The French pronounced Illinois as ill-in-weh, and in 17th century French the sound weh was written ois. So – the French misheard the Indians, and the Americans misread the French, anticipating Rauner and Madigan in a tradition that is now more than 300 years old.
Why is Illinois pronounced without the s?
Illinois is a beautiful, big state, and anyone who lives in it can proudly pronounce it correctly. That’s Illi-noy—no pesky “s” at the end. Illinois isn’t the version of the name; rather, it is the French pronunciation of the original word.
How do locals pronounce Illinois?
Illinois
It’s “Ill-annoy.”
Why does Illinois have an S on it?
That’s Illi-noy—no pesky “s” at the end. However, most Illinoisans likely don’t know how the state got its unusual name. Illinois was named after the Illinois River, which was named by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in an attempt to map the region’s many rivers and waterways.
Is the last S in Illinois silent?
It annoys people from this state when people pronounce the final syllable in “Illinois” to rhyme with “noise.” The final S in “Illinois” is silent. BUY THE BOOK!
Why is Arkansas pronounced wrong?
So why do we pronounce them differently? We can thank the French. Arkansas was named for the French plural of a Native American tribe, while Kansas is the English spelling of a similar one. Since the letter “s” at the end of French words is usually silent, we pronounce Bill Clinton’s home state “Arkansaw.”
What is the hardest state to pronounce?
His results were published in The New York Times and concluded that Nevada is the most mispronounced state, with a handful of other areas following close behind. If you’d like to know how you’re butchering your own state name, keep reading. And for more difficult places, This Is the Most Mispronounced Town in the U.S.
Is Illinois an Indian word?
The Prairie State gets its official name from Native Americans. Illinois comes from “Illiniwek,” which is what the Illini people were called. The name means “best people.” Illinois is the spelling we use for the indigenous people the French explorers encountered in the region in the late 17th century.
Is Nevada or Nevada pronounced?
Politicians on the campaign trail often confront the question: Is there a right way to pronounce a state’s name? You say Ne-VAH-duh, I say Ne-VAD-uh. According to Nevadans, the latter is correct and the distinction is important.
How do natives pronounce Baltimore?
Many Baltimore natives pronounce it “Bawlmer” or “Bawl-ah-mur.” This is just one example of Bawlmerese. Later in our program, we’ll give you a lesson in this local way of speaking in Baltimore. Baltimore is a historic port city in the eastern United States, sixty or so kilometers from Washington.
Is Illinois pronounced or Illinois?
Illinois. The common pronunciation of the state of Illinois ends with NOY, but you might hear a pronunciation ending in z, similar to that in noise, especially in southern areas of the U.S. The word is French-based so the French pronunciation ill-i-NOY makes less noise.
Do some people pronounce the s in Illinois?
Illinois has a silent “s” sound, so it should be pronounced “Il-ih-NOY,” not “Ill-ih-NOISE.” And for more places with hard names, This Is the Most Mispronounced City in the U.S.
Is Illinois a French word?
Borrowed from English Illinois, from a French adaptation of an Algonquian name derived from Miami ilenweewa (“he speaks the regular way”).
Is it illegal to say Arkansas?
So no, it’s not illegal to pronounce Arkansas incorrectly.
Both Arkansas and Kansas derive their names from the Native-American Kansa tribe (pronounced as Kan-SAW). Kansas is an English spelling of the tribe’s name, leading to the current pronunciation. Arkansas is french, and the trailing “s” is therefore silent.
Why is Colonel pronounced weird?
“Colonel” came to English from the mid-16th-century French word coronelle, meaning commander of a regiment, or column, of soldiers. By the mid-17th century, the spelling and French pronunciation had changed to colonnel. The English spelling also changed, and the pronunciation was shortened to two syllables.
Why do British say leftenant?
According to military customs, a lower ranking soldier walks on the left side of a senior officer. This courtesy developed when swords were still used on the battle field. The lower ranked soldier on the “left” protected the senior officers left side. Therefore, the term leftenant developed.
What are the most mispronounced words?
The Most Mispronounced Words Of 2021 (United States)
- Cheugy [CHOO-gee]
- Chipotle [chih-POHT-lay]
- Dalgona [tal-goh-NAH]
- Ethereum [ih-THEE-ree-um]
- Ever Given [EV-er GIV-en]
- Glasgow [GLAHZ-go]
- Kelce [KEL-ss]
- Shein [SHEE-in]
Why are there no reservations in Illinois?
There are no federally recognized Indian tribes in Illinois today. The Indian tribes of Illinois are not extinct, but like many other native tribes, they were forced to move to Indian reservations in Oklahoma by the American government.
What was Illinois’s slogan before Lincoln?
“State Slogan”
Illinois designated “Land of Lincoln” as the official state slogan in 1955. Regarded as a great symbol of democracy, Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States and is honored for his noble vision, statesmanship, humanity, and political skill.
What are people from Illinois called?
People who live in Illinois are called Illinoisans, Illinoians and Illinoisians.
How do you pronounce Hawaii?
Hawaii is properly spelled Hawai’i where the apostrophe indicates what is called a glottal stop. A glottal stop is a momentary pause in the flow of air, like between the syllables of the interjection uh-oh. The correct pronunciation is huh-WAH-ee with a glottal stop.
