There is a flavor at the zoo called "Mackinac Island Fudge." In recent days I've done an informal study of how many people call it Mackinack (pronouncing the hard c at the end) versus how it's supposed to be pronounced, Mackinaw. I was surprised that most people pronounced it Mackinaw as opposed to the incorrect way, which I'd been calling it. I suppose I thought the w-ended pronunciation was a regionalism. But I was wrong, because the Indians who named the place pronounced it Mackinaw. This has forced me to give some credit to the supposedly geographic-illiterate U.S., where even Wisconsin residents can pronounce a foreign-looking word correctly.
(But can they tell me what the capital of Ecuador is?)
Just a few more observations:
--I've seen more strollers in the past few weeks then I think I've seen in the preceding 22 years of my life. And I keep calling them "prams."
--A young girl came in today named Kennedy. I thought this was a strange name and wondered where it came from, and what kind of a parent would name their child such. Apparently, according to behindthename.com, Kennedy is the 110th most popular girl's name in America, right above Amanda (!).
--A different young girl, about 10 years old, came in and said the following: "Chocolate? I've never had chocolate ice cream before!" How, I asked myself, is this possible?
--Yet another young girl came in and said of her companion's choice of getting her ice cream in a dish: "You're eating ice cream with a spoon? That's funny." What is it with kids these days?
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2 comments:
Quito. But I digress.
FWIW, http://hunts-upguide.com/mackinaw_city.html, which is an online guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, has this to say under "Pronunciation advisory:"
"Mackinac" is perhaps the most widely mispronounced of any Midwestern place name. Get it right! Here's a simple fact: no matter how it's spelled, "Mackinac" and "Mackinaw" are always pronounced the same way - the "Mackinaw" way. The "c" in "Mackinac" is silent, so the last syllable is "naw." The French spelled the Indian word "Mackinac," the English spelled it "Mackinaw." Mackinaw City, at the north tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, is spelled the English way.
I live on Mackinac Island year-round. It most definitely is pronounced Mackinaw. (Mackinaw is the British spelling while Mackinac is the French spelling.)
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