# 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:** 2
**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, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/21 "2011-06-19T03:05:43Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > It doesn’t “grate” on my ears as it does for **Johnny L.A.** ) When I moved up here there was a commercial on TV for a Mexican restaurant. ‘Come try our _arroz y camarones!_’. Except the teen waitress-sounding girl said ‘arrows and cam-a-roneez’. ---
**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, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/22 "2011-06-19T03:06:00Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > 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? No, but complaining on a message board about the plebes who say it wrong is a tad high falutin. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/23 "2011-06-19T03:11:28Z")
> [@Elret](#): > > No, but complaining on a message board about the plebes who say it wrong is a tad high falutin. Agreed. This sounds like it should be relegated to the level of importance of a facebook status update. Otherwise, you sound like a raging pretentious d-bag. ---
**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, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/24 "2011-06-19T03:21:27Z")
> [@Elret](#): > > No, but complaining on a message board about the plebes who say it wrong is a tad high falutin. Precisely. All this fringe circumstance gotcha bullshit is nonsense. That’s the accepted pronunciation of the city in almost all of North America. The very title of this thread is a falsehood. I’ll repeat my response: Yes, it is. ---
**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, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/25 "2011-06-19T03:22:53Z")
> [@Elret](#): > > No, but complaining on a message board about the plebes who say it wrong is a tad high falutin. I can’t speak for **Johnny** –and I can’t really provide any “proof” of it, except from personal experience–but there is a history of people who pronounce it that way with a distinct leer in their voice and demeanor, when they want to associate the city with drugs, prostitution, and a place to go where you can get batshit drunk, piss on the sidewalk, and be a general asshole with impunity. These are typically students from State (you know, the “party” school), who would never do these things in public back East. In the minds of these people, they don’t see it for what it really is: a huge city with a vast population trying to get along like any other city. Considering the content matter of _Locked up Abroad_, it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s why the narrator on the show pronounced it that way–I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/26 "2011-06-19T03:22:55Z")
It’s missing the “ju” syllable. “Tia-ju-wanna.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/27 "2011-06-19T03:27:47Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > No. But I don’t add any syllables to it either. I assume they stole the a from our local attraction. People, it’s Niagara Falls not Niagra Falls. ---
**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, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/28 "2011-06-19T03:31:26Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I can’t speak for **Johnny** –and I can’t really provide any “proof” of it, except from personal experience–but there is a history of people who pronounce it that way with a distinct leer in their voice and demeanor, when they want to associate the city with drugs, prostitution, and a place to go where you can get batshit drunk, piss on the sidewalk, and be a general asshole with impunity. These are typically students from State (you know, the “party” school), who would never do these things in public back East. In the minds of these people, they don’t see it for what it really is: a huge city with a vast population trying to get along like any other city. Considering the content matter of _Locked up Abroad_, it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s why the narrator on the show pronounced it that way–I don’t know. Holy fucking shit, Private Guizot! Did you just simultaneously hijack and shit on this thread? I think you did. Your baggage does not mean shit to me or anyone else, so I strongly suggest you un-fuck yourself before someone else does it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/29 "2011-06-19T03:33:03Z")
I understand what the OP means. I HATE when people say: Iz-Real It’s three syllables. Iz-Ray-El It’s spelled Isr **Ae** l, not Isr **Ea** l. But 99% of everyone I hear calls it Iz-real, so what are you gonna do eh? ---
**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, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/30 "2011-06-19T03:34:11Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I assume they stole the a from our local attraction. > > People, it’s Niagara Falls not Niagra Falls. Good luck with that. I’m surrounded by people who insist that I live in Rodchester. ---
**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, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/31 "2011-06-19T03:35:20Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/32 "2011-06-19T03:36:22Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > Holy fucking shit, Private Guizot! Did you just simultaneously hijack and shit on this thread? I think you did. Your baggage does not mean shit to me or anyone else, so I strongly suggest you un-fuck yourself before someone else does it for you. **::MOD WHISTLE::** **Jake Jones** , you’ve been here for at least a year, so you should know the rules by now. That type of language is made for the Pit, not IMHO. This is a warning: Do not do this again. Idle SDMB Mod ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/33 "2011-06-19T03:36:33Z")
nm ---
**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, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/34 "2011-06-19T03:44:18Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > Holy fucking shit, Private Guizot! Did you just simultaneously hijack and shit on this thread? Only because it may be outside your particular realm of experience, but perhaps not for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/35 "2011-06-19T03:58:01Z")
> [@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? > [@](#): > > 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? You’re shooting it out nineteen to the dozen this evening. Cut out the snark, now. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/36 "2011-06-19T04:10:03Z")
I’ve noticed in this particular thread, and generally on the SDMB, that people have gotten extremely sensitive about being told how words are supposed to be used or pronounced. It’s not against the rules, obviously, but come on, folks! If people are going to throw fits when others present facts or reasonable arguments contrary to popular perception, we might as well shut this place down now. As for Tijuana, both arguments are correct, each without invalidating the other–well, in my opinion, at least. A lot of people do say “Tia-Wanna”, and as [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tijuana), “Tia Juana” seems to have been a false back-formation from the local aboriginal word “Tiwanna”, coined by settlers from other parts of Mexico. The _Tia-Juana_ spelling does appear on some old maps, and even at least as recently as 1980 or so, the river was sometimes labeled _Rio Tia Juana/ Tia Juana R._ on maps even while the city was denoted _Tijuana_. ---
**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, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/37 "2011-06-19T04:11:43Z")
Nineteen to the dozen means I’m a motor mouth. I’m not sure how that applies, or what I’ve done to solicit a “Moderator Note” If you’re going to warn me about skirting posting guidelines, please do so with specific violations. If you want to call me an asshole, feel free. Otherwise? WTF, dude? I have no way to translate your “note” into meaningful data. Please feel free to elaborate. ---
**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, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/38 "2011-06-19T04:18:51Z")
Dude, just get a grip! All I said was that pronouncing Tijuana as ‘Tia-Wanna’ grates on my ears. ---
**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, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/39 "2011-06-19T04:23:02Z")
Dude, when your geography puts you at odds with an overwhelming majority of the population on the continent you live on, pertaining to the pronunciation of a city in another country? I think you need to get a grip, not me. ---
**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, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997/40 "2011-06-19T04:24:11Z")
Also, you didn’t just claim that it grates on your ears. You claimed that it’s wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tijuana-is-not-pronounced-tia-wanna/585997.md?page=3)