

LOL...

Massa-CHEW-sits, Appa-LAY-she-an, WUSS-stir and no matter what the natives think, Bway-no Vista!

Goon
10-25-2005, 23:37
"Northerners say we talk funny. God talks like we do." - Lewis Grizzard

Groucho
10-25-2005, 23:57
LOL...

Massa-CHEW-sits, Appa-LAY-she-an, WUSS-stir and no matter what the natives think, Bway-no Vista!

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=massachusetts&x=15&y=19

MedicineMan
10-26-2005, 00:19
Gracias por la lección española!
but actually enjoyed the exchange, so much so i'll surf for at least 30m on DeSoto-he did get around eh?

Singer
10-26-2005, 00:29
LOL...

Massa-CHEW-sits, Appa-LAY-she-an, WUSS-stir and no matter what the natives think, Bway-no Vista!

Cyn J and Sly,
You forget that us Bay Staters (although I haven't lived there in a while) are famed for our dropping the "r"s and then putting them where they don't belong. So therefore Worchester is "wusta", Glouchester is "glosta", Boston is "Bostin" Martha's Vineyard is "Matha's Vinyid", car is "ca", and draw is "drawr" and the girl's name Lisa is "Lisar". :p

Sly
10-26-2005, 00:45
Interesting - I have exactly the same reaction when I hear the _non_ southern pronouncation

I don't think there is a strict southern pronunciation. I've heard it pronounced either way down here.

Well we're at it, is it yawl or yee all? :)

Whistler
10-26-2005, 02:55
Y'all is pronounced YALL. No ee sound. Having said that, I'm also fond of "you-uns"

Speaking of southern language, in the excellent book Thru-Hiker's Guide to America, auther E. Schlimmer talks about the features of Southern dialect, mentioning Kepharts work, and what he himself heard on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in NC. I have transcribed the passage below, it's a hoot:
-------
Non-verbs serving as verbs. Horace Kephart recorded a Southerner estimating "That bear'll meat me for a month." I heard, "I reckon I ain't had no time to get breakfasted" and "We're gonna trail it today" (going to work on the trail today).

Redundancies. I heard a man referring to diesel as "diesel gas"; another man told me his dog "done did" get tangled in a rhododendron thicket. Kephart's neighbors described "rifle guns," "ham meat," and a "preacher man." Sometimes Kephart found the double descriptions to be contradictory, "male cow" and "automatic revolver" being two classics.

Altered tense. A man told me, "I reckon I done seen where somethin' go eat"... and "I reckon I ain't done seen it." Kephart overheard "I done done it."

Multiple negatives. Kephart recorded the double, triple, quadruple, and yes, even quintuple negatives: "I aint never seen no men-folks of no kind do no washin'." I heard, "I reckon we didn't go to no party"... and "If I'm missin' work then I ain't got no money to pay no bills."

Y'all come back. In certain southern locales, there is rarely one person refrred to in conversation--only groups. It's unknown how man people were present during the conversation Kephart overheard. "Let we-uns all go over to youerunses house." He recorded "we-all" and "you-all" often, too. Kephart labled these pieces "double-barrel pronouns." I had a conversation with one southern gentleman who gave me this salutation: "Well, y'all come back and see us. We'll be here." I replied "Oh, I'll be back." Then he responded, "All right, you-all take care. We'll see y'all later."
-------

-Mark

Teatime
10-26-2005, 04:43
I read something in a book called "Southern Folklore", by B.A. Botkin which went something like this:

There was an elderly lady, I think in her 80's, who was something of a celebrity in the Kentucky town where she had lived for the past 72 years. She had been born in Virginia and her family moved to Kentucky when she was 8 years old. For some reason I can't now recall, she was being interviewed by someone for something and was asked from where she hailed, and she replied: "I am a Virginian, presently residing in Kentucky."
As a pround son of the Old Dominion, so say I as well (except, replace Kentucky with North Carolina, and I'm only 44 years old) and no offense to the good Kentuckians.

Now, here is a good one: How do you pronounce Staunton....Staunt-n or Stant-n
My sister lives in Lexington and pronounces it Stant-n.

CynJ
10-26-2005, 07:27
I grew up in the northeast corner of CT on the MA border - and had many relatives in MA - I know all about the the missing rrrr's lol :D I moved the CT shoreline when I was a freshman in highschool and really got picked on because of my accent so I worked hard to loose it. Then about 6 years ago I took a job that had me in MA a lot and I picked it all back up :datz

My dad's family is from the Washington, PA area - my late grandmother used to use "y'uns" and "didnya" and some other phrases.

I picked up using y'all from some friends from Baton Rouge (sp?) and I am picking up some new stuff from my friend from England too.

Accents and dialects are so interesting.

jlb2012
10-26-2005, 07:40
Now, here is a good one: How do you pronounce Staunton....Staunt-n or Stant-n
My sister lives in Lexington and pronounces it Stant-n.

Stant-n is the way the people live there pronounce it so I would say your sister says it right. The confusion on that one is however reasonable given the way the word "aunt" is pronounced in this area vs the way it is pronounced further north. Calling my mother's sister an "ant" just don't seem right somehow.

SGT Rock
10-26-2005, 07:44
One of my favorite authors is Sharyn McCrumb. She is originally from around Boone, but she normally writes about a fictitious town around east Tennessee called Hamlin which is based on Erwin according to her. In one of her books “The Songcatcher” there is a scene where an AT hiker is at a hostel up on the NC boarder (sounds sort of like Hot Springs) and the hostel owner Baird is talking to a yankee AT hiker with the trail name Eeyore and the subject of pronunciation comes up. It is one of the best ways I have ever seen the subject presented:


“Interesting part of the country. Lots of stories.”

“Lots of Celtic bloodlines in the people here. Stories is what we do.”

“Well, I’ll he interested to hear some stories. This is my first visit to Appa-lay-chia.”

Baird said gently, “Well, folks in these parts call it Appa-latch- a.”

Eeyore shrugged, as if the information did not interest him. “In New York we say Appa—lay-chia.”

Baird had this conversation rather often, too, and in this round he was less inclined to he charitable. The statement We say it that way back home sounded like a reasonable argument unless you realized that it was not a privilege Easterners granted to anyone other than themselves. If a Texan visiting New York pronounced “Houston Street” the same way that Texans pronounce the name of their city back home, he would he instantly corrected by a New Yorker, and probably derided for his provincial ignorance. But here in rural America, the privilege of local pronunciation was revoked. Here, if there was any difference of opinion about a pronunciation, Eastern urbanites felt that their way was the correct one, or at least an equally accept able option. One of Baird Christopher’s missions in life was to set arrogant tourists straight about matters like this.

“You know,” he said to Eeyore, gearing up to his lecture in genial conversational tones. “Over in Northern Ireland once I visited a beautiful walled city that lies east of Donegal and west of Belfast. Now, for the last thousand years or so the Irish people who built that city have called it Derry, a name from darach, which is the Gaelic word for ‘oak tree.’ But the British, who conquered Ireland a few hundred years back, they refer to that same city as Londonderry. One place: two names.

“If you go to Ireland, and you ask for directions to that city, you can call it by either name you choose. Whichever name you say, folks will know where it is you’re headed and most likely they’ll help you get there. But you need to understand this: When you choose what name you call that city--- Derry or Londonderry- -you are making a political decision. You are telling the people you’re talking to which side you’re on, what cultural values you hold, and maybe even your religious preference. You are telling some people that they can trust you and other people that they can’t. All in one word. One word with a load of signifiers built right in.

Now, I reckon Appalachia is a word like that. The way people say it tells us a lot about how they think about us. When we hear somebody say Appa-lay-chia we know right away that the person we’re listening to is not on our side, and we hear a whole lot of cultural nuances about stereotyping and condescension and ethnic bigotry, just built right in. So you go on and call this place Appa-lay-chia if you want to. But you need to know that by doing that you have made a po-li-ti-cal decision, and you better be prepared to live with the consequences. Friend.

Eeyore blinked at him anti took a deep breath. “Appa-latch-ah?” he said.

“That’s right,” said Baird. “Appa-latch-ah. Say it a tune or two and you’ll get the hang of it. Pretty Soon any other way of saying it will grate on your ears.”

Another long pause. Eeyore peered at his smiling host, who had gone back to shelling peas and humming an Irish dance tune. “Who are you?”

Baird Christopher smiled. “Why, I’m a cosmic possum.”

McCrumb, Sharyn.” The Songcatcher”. New York, NY, Penguin Putnam, 2001.

rickb
10-26-2005, 08:07
Then you got people up north who change they way they pronounce the name of their own town for patriotic reasons.

The story is that the town of Berlin (just a few miles north of Gorham, the supermarket might actually be there) became pronounced BEHR-lin during WWII (and so remains to this day).

Pehaps it just a urban (small town) myth. But that's what they say.

As practical people, many of the pronounciation problems are resolve up this way by simple abbreviation-- The Pemigawassette River(sp?) becomes "the Pemi", The Kankamgus Byway (sp?) becomes "the Kank" etc.

max patch
10-26-2005, 09:01
Remember the Notre Dame quarterback who changed the pronunciation of his name to rhyme "Theisman as in Heisman" (the award for top college player) from the original pronunciation of "Tees-man".

gumby
10-26-2005, 11:43
Cyn J and Sly,
You forget that us Bay Staters (although I haven't lived there in a while) are famed for our dropping the "r"s and then putting them where they don't belong. So therefore Worchester is "wusta", Glouchester is "glosta", Boston is "Bostin" Martha's Vineyard is "Matha's Vinyid", car is "ca", and draw is "drawr" and the girl's name Lisa is "Lisar". :p
That's right and water is wata, parka is PA-KA, us Bay staters have to stick together.

Mags
10-26-2005, 13:55
As you know, Spanish (AKA Castillian) as it is spoken in the Spain, is known to be correctly spoken with a lisp. Were Desoto infact talking with the members of his expedition in Spanish (I still find it hard to accept that he was not), It is entirely reasonable to think he may have called our beloved mountains the APP-A-LATH-E-UNS.
:D
Yes..but, like all other languages in the world, there are regional dialects. Spain in the 1500's was no exception. Look at our own country - how many people speak "American Standard" everyday? (i.e. like Tom Brokaw). I speak American English with a noticeable trace of a variation of Northeastern accent; which has been muted since I've lived in Colorado (where many people do speak American Standard!).

Guess, what I am trying to say is we have no idea how someone said the name of our beloved range 500 years ago! With our without a lisp. :)

Mags
10-26-2005, 14:00
Y'all is pronounced YALL. No ee sound. Having said that, I'm also fond of "you-uns"

I dated a woman from down south for two years. She cringed every time I tried to say "Y'all' with my Rhody accent (an unholy combo of the Long Island and Boston accents!) Then again, she could not say Massachusetts correctly. It all equaled out. :)

SGT Rock
10-26-2005, 14:01
So how come it ain't pronounced Ill-e-noise?

rickb
10-26-2005, 14:09
I should have just mentioned "a Spanish accent". Afterall, my whole purpose was just to show off that I remembered a connection to Desoto :) . I have a bit of Cliff Clavin in me, to be sure.

I may have remembered it from here:

http://www.fred.net/kathy/at/word.html

Its the original AT Web site, and still has a lot of great stuff :banana

Nightwalker
10-26-2005, 23:22
Try having my last name. Very few people pronounce it correctly. (Hence the family nickname of Mags!)
Squeaky's maiden name is deArmas. Pronounced "dee arm us." Government and healthcare workers, for some bizarre reasone, even seeing the correct capitalization, all insist on pronouncing it "deer muss." I have no idea why. It makes no sense.

It's a beautiful Castillan Cuban name loosely translated as "son-of-a-gun." Actually, Armas is the armorer or master at arms. deArmas is the son of the armorer. The son-of-a-gun is just the running family joke. I'm really proud to have married into my little Cuban redneck in-law family. They treat me better than my blood family, and that's no joke.

Nightwalker
10-26-2005, 23:31
Y'all is pronounced YALL. No ee sound. Having said that, I'm also fond of "you-uns"

Speaking of southern language, in the excellent book Thru-Hiker's Guide to America, auther E. Schlimmer talks about the features of Southern dialect, mentioning Kepharts work, and what he himself heard on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in NC. I have transcribed the passage below, it's a hoot

-Mark
Mark,

I've heard all of this in common use. All I can say is that it doesn't sound strange from one who uses it naturally, but if you're fakin' it, it stands out like tits on a boar hog.

:)

Nightwalker
10-26-2005, 23:35
McCrumb, Sharyn.” The Songcatcher”. New York, NY, Penguin Putnam, 2001.
That was extremely nice...

Whistler
10-27-2005, 00:26
Mark,

I've heard all of this in common use. All I can say is that it doesn't sound strange from one who uses it naturally, but if you're fakin' it, it stands out like tits on a boar hog.

:)Have to absolutely agree with you. I've heard variations on it my whole life, and it sounds "right" from those grew up using it. Oddly, I never really picked up an accent. I can imitate it pretty well, though, and definitely notice bad renditions in movies and TV.
-Mark

Ramble~On
10-27-2005, 03:31
SOOOoooooo many times is it written "Maine to Georgia"
SOOooooooo many times is it hiked "Georgia to Maine"
Down here it's this way. Up there it's that way.
Water, Watah
Car, CAAAH
Lobster, Lobstuh
Wash, Warsh
:datz :datz :datz :datz :datz :datz :datz

Rain Man
10-27-2005, 10:43
"Northerners say we talk funny. God talks like we do." - Lewis Grizzard

This is ONE time I'm going to agree with being provincial and anthropomorphic about God! Dang tootin', She speaks with a Southern dialect! And Lewis ought to know by now! LOL

Rain:sunMan

.

D'Artagnan
10-27-2005, 11:45
Is it MACK-u-fee (McAfee) Knob or mu-KAF-ee Knob? :-?

Bunny
10-27-2005, 13:46
Actually, even if De Soto was speaking proper Castillian Spanish, it is unlikely that he would have lisped the "ch" in Appalachian. As I understand it, Spaniards use the "th" (as in throw) sounds for the letters z, s and c (only when it sounds like an s). Hence, asking for two beers in Spain (dos cervezas) sounds like "doth thervethas." I'm fairly certain that when Spaniards make a joke (un chiste), they don't make "un thiste." Regardless of whether you say App-a-lay-shuns or App-a-latch-uns, it was probably never App-a-lath-e-uns. (Though De Soto probably would have pronounced both the i and the a at the end.)

Bunny
10-27-2005, 13:58
Not to be impertinent, of course, I'm just trying to prove to myself that my Spanish minor isn't as pointless as I'd feared.

By the way... It's pronounced Ill-i-noi, not Ill-i-nois because it was named by the French after a coalition of now-extinct Native American tribes - the Illiniwek Indians. I don't know why the French never pronounce the last letter of anything (or half the letters in any word, for that matter). (I spent the first 18 years of my 19 year old life in Illinois.)

rickb
10-27-2005, 14:30
Bunny, Me thinks you are correct!

I learned my Spanish living in Colombia for the two years immediately prior to my thru hike (Not quite as high as Titaniam Hiker in Bolivia; I was at just 8,000 feet). No "th" sound added there.

Of course, Desoto would not have written "Appalachians" as we spell it now. With that in mind, I was hoping that modern day Spanish might support my theory. Alas, a quick internet search shows they say "Apalache".

So, I now know what it feels like to be wrong (or likely wrong). Had to happen sometime. :-)

dperry
10-28-2005, 00:27
I don't know why the French never pronounce the last letter of anything (or half the letters in any word, for that matter). (I spent the first 18 years of my 19 year old life in Illinois.)"The French don't care what they do, actually, as long as they pronounce it properly."
--Henry Higgins, My Fair Lady