# Tijuana is not pronounced 'Tia-Wanna' **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997 "2011-06-19T00:54:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/1 "2011-06-19T00:54:11Z")
A promo for _Locked Up Abroad_ mentions Tijuana. The voiceover guy pronounces it ‘Tia-Wanna’. It grates on my ears. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/2 "2011-06-19T01:10:55Z")
I’ve heard it pronounced that way going back even into the sixties. I think you’re just gonna have to get used to it. ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/3 "2011-06-19T01:17:21Z")
How do you pronounce it? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/4 "2011-06-19T01:21:03Z")
> [@YaraMateo](#): > > How do you pronounce it? [Like this](http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?tijua01g.wav=Tijuana). ---
**Author:** ![QuercusMax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/8baadc/32.png) [@QuercusMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuercusMax)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/5 "2011-06-19T01:26:28Z")
Guess you don’t like the Kingston Trio, then: [- YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udZLAMMPkcU). ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/6 "2011-06-19T01:33:56Z")
Do you say meh-hee-co too? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/7 "2011-06-19T01:37:18Z")
> [@Elret](#): > > Do you say meh-hee-co too? No. But I don’t add any syllables to it either. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/8 "2011-06-19T01:43:31Z")
Some old maps of San Diego spell the city’s name as though it were Spanish for “Aunt Jane.” (Tia Juana.) Maybe that narrator on the TV show was a really old guy. ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/9 "2011-06-19T01:49:16Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Like this](http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?tijua01g.wav=Tijuana). Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/10 "2011-06-19T01:54:25Z")
I would feel like such a raging douchebag pronouncing it tee-hwana that it’s not even on the table for consideration. I presume you likewise pronounce all cities of foreign nations as closely to the local pronunciation as your caucasion tounge can manage. If this is actually the case, you are a raging douchebag. If not, what’s so fucking special about Tijuana? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/11 "2011-06-19T01:57:59Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > If this is actually the case, you are a raging douchebag. If not, what’s so fucking special about Tijuana? So pronouncing words is a binary thing? You’ve probably never lived in Southern California. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/12 "2011-06-19T02:07:30Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > I would feel like such a raging douchebag pronouncing it tee-hwana that it’s not even on the table for consideration. I presume you likewise pronounce all cities of foreign nations as closely to the local pronunciation as your caucasion tounge can manage. > > If this is actually the case, you are a raging douchebag. If not, what’s so fucking special about Tijuana? I have to agree. The title is false just because Tijuana is pronounced “Tia-Wanna” by millions of people. Pronouncing foreign names exactly as they said by locals can be a little effete and affected. Many foreign countries and cities have completely different local names than they do in English. A slight pronunciation difference is minor league in that regard. It gets a little complicated however. Saying Tia-wanna is fine in my book but pronouncing fajitas as faj-eetas is a major social offense. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/13 "2011-06-19T02:18:08Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Pronouncing foreign names exactly as they said by locals can be a little effete and affected. Many foreign countries and cities have completely different local names than they do in English. A slight pronunciation difference is minor league in that regard. It gets a little complicated however. Saying Tia-wanna is fine in my book but pronouncing fajitas as faj-eetas is a major social offense. You’re completely overlooking where Tijuana is, and how San Diego and Tijuana are so economically and culturally entwined. For anyone growing up in San Diego, Tijuana is really NOT a foreign country, and Spanish is NOT a foreign language. (Really, you could say the same about much of Los Angeles.) No one who has spent any significant part of childhood in San Diego or L.A. would pronounce it like that. That’s how old people from Iowa say it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/14 "2011-06-19T02:32:24Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > For anyone growing up in San Diego… Which I did, BTW. > [@guizot](#): > > or L.A. … 17 years, plus 11 in Northern L.A. County. > [@guizot](#): > > That’s how old people from Iowa say it. The same people who say ‘Lohs ANG-gell-eez’? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/15 "2011-06-19T02:38:35Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > You’re completely overlooking where Tijuana is, and how San Diego and Tijuana are so economically and culturally entwined. For anyone growing up in San Diego, Tijuana is really NOT a foreign country, and Spanish is NOT a foreign language. (Really, you could say the same about much of Los Angeles.) No one who has spent any significant part of childhood in San Diego or L.A. would pronounce it like that. That’s how old people from Iowa say it. So how did San Diego enter the conversation? If you live in San Diego, I’m sure “tee-whana” is perfectly acceptable. Good for you. In most parts of the US, it’s not. It’s douchebaggery. As Shag said, it comes across as a very affected manner of speech. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/16 "2011-06-19T02:51:11Z")
My horny Mexican aunt assures me that Tia Wanna. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/17 "2011-06-19T02:51:17Z")
Just to drive this home, a hypothetical: Your neighbor tells you he’s taking his family to Paris for vacation. Good for him, right? How about if he says “We’re going to pah-reese” in his best french accent without a hint of irony. Do you still think Brian is a good guy, or do you think he’s an affected asshole? ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/18 "2011-06-19T02:54:36Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The same people who say ‘Lohs ANG-gell-eez’? 😃 Hey, lay off of Arlo Guthrie! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/19 "2011-06-19T02:59:27Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > So how did San Diego enter the conversation? If you live in San Diego, I’m sure “tee-whana” is perfectly acceptable. Good for you. In most parts of the US, it’s not. It’s douchebaggery. As Shag said, it comes across as a very affected manner of speech. I actually have no problem with the Anglicization–except that its history is somewhat twisted. (It doesn’t “grate” on my ears as it does for **Johnny L.A.** ) But I’ll be damned if when I go to Cedar Rapids and mention that my girlfriend is from /tiˈʰwɑnɑ/ I suddenly become a “douchebag.” You expect me to affect my speech so I don’t _appear_ to affect my speech to your delicate ears? Isn’t that just the same–or maybe worse? ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/20 "2011-06-19T03:05:15Z")
Oh, well for fucks sake. Your girlfriend is from Tijuana. That’s not at all an edge circumstance. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997.md?page=2)