Correct Pronunciation of 'Louisville'

[Scottish Lass]

When we lived in Louisville there was a t-shirt going round - you can probably still find it online - that had Louisville spelled out the 5 or 6 different ways it is pronounced. Everything from Lewisville to Looeyville to Luvul to Loouhvul. Fun!

Saw it in Meijer just a few months ago---they drag it out for Derby, the golf tourney, etc.

-----Added 3/18/2009 at 11:35:21 EST-----

Georgia pronunciations:

Louisville - Lewisville
Cairo - KARO (long a, long o)
LaFayette - pronounced like it is spelled - La FAy ette (first a short, second a long)
Albany - Al Benny is close enough to get you safely out of town.

Plus the capital sounds more like ADD-lanta. (I grew up in Gwinnett, so I can tell on myself!)

We did manage to leave the pronunciations of Rome and Athens alone, though. I used to drive through Hopulikit--pronounced Hope You Like It, of course. Needless to say, their welcome sign was frequently stolen.

 

[Herald]

Everyone knows you pronounce Louisville as "loser" - as in, not going to win the NCAA tourney!

hmmmmm "Loserville, Kentucky"? (adds that one to lullvull, etc.)

I like the city. I'm not calling the city or anyone it a loser. I'm just not picking them to win the tourney.

 

[Whitefield]

Everyone knows you pronounce Louisville as "loser" - as in, not going to win the NCAA tourney!

hmmmmm "Loserville, Kentucky"? (adds that one to lullvull, etc.)

I like the city. I'm not calling the city or anyone it a loser. I'm just not picking them to win the tourney.

Actually there is a local radio host who has lots of comedy on his show. He regularly has a segment where an imitator of a past coach of the arch-rival to the University of Louisville continually refers to Louisville as "Loserville". The imitated coach is Joe B. Hall and I'll let you guess the school (hint: it isn't in the NCAA this year). It is always a hilarious segment. I know both of us were using the "loser" label in jest.

 

[LawrenceU]

I was just joshing a bit re: Kentucky being in the South. That has been a debated issue for generations, even before the War. I gladly accept Kentucky.

Which side? both in reality. It was a border state and views ranged on both sides. Officially it was neutral. But, that didn't last long. One of the reasons that the fatalities were so high is that it sent a lot of men to both armies. If you check closely I think you will find that a great many of those deaths from Kentucky were 'irregulars'. There was a lot of partisan activity in both directions in Kentucky.

Would that be the same reason that Missouri's fatalities were so high?

That is a large part of it.

 

[Rangerus]

My aunt says the locals in Louisville say it is like "Loolville". Sound right?

 

[Marrow Man]

My aunt says the locals in Louisville say it is like "Loolville". Sound right?

Now this is what happens when I don't get on all afternoon. I miss this entire thread...

Your aunt is right about the front half (Luh- or Lool- is what most say), but no one from here says "-ville." It's "vul", as most has said on this thread. As a matter of fact, when we first moved here and I was pronouncing it "Louie-vill", some folks in the congregation laughed and said that people would know for sure I was a transplant if I did that!

Since I grew up about an hour away from Louisville (pronounced "Lewis-ville"), Georgia, I was just glad I wasn't saying "Lewis" all the time!

 

[KMK]

My aunt says the locals in Louisville say it is like "Loolville". Sound right?

Now this is what happens when I don't get on all afternoon. I miss this entire thread...

Your aunt is right about the front half (Luh- or Lool- is what most say), but no one from here says "-ville." It's "vul", as most has said on this thread. As a matter of fact, when we first moved here and I was pronouncing it "Louie-vill", some folks in the congregation laughed and said that people would know for sure I was a transplant if I did that!

Since I grew up about an hour away from Louisville (pronounced "Lewis-ville"), Georgia, I was just glad I wasn't saying "Lewis" all the time!

Thanks for your help! But I am still unclear whether y'all use two syllables or three... If three, what is the middle syllable?

 

[Glenn Ferrell]

As seven games of the 2009 NCAA Tournament will be played in Boise, you should know the correct pronunciation is not

Boy-ZEE,

but

BOY-See.

 

[Marrow Man]

Thanks for your help! But I am still unclear whether y'all use two syllables or three... If three, what is the middle syllable?

It seems some use two and some use three. I've heard it different ways (hence, the t-shirts).

Two syllables: Luhl-vul

Three syllables: Lu-a-vul (but the middle syllable is barely spoken; it runs together with the first syllable, which leads to a morphology that sounds very much like the first pronunciation).

 

[Scottish Lass]

Swallow as much of the middle as possible--it's generally two syllables.

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

I am headed down there in an hour. It is lua vil.

We call it Lewey Ville in Hoosier land.