# Nevawda or Nevada **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 20, 2001, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475 "2001-11-20T21:13:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![donotprodme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@donotprodme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donotprodme)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/1 "2001-11-20T21:13:09Z")
I was born in California and pronounce Nevada like Nehváda. But Recently I moved to the East Coast Where people say it like Navauda or Nevawda. There is a similar phenomenon with Oregon. I was wondering what the correct pronunciation is (Spelled Phonetically) and what could cause this wierd difference. Anyone know what im talking about. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/2 "2001-11-20T21:16:38Z")
Hey, Steve McQueen pronounced his name Nuh vay da Smith in the movie. You can’t argue with Steve McQueen. He’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![octothorpe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@octothorpe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octothorpe)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/3 "2001-11-20T21:32:51Z")
Hmmm… The East Coast? Where they _Pahk the Cah_? Is it possible that you’re simply hearing the local accent (for lack of a better word)? Personally, i’ve lived in Lost Wages for the past 13 years and everyone i know, to a person, pronounces it _nuh **va** duh_ (think _banana_). Curiously, i used to live in a small town outside of Ames, Iowa where Nevada was pronounced _nuh **vay** duh_. Go figure… # ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/4 "2001-11-20T21:43:38Z")
California native here, and everyone I know pronounces it Nevahda, just like you would pronounce Colorado like Colorahdo. **octothorpe** where is Lost Wages? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/5 "2001-11-20T21:49:55Z")
Lost Wages is a nickname for Las Vegas. A rule of thumb for anything in the West is to pronounce something with the shortest, least accented vowel sounds you can come up with. When it doubt, we just pronounce everything as a schwa out here. Or so I’ve been told by people who say they speak “properly.” But the mixtures of all the different accents (both from non-English and English speakers) makes West Coast pronunciations all very flat. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/6 "2001-11-20T21:57:18Z")
And while we’re on the subject… It’s ORE-egun, not Or-e-GONE. —Ferrous, and East Coast transplant who learned the hard way. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/7 "2001-11-20T22:01:09Z")
Um, please disregard the first of the three “d”'s in that last post. ---
**Author:** ![donotprodme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@donotprodme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donotprodme)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/8 "2001-11-20T22:05:35Z")
Thats how I pronounce Oregon as well. ---
**Author:** ![Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chance_the_Gardener)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/9 "2001-11-20T22:45:41Z")
The “correct” pronunciation is relative. If you live in a place, there’s a chance you’re not going to pronounce its name the way non-natives will. For example, **neh VA duh** is what we said in the Pittsburgh area, but I’ve heard East Coasters say **neh VAW duh**. Oregonians insist it’s **OR eh gun** , but most of the rest of the country goes with **OR eh gon**. Natives of Missouri have upbraided me for saying **mih ZOO ree** instead of **mih ZUH ruh** , and Canadians insist on **keh bek** instead of the American **kweh bek** , while a true Québecois might insist on **kay BEK**. Since it’s impractical to catalogue what all the locals insist on calling their homelands, you’re better off going with what your own locals call their homelands. There’s nothing disrespectful about not learning the nuances of a dialect or language thousands of miles away. It sure beats having to pause and switch accents in the middle of a sentence, doesn’t it? Bending over backward to adopt such habits is either pretentious or simply excessive (and possibly patronizing) consideration. When you’re in the south, you expect a southerner to speak like a southerner. So why shouldn’t you speak in your own manner? ---
**Author:** ![octothorpe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@octothorpe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octothorpe)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/10 "2001-11-20T22:46:31Z")
**Neurotik** Got the _ **Lost Wages** _ bit from the **Steely Dan** song _ **Show Biz Kids** _: _“Goin’ ta Lost Wages, Lost wages…”_ As an aside, **Steely Dan** got their name from a dildo mentioned by **William S. Burroughs** in his book **Naked Lunch**. Finally: Thanks **Ferrous** , i will. * * * Expect the worst, that way you’re never disappointed. # ---
**Author:** ![octothorpe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@octothorpe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octothorpe)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/11 "2001-11-20T23:01:12Z")
**Chance the Gardener** makes a good point in his response: > [@](#): > > Bending over backward to adopt such habits is either pretentious or simply excessive (and possibly patronizing) consideration. When you’re in the south, you expect a southerner to speak like a southerner. So why shouldn’t you speak in your own manner? I agree, it doesn’t matter to me how you pronounce Nevada, as long as you’re not ‘aping’ the local pronunciation/dialect. * * * Expect the worst, that way you’re never disappointed. # ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/12 "2001-11-21T01:01:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chance the Gardener \* > \*\*The “correct” pronunciation is relative. \*\* I would think it polite to pronounce place names as the people who live there do. If not, at least don’t go into the bars. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chance_the_Gardener)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/13 "2001-11-21T03:52:24Z")
> [@](#): > > I would think it polite to pronounce place names as the people who live there do. If not, at least don’t go into the bars. > **—carnivorousplant** Well, sure. When you’re there, respect the local language as much as possible. When in Toronto, I’ll refer to **keh bek** , for example, but return to my usual manner when I’m back in New York. I know how locals can be; everywhere I’ve been has had obnoxious, intolerant locals. Even New York does, if you’ll believe it. Five years I’ve lived here, and I’ll still slip up and say _pop_ instead of the local idiom, which is _soda_. Boy, do I catch it then. Ah, cut the tourists a break. Let 'em come to the bars and talk funny. I don’t mind that. It’s the hundreds who make the streets impassable just so they can gaze at the hole where the World Trade Center used to be who are getting on my nerves, but that’s a whole other story… ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/14 "2001-11-21T04:12:37Z")
[Moderator Hat ON] Not a Great Debate. Shoo, shoo! Go hang in IMHO, and don’t forget say hi to Czarcasm and TVeblen. [Moderator Hat OFF] ---
**Author:** ![AmbushBug](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ambushbug/32/4600_2.png) [@AmbushBug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmbushBug)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/15 "2001-11-21T08:13:03Z")
/neh va’ duh/ (second syllable short a, third syllable ‘uh’ sound schwa-like) not /nuh vaw duh/. And, at the casinos, bet markers are “checks” not “chips”. And gratuities are “tokes” not “tips”. (furthering the hijack of this thread…) Please toke your dealer with a few checks every so often. Get rated, and you may get comped. (Give the casino your name, allowing them to monitor your play at the tables and they may notice how much you spend, and reward you with meals/shows/room) If you win a big jackpot, it’s good to have your social security card on your person; otherwise the casino will take IRS withholding up front. Prostitution is illegal in Las Vegas; indeed in the entire county Las Vegas is in (Clark County. The law is based on, IIRC, the population of the counties in Nevada). People will laugh at you if you ask about it. AmbushBug ---
**Author:** ![Palve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Palve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palve)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/16 "2001-11-21T08:28:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by carnivorousplant \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Chance the Gardener \* > > \*\*The “correct” pronunciation is relative. \*\* > > I would think it polite to pronounce place names as the people who live there do. If not, at least don’t go into the bars. > 🙂 \*\* So should we start saying “Deutschland” for Germany, “Nippon” for Japan, “Zhongguo” for China, etc.? What about India, where they speak many languages. “Bharat” (Hindi) is by far the most common way of referring to the country there, but the preferred language of inter-lingual communications is English. I think you mean just English-speaking places, no? BTW, I say Nuh- **vad** -uh, with a “short” a. Nuh- **vod** -uh sounds to me like the speaker is making a half-assed attempt to imitate the Spanish pronunciation of the word, even though English is undoubtedly the predominant language there and the Spanish would say something like Nay- **bhah** -thah anyway. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/17 "2001-11-21T13:38:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Palve \* > \*\* > So should we start saying “Deutschland” for Germany, “Nippon” for Japan, “Zhongguo” for China, etc.? \*\* If I had any ability with the language, yes, I would say Deustchland or Pah-ree, but I don’t have that French-vowel-Tuesday thing down. I wouldn’t try to pronounce Chinese, or I would be beaten up. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chance_the_Gardener)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/18 "2001-11-21T14:52:35Z")
> [@](#): > > If I had any ability with the language, yes, I would say Deustchland or Pah-ree, but I don’t have that French-vowel-Tuesday thing down. > **—carnivorousplant** For the record, I’m fluent in French (written and spoken, so I can do their vowels and the proper throat-issued R sound), and I have a smattering of German. Regardless, when speaking English, I won’t say **pa REE** or **mohn ray AHL** in place of **PAIR iss** or **mon tree all**. Sure the spelling doesn’t change when you write _Paris_, but in English, I’ll write _Montreal_ instead of _Montr **é** al_. Likewise, in English I’ll write and say _Bavaria_ instead of _Bayern_ and _Vienna_ instead of _Wien_. _Moscow_ or _Moskva_? _Warsaw_ or _Warszawa_? _Prague_ or _Praha_? _Rome_ or _Roma_? _Florence_ or _Firenze_? At what point do you start confusing people? Here’s a point of interest: in bilingual Belgium, the capitol is known alternatively as _Bruxelles_ in French and _Brussel_ (I think) in Flemish. The name of the country is _Belgique_ in French and _Belgei_ in Flemish. Try telling _them_ which one is right! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/19 "2001-11-21T15:00:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chance the Gardener \* > \*\* > > For the record, I’m fluent in French \*\* Good for you! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475/20 "2001-11-21T15:21:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ferrous \* > \*\*Um, please disregard the first of the three “d”'s in that last post. \*\* [Picard] I see… FOUR D’s!!! [/picard] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nevawda-or-nevada/94475.md?page=2)