# why is Illinois pronounced that way? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2016, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337 "2016-02-27T22:03:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/61 "2016-02-29T16:42:40Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > Chicago has a street named after Goethe – the German poet, not the school board member 🙂 – and almost nobody (but the CTA robot) pronounces it Ger-tuh. The Germans in Chicago have, of course, doubled down by calling their local cultural center the Goethe-Institut. 😛 How DO they pronounce it? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/62 "2016-02-29T16:47:27Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > How DO they pronounce it? GO- thee. With a soft th. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/63 "2016-02-29T16:53:54Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > For the same reason the border city of Calais, Maine is pronounced exactly like _callus_, and not _cal-AY_. There is a street in Torrance, CA, named Calle Mayor. We pronounce it Kalley (rhymes with “alley”) Mayor (rhymes with “Mayor”). In Indiana there is a city named Terre Haute. I wanted to use the French pronunciation, but since I am a native of Indiana myself I relented and gave the name its common pronunciation of “Terra Hote” (rhymes with “coat”). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/64 "2016-02-29T17:15:40Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > No, it would be pronounced more like “day mwahn.” :smack: Of course it would be “day”! That was just a brain fart. I was actually wondering if the oi = wa thing happens before an N or not. I remember that there were some rules that changed in front of N. I guess this isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/65 "2016-02-29T18:51:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > :smack: Of course it would be “day”! That was just a brain fart. > > I was actually wondering if the oi = wa thing happens before an N or not. I remember that there were some rules that changed in front of N. I guess this isn’t one of them. When “oi” comes before an “m” or “n” (unless it is followed by a vowel or another “m” or “n”) it is pronounced like a nasal–namely, “wang,” but with the “g” sound suppressed. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/66 "2016-02-29T19:17:09Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > :smack: Of course it would be “day”! That was just a brain fart. > > I was actually wondering if the oi = wa thing happens before an N or not. I remember that there were some rules that changed in front of N. I guess this isn’t one of them. And we all remember Count de Monaillle. It’s good to be the King. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/67 "2016-02-29T21:27:35Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > When “oi” comes before an “m” or “n” (unless it is followed by a vowel or another “m” or “n”) it is pronounced like a nasal–namely, “wang,” but with the “g” sound suppressed. And when e is followed by two m’s, the e is pronounced like an a. E.g., femme is pronounced fahm. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/68 "2016-02-29T21:39:50Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > There is a street in Torrance, CA, named Calle Mayor. We pronounce it Kalley (rhymes with “alley”) Mayor (rhymes with “Mayor”). > … That’s pretty surprising. Many (Most?) Southwestern cities have a Calle or two. Typically pronounced more or less “KI-yay” (long I sound) which is mostly decent gringo-fied Spanish. The whole time I lived in SoCal (20+ years) or Phoenix (1+ years) or Vegas (10+ years) I don’t think I ever encountered somebody other than an obvious noob pronouncing Calle as Kalley (rhymes with “alley”). Are there other Kalleys in Torrance or just the one? Any "KI-yay"s just for variety and to fool the tourists? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/69 "2016-03-01T00:44:39Z")
I don’t know offhand; I’ll check my map. ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/70 "2016-03-01T01:12:05Z")
I see an exit sign Langlois 1 mile and I think ‘how am I supposed to say this…’ ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/71 "2016-03-01T01:31:10Z")
I found Calle de Andalucía, Calle de Aragon, Calle de Arboles, Calle de Cabrillo, Calle de Madrid, Calle de Primera, Calle de Ricardo, Calle Mayor, Calle Miramar, Calle Rio Street (a pleonasm, actually). That’s ten. All in the same area, part of the city of Torrance near the southern end of Redondo Beach. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/72 "2016-03-01T01:57:43Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > There is a street in Torrance, CA, named Calle Mayor. We pronounce it Kalley (rhymes with “alley”) Mayor (rhymes with “Mayor”). > In Indiana there is a city named Terre Haute. I wanted to use the French pronunciation, but since I am a native of Indiana myself I relented and gave the name its common pronunciation of “Terra Hote” (rhymes with “coat”). See an earlier post in this thread, wherein it’s noted that the native pronunciation of Terre Haute is actually surprisingly close to French. “TAIR-uh” is just fine (yes, the -e is pronounced by many real French, especially in songs, and especially in southern France). The “HOTE” is fine, too, except for the “h” sound. Or maybe you wanted to pronounce it with a throaty French “r.” Okay, point taken! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/73 "2016-03-01T02:06:20Z")
@ **dougie\_monty** : Next time I’m out there I’ll drive around there and ask folks how they say those streets. Thanks. Calle Rio Street isn’t a pleonasm; it’s an abortion. Gotta hand it to the developers; illiterate fools the lot of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/74 "2016-03-01T02:24:54Z")
I know the French don’t pronounce the “h” sound. But we from Indiana who speak English do pronounce it. Calle Rio Street IS a pleonasm (redundancy), since “calle” means “street.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/75 "2016-03-01T02:36:38Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > I know the French don’t pronounce the “h” sound. But we from Indiana who speak English do pronounce it. > Calle Rio Street IS a pleonasm (redundancy), since “calle” means “street.” Yeah, it absolutely \*is \*a pleonasm. As you say. What I meant was that pleonasm wasn’t nearly a strong enough pejorative for how awful it is. IOW: It’s not just redundant, it’s appalling. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/76 "2016-03-01T03:18:38Z")
Well, if we’re going that route, how do we feel about that shining example of a pleonasm, “the La Brea Tar Pits”? Me? Meh. It’s fine. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/77 "2016-03-01T03:29:45Z")
That gets a special pass IMO because of the language changes and because that’s the name of the area which was originally a separate town. IOW it’s The (Tar Pit City) tar pits. Tar Pit City has a lot of other stuff in it like a park, a library, a school, houses, a fire department, etc. In addition to the namesake tar pit. We don’t think “La Brea public library” is silly; what does a tar pit need a library for? We just think the city name sounds nice in English and means something else in Spanish. The town of Huntington Harbor has a harbor in it. When we see the Huntington Harbor library we don’t wonder why the books aren’t all wet. And if somebody referred to the “Huntington Harbor harbor inlet” we’d Be OKish with that. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/78 "2016-03-01T04:13:07Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yeah, it absolutely \*is \*a pleonasm. As you say. > > What I meant was that pleonasm wasn’t nearly a strong enough pejorative for how awful it is. IOW: It’s not just redundant, it’s appalling. Yeah. That too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/79 "2016-03-01T17:12:32Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > In an earlier thread, it seems William Webster is one of the truly great Americans. He simplified word spellings to erase 1,600 years of confusion in the old country… There was no confusion in the old country. Webster just created a lot of confusion between countries. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337/80 "2016-03-01T17:36:25Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Would you guys say it somewhat shows Americans’ lack of regard for other languages? Sure, as soon as you explain why the Japanese say anime instead of animation and hamburgu instead of hamburger. Wasn’t it the Romans who decided a small island in the west part of Europe should be called Britain? How many different names does Christopher Columbus have anyway? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-illinois-pronounced-that-way/747337.md?page=5)