Spokane, WA?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m a product of the 1970’s, and I have always known Spokane, WA to be pronounced with a long “a”. Somewhere along the line, this evolved into a short “a” even though the name ends with an “e” which would indicate a long “a” sound. People even look at me funny when I say Spo-cane" vs. “Spo-can”. How do people from Spokane pronounce it nowadays? And, do any older Spokaners recall Spo-cane" being in vogue?

FYI: Recently, I caught a MASH episode where someone was from “Spo-cane” WA. So, I know I’m not CrAzY…well, not totally! :eek:

2

Spo-can. Always. Nice little city, good food, not much traffic, and at least one nice hotel. Cold in the winter, though.

3

As a small child in the '60s, when I was growing up in San Diego, my friend’s grandmother (who was from Oklahoma) pronounced it ‘Spo-can’. I don’t remember ever hearing anyone pronounce it ‘Spo-cane’.

4

I lived in Seattle in the 1970’s and it was pronounced Spo-can back then by the locals.

5

It’s always been Spo-CAN. They said it wrong in the MASH episode.

6

I pronounced Spokane aloud for the first time in about 1972. I said “Kane” for the second syllable of course. I was immediately corrected by the nearest adult. I think the “kan” pronunciation is of very long standing.

7

It’s a regional shibboleth. Anyone who pronounces it with a long “a” is unfamiliar with the intended pronunciation.

My dad’s family is from Seattle, and many of my friends in my Air Force days served at Fairchild AFB, so I was clued in early and often.

8

Lifelong resident (except for 4 years in Omaha) of the Pacific Northwest and it has always been pronounced SpoCAN.

9

Yeah, it’s CAN not Kane.

…I haven’t even lived there in 20 years but when I’ve been back, I know bad traffic when I see it. Because there’s only two routes north/south and two routes east/west…traffic is bad now during commutes.

10

“Bad” is relative. Compared to Seattle, Spokane traffic is not bad.

11

Just be happy you don’t have to figure out Puyallup, WA or Port Hueneme, CA.

12

Someone once told me he heard two non-Northwesterners discussing this topic. The first one said, “It’s pronounced Spo-CANE.” The second said, “No, it’s a native word. It’s SPO-ka-NEE.”

Both are, of course, wrong. I’m pretty sure my friend made up the story, anyhow.

13

I live in LA. It’s bad. boom. faced. moded. :slight_smile:

14

I live in Spokane and during rush hour I can drive north to south in under 40 minutes and east to west in under 30. Where do you in L.A?

15

Another Spokanite here. I don’t know about either of those stories but the town’s name was taken from the name of the local tribe. Further, when the city was originally incorporated, it was as "Spokan’ without the ‘e’. Why the ‘e’ was added is anyone’s guess I believe. Always heard it pronounced as rhyming with ‘oil can.’

16

I am from the PNW. I am over 60. I have never heard it pronounced Spo (long o) cane. Never. Always Spo (long o) can (as in can opener).

I do think you’re crazy. :stuck_out_tongue:

17

sign me up for another where the heck do you ever hear it pronounced cane? I’ve lived in the southeast, Midwest and came from and went back to the northwest and never anywhere have I heard it pronounce Spokane with a long a, always Spokane like a can.

Which MASH episode was it, do you recall?

18

Definitely “can”. Grew up sort of in that very general region.

Some places in the area have changed pronunciation since then. E.g., Walla Walla has morphed into something unrecognizable from my childhood.

The real pronunciation tester is the town near Spokane of Cheney. It’s almost, but not quite, like the ex-Veep.

19

In 1969, I met a girl from Spokane who told me that “Spo-can” was how people from the area pronounced it. So it’s been the preferred pronunciation for decades.

20

Has Walla Walla ever been pronounced any way but wall-uh wall-uh? I can see some accent differences. Some people say WALLuh-WALLuh, while others tend to run it together and de-emphasize the second ‘walla’, sort of like WALLuhwalluh.