# My Van Wyck **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2011, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423 "2011-05-27T12:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![samjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@samjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samjones)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/1 "2011-05-27T12:00:18Z")
Rhymes with My Man Mick? Rhymes with My Man Mike? Dutch people please chime in. New Yorkers - stay calm. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/2 "2011-05-27T14:20:32Z")
It should rime with “Fun Vake” (picture a classic accented vampire leaping out of the coffin at his own wake) Dutch V is [pronounced](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_phonology) like English F Dutch W is either pronounced like V (IPA ʋ) or something more like W(IPA w), but the ʋ is more usual. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/3 "2011-05-27T14:29:22Z")
Forgot to add - the “y” sound (I don’t think that spelling exists in modern Dutch, but is retained in Afrikaans) is a sort of drawn-out “Ay”. Modern Dutch uses “ij”(IPA ɛi) for that sound,mostly. Check that phonology page. ---
**Author:** ![samjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@samjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samjones)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/4 "2011-05-27T14:36:28Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > It should rime with “Fun Vake” (picture a classic accented vampire leaping out of the coffin at his own wake) “Vake” rhymes with wake? “Vake” rhymes with bike? “Vake” rhymes with biker? (Loosely) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/5 "2011-05-27T15:38:14Z")
> [@samjones](#): > > “Vake” rhymes with wake? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/6 "2011-05-27T15:43:59Z")
> [@samjones](#): > > “Vake” rhymes with wake? As said by a Russian… ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/7 "2011-05-27T17:14:28Z")
> [@grimpixie](#): > > As said by a Russian… That would get you pretty damn close! It is closer to your man Mike than to Mick anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/8 "2011-05-27T19:59:35Z")
I live in NYC. All of the folks, including traffic 'n transit reporters on radio and t.v. types pronounce it as " Van Wick ". Houston street is pronouned " How- Stunn", not " Hew- Stunn " as in the city in Texas. I do wonder- how did Sam Houston pronounce his name? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/9 "2011-05-27T20:20:32Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > All of the folks, including traffic 'n transit reporters on radio and t.v. types pronounce it as " Van Wick ". Yeah, looking at the mess you guys make of Van Gogh and Van Rijn and Stuyvesant, I’m not surprised. “Pee-ter Sty-ver-sand” indeed… ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/10 "2011-05-27T20:22:01Z")
What guys?? I’m from Philly. Just living in Enwye… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/11 "2011-05-27T21:13:19Z")
Cartooniverse: > [@](#): > > All of the folks, including traffic 'n transit reporters on radio and t.v. types pronounce it as " Van Wick ". I live here, too, and I’ve heard “Van Wike” in plenty of traffic reports. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/12 "2011-05-27T21:34:22Z")
I live in NYC, and just the other day on WCBS-880 they had an interview with a direct descendant of the Van Wycks. He said that his last name should rhyme with “like”, \*\* not \*\* “lick” ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/13 "2011-05-27T22:02:41Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Cartooniverse: > > I live here, too, and I’ve heard “Van Wike” in plenty of traffic reports. Not to nitpick, but you live in Brooklyn. You guys are almost unintelligible most of the time. I’m just sayin’… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-van-wyck/583423/14 "2011-05-27T23:12:04Z")
Queens, not Brooklyn. And I’m referring to what I’ve heard on radio traffic reports, not from personal usage or acquaintances. And I’ll have you know that practically everyone who meets me for the first time assumes I’m from out of town because I do not have the stereotypical New York (or Brooklyn) accent.