Pronouncing “Nevada”

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hey, this is Stephen. I’m calling from Maryland.

Hi, Stephen. Where in Maryland are you?

I’m in Baltimore right now.

Baltimore. Okay, welcome to the show.

What’s on your mind, Stephen?

I have moved around a lot, and for part of my life, I lived in Nevada.

And once I left Nevada, nobody said Nevada.

So what I mean is, when I moved to North Carolina, kids on the bus would call it Nevada.

And I have gotten in many a fight because of this.

Because, you know, I was from Nevada, and I knew the way it was supposed to be pronounced,

And it seems like everyone else in the world says Nevada.

So I was wondering, I hope I’m not wrong, but is it possible that I’m saying it incorrectly,

Or is the rest of the world wrong?

Are you saying that you got in fistfights on the bus because they mispronounced Nevada?

Never fistfight, no. Still haven’t been in one of those in my lifetime.

No, just more me kind of screaming at kindergartners for mispronouncing the state.

I don’t know why it offended me so much, but it truly did.

When you were screaming at kindergartens, you were also a kindergartner, right?

Yeah, we can go with that.

I’m imagining a high schooler shouting at tiny little people.

No, this is cool.

I was probably second grade and just really felt like I had to defend Nevada from being called Nevada.

Right.

Well, you can tell people that if you’re in that state, that’s how you should be pronouncing it with a short A.

I grew up in Kentucky, and I have to confess that I pronounced it like your friends in North Carolina, Nevada.

I never knew anything different until just a few years ago.

And now I’m training myself to say Nevada because I’ve run into so many people from that state who are very, very insistent that it’s a short A.

In fact, I think the Nevada Tourism Authority puts a little short mark, a little brev on that A.

Yeah, in some of their materials.

They want the word to get out that it is Nevada.

My story is even worse.

I grew up in Missouri, and there’s a town that’s spelled the same, but it is pronounced Nevada.

So for me, the state was Nevada for a very long time because that’s how you pronounce the town in Missouri.

That’s so interesting.

There are people from other states that have a similar problem, people from Hawaii.

Most of the country doesn’t say it with that stop in there.

Right.

And people from Oregon.

It’s not Oregon or Oregon.

It’s Oregon, basically.

I was thinking about that.

Yeah, they have the same problem.

And there’s tons of local place names.

Look, you’re never going to correct everyone on this.

You might just hold on to it like secret knowledge, like a magic spell that you have and they don’t.

Because you might just find a way to relax and just enjoy the fact that they’re talking about a state that you love.

And tell them really wonderful things about Nevada since it came up.

I guess I can let it slide, but it’s good to know that in the context of the state that I’m correct.

Yeah.

Yeah, you are correct.

And everyone in Nevada is like cheering now.

Well, cool.

Thank you for your call.

We’re with you on this.

You’ve got the right pronunciation.

I would try to pick your battles and don’t fight kindergartners.

Stop that.

But otherwise, good on you, all right?

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Bye-bye.

Thanks, Stephen.

Bye-bye.

Bye.

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