Or, as the majority would say, "Hon-uh-ROO-ROO".
Can you perhaps explain why people from L.A. used (in the 30s and 40s) to pronounce the name of their city "Los AN-gel-eez" (with a hard "g"), while today it is pronounced "Los AN-jel-iss?"
Likewise Honolulu: Used to be pronounced "Hon-uh-LOO-luh," and is now pronounced "Hon-uh-LOO-LOO."
Regards,
Ha Ha Ha my mom used to say Los AnGeleez. She was the only one. I used to look at her weird. No idea where that came from!
Or, as the majority would say, "Hon-uh-ROO-ROO".
Sam Yorty, LA's last great mayor, who ran City Hall from 1961 to 1973, pronounced it "los Angle-liss."
Early in the twentieth century, one of the local newspapers tried to get readers to use the Spanish pronounciation for the name of the city, but they didn't have much success.
Great question. I'm not the person who knows, but it seems like the hard g was common with Midwesterners who moved to Southern California. Later on, East Coasters brought the soft g.
That's my hypothesis anyway, and it may be completely wrong. Neither corresponds to the Spanish pronunciation. Maybe that's where the problem came from.
Maybe early arrivals tried what they thought was the Spanish pronunciation but could only manage a g rather than an h, and later arrivals didn't bother with either, but just pronounced it like in US English. The sound of "Los" also changed from a long to a short o.
Jack Webb did a lot to make the current pronunciation standard. If you've got the time and energy, there may be enough broadcasts on Youtube that you could trace the changes.
“I had to shoot him, judge, my wife was in danger.”
“Mr Redd, our records say you are not married.”
“Didn’t say I was.”
“Are you Mr John Redd, of Hawaii?”
“Yes. Honowuwu.”
Then maybe you can tell me why people who don’t live in my state, New Jersey , think we all pronounce it ‘’Joisey’’. We don’t. If anything people here in The Garden State have no discernible accents. Now go across the Hudson to NYC and there are accents aplenty!