Pronouncing Los Angeles
Photo by ask via Flickr
One of the debates that swirls around Los Angeles is a basic one that has been going on for over a century: how to pronounce the City's name. We've given you a pronounciation guide for L.A. leaders, so here's a little more on the City's name pronounciation...
In 1923, Will M. Cressy of San Francisco wrote that there were 26 ways to mispronounce Los Angeles, to which columnist Jack Smith later wrote that "in the 1930s there were as many ways of mispronouncing Los Angeles as there were radio announcers."
In 1952, after touring the nation, Mayor Bowron found it necessary just before the City's 171st birthday celebration to convene a panel of 20 experts to define the true pronunciation. But, the results were inconclusive - no definitive pronunciation was proclaimed or adopted.
Perhaps we just rest assured by the words of Jack Smith: "I suppose there will never be any right way to say Los Angeles."
Mr. Smith is probably right. Even with our current Mayor's heritage, his pronunciation is more anglicized than that of Irishman Tom LaBonge, who uses the LA Times masthead version: "Loce Ahng-hail-ais."
Post Script...
It's interesting to note that in that same year of convening a committee to adopt an official pronunciation (1952), the L.A. Times referred to Mayor Bowron's true opinion:
"Although reluctant to reveal his personal pronunciation of the City's name, the Mayor prayed that civic pride would prevent its citizens from ever, ever referring to it as 'L.A.'"
Guess we've all messed that up.
Post Post Script...
Speaking of pronunciations, does anyone remember what Al Gore said when he came to Pacoima? Yep, he called it "Pack-o-ee-ma"; he tried to fit in, he really did. Too bad it was not the right time to use Spanish pronunciations for a Tongva word.
LA City Nerd contributed to the this post.