As a resident of the metro NYC area, I often hear reports about the University of Connecticut on the sports news. Of course, “University of Connecticut” contains too many syllables, so they simply refer to it as “UConn”. My problem is that “UConn” is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable, and whenever I hear it, I think they are talking about “Yukon”.
I am fully aware that the Yukon is very far away from New York, and that their sports news is unlikely to appear on local NYC radio. But that’s what it sounds like, and every single time I hear it, my brain first thinks “Yukon”, and then corrects me to “U of Connecticut”.
If other people also have this reaction, it seems that a simple way to fix it would be to put the accent on the second syllable. So here are my questions, which will hopefully allow this thread to stay in GQ:
[ul]Am I unusual, or do other people also think of Yukon?[/ul]
[ul]Are there any sportscasters or UConn officials who have made a specific effort to put the accent on the second syllable?[/ul]
[ul]Is there any history available of when the “UConn” nickname was first designed, and if any comments were made at that time about its pronunciation?[/ul]
Yes, you are unusual. I have never confused a Canadian Territory with the university (great basketball team). Perhaps because the former is typically referred to as “the Yukon” or “the Yukon Territory.”
Indeed. I’ve always noticed the connection, but never confused the two. It’s pretty easy to know when sportscasters are talking about Alaskan college teams. That’s like, never? (Sorry about that, Alaskans.)
So you live near a city that has the same name as the state it’s in, and yet you worry about confusing a University with a region of a different country thousands of miles away?
Well, you’re not unusual if by ‘unusual’ you mean ‘unlike all other SDMB members’. 'Cause the first time I heart ‘UConn’ in speech, I was thinking frozen northwest Canada, too.
University of Massachusetts has been UMass for as long as I’ve known it. It was only naturally for UConn to follow suit. And I think naming their teams the “UConn Huskies” is very Joe Cool.
It just goes to show you. I’ve been following the UConn Huskies for years and it never occurred to me that the nickname involved a play on the word Yukon.
I live in Connecticut, and for me, “UConn” and “Yukon” are both pronounced the same.
I have a stepdaughter that went there. My wife told her brother this, and frequently mentioned UConn in conversations with him. One day, he asked her, “So why did she decide to go to school up in Canada, anyway?” :dubious: Yes, he was serious.
Everyone else: Okay, I guess I’m stupid. It happens sometimes. I’ve never been interested in sports, and I guess I’d have this one right if I had heard about UConn since I was a child. Anyway, thanks all, for writing.
