# Important message on pronounciation. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 30, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214 "2005-09-30T16:13:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/1 "2005-09-30T16:13:03Z")
Attn: Easterners Oregon is pronounced OR-e-gun. **Not** o-re-GON. The first “a” in Nevada is pronounced like the “a” in _cat_ or _rat_, **not** like the “a” in _car_ or _far_. Thank you for your compliance. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/2 "2005-09-30T16:23:39Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Attn: Easterners > > Oregon is pronounced OR-e-gun. **Not** o-re-GON. > > The first “a” in Nevada is pronounced like the “a” in _cat_ or _rat_, **not** like the “a” in _car_ or _far_. > > Thank you for your compliance. I’m an easterner. 1. I’ve never heard Oregon pronounced other than with the emphasis on the first syllable. 2. [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) says both pronunciation of Nevada are correct. Believe it or not, some words actually have more than one correct pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/3 "2005-09-30T16:26:03Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > 1. I’ve never heard Oregon pronounced other than with the emphasis on the first syllable. I have, a number of times. > [@](#): > > 1. [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) says both pronunciation of Nevada are correct. Believe it or not, some words actually have more than one correct pronunciation. Nevada is a place. The people who actually live there pronounce it in a specific way, and I figure they’re right and [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/4 "2005-09-30T16:30:26Z")
Some people pronounce it OR-e-gun. Some people pronounce it or-e-GON. Some people say tomayto, some people say sun-dried-sliced-dusted-with-basil-and-parsley tomahto. Wherefore, dude, chill. It’s all good. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/5 "2005-09-30T16:30:56Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > AThe first “a” in Nevada is pronounced like the “a” in _cat_ or _rat_, **not** like the “a” in _car_ or _far_. You realize that “Nevada” is from the Spanish and as such, “nay-VAH-dah” is truly the proper pronunciation. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/6 "2005-09-30T16:38:44Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Some people pronounce it OR-e-gun. Yes. They’re called Oregonians. > [@](#): > > Some people pronounce it or-e-GON. Yes. They’re called New Yorkers. Which are you going to trust? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/7 "2005-09-30T16:39:04Z")
There was an ep of the old “Adam-12” series where one of the guest characters had just moved from Oregon. She mentioned the state several times, and I swear she kept pronouncing it “organ,” i.e., with no middle syllable. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/8 "2005-09-30T16:44:27Z")
Yeah? Well, then, it’s ver-_MONT_, not _VER_-mont. So there. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/9 "2005-09-30T16:47:48Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Wherefore, dude, chill. It’s all good. 🙂 I am chill. There is no anger here. It just makes me wince every time I hear one of my fine friends here in the lands east of the Mississippi pronounce one of these states’ names wrong. If I start pronouncing Ontario as “onta-RI-o”, would you ignore it or say “hey, it’s on-TAR-io”? My guess is the latter. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/10 "2005-09-30T16:47:56Z")
Most people know it’s il-uh-NOY, not il-uh-NOYZ, but some say NOYZ because they think it’s funny. It isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/11 "2005-09-30T16:51:29Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I am chill. There is no anger here. That’s all I meant. 😉 Buy you a beer to make up for it? ---
**Author:** ![SusanStoHelit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@SusanStoHelit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SusanStoHelit)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/12 "2005-09-30T16:53:22Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > There was an ep of the old “Adam-12” series where one of the guest characters had just moved from Oregon. She mentioned the state several times, and I swear she kept pronouncing it “organ,” i.e., with no middle syllable. Yep. I tell my out-of-state friends that its “Organ, as pipe \_\_\_ or vital \_\_\_” OAR-ee-gun is also acceptable, but most natives are too lazy for all three sylables 🙂 . ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/13 "2005-09-30T16:53:51Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > Most people know it’s il-uh-NOY, not il-uh-NOYZ, but some say NOYZ because they think it’s funny. > > It isn’t. I say il-uh-NOYZ becuase that’s how Jay (of Jay & silent Bob) said it in Dogma. And yes, I say it that way becuase I think it’s funny. Then again, I also think it’s funny how mid-westerners say Vermont and Nevada. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/14 "2005-09-30T16:55:09Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > **Important message on pronounciation.** > Attn: Easterners > > Oregon is pronounced OR-e-gun. **Not** o-re-GON. > > The first “a” in Nevada is pronounced like the “a” in _cat_ or _rat_, **not** like the “a” in _car_ or _far_. > > Thank you for your compliance. Attn: Kyla The word “pronunciation” is not spelled "pronounciation. Thank you for your compliance. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/15 "2005-09-30T16:59:02Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > There was an ep of the old “Adam-12” series where one of the guest characters had just moved from Oregon. She mentioned the state several times, and I swear she kept pronouncing it “organ,” i.e., with no middle syllable. Ahh, one of my favorite topics. Back In The Day, there was a popular line of cards and bumperstickers making fun of people who said “Ory-gawn”. The correct pronunciation was of course given as “Ory-gun”. But that was itself laughable. The middle "e’ is elided by native Oregonians into oblivion. So it is actually pronounced very close to “Or-gun”, much like “organ”. The number of debates I’ve had with Oregonians who insist that the middle “e” is fully pronounced and then turn around and omit it is countless. What gets me are newsmen like Tom Brokaw who used to pronounce it right and then once they become Big Time NYC News Anchors start to adopt affectations like “Ory-gawn”. As a general rule, they people who live there should have priority in specifying correct pronunciation. E.g., “Gouchester”/“Gloster”. But I think the folks in “Ba(l)-mer” are out of luck. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/16 "2005-09-30T17:03:47Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > Attn: Kyla > > The word “pronunciation” is not spelled "pronounciation. > > Thank you for your compliance. I blame **Gaudere**. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/17 "2005-09-30T18:12:14Z")
Oh and it has come to my attention that some of you may be mispronouncing my name. The correct way to say Zebra is “Sex God” or in less formal settings, simply “God”. Thank you for your compliance. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/18 "2005-09-30T18:18:52Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Attn: Easterners > > Oregon is pronounced OR-e-gun. **Not** o-re-GON. > > The first “a” in Nevada is pronounced like the “a” in _cat_ or _rat_, **not** like the “a” in _car_ or _far_. > > Thank you for your compliance. Whenever someone pronounces it “Or-e-GON” my response is, “No, Or-e-GUN is still there.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/19 "2005-09-30T18:21:09Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Yes. They’re called Oregonians. > > Yes. They’re called New Yorkers. > > Which are you going to trust? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214/20 "2005-09-30T18:30:08Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Yes. They’re called Oregonians. > > Yes. They’re called New Yorkers. > > Which are you going to trust? With the pronunciation of their own state name, well, of course the Oregonians, but with my wallet, neither one. (had my wallet stolen in a bar in Tualatin.) 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-message-on-pronounciation/324214.md?page=2)