# pronunciation: New Orleans



## Outsider

Until recently, I had only heard people say 'New Or-leens', but in the aftermath of this terrible hurricane I've noticed that British newscasters say 'Or-lee-ans'.
How do you say it?


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## shadow link

Well I have always said "New Orleeeeeeens", but yes I have heard some people even here in Australia saying "New Orlans".


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## Cracker Jack

Since it is located in the US, it should be pronounced as New Orleeeeens, the way English people do.  In France, there is a place Orleans, delivered by Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) from the British. But it is pronounced as Or-le-ongh (it should be nasalized).  The last syllable is midway between ong ongh angh.

The Spanish people pronounce it as Or-le-ans.  But since it is in the US, it should be Orleeeens, with due respect to them.


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## Outsider

Cracker Jack said:
			
		

> Since it is located in the US, it should be pronounced as New Orleeeeens, the way English people do.


But some English people pronounce it 'Or-lee-ans'; that's my point!


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## GenJen54

> Originally posted by *Cracker Jack*
> Since it is located in the US, it should be pronounced as New Orleeeeens, the way English people do.


You are making quite an assumption here by thinking that accents in the United States, particularly the Southern United States, should follow the British prescriptives for pronunciation.

Many of New Orleans' own denizens would probably laugh if you insisted this be the case.  They pronounce it *New'awlins*, by slightly eliding the "oo" sound from "New" and pronouncing the "or" as "aw," as in "saw," with an ever-so-slight "uh" sound before the "aw."

Part of this pronunciation has to do with Louisiana's location in the Southern United States. Most of it, however, comes from the influence of the Cajun dialect, which is a veritable jumbo of lingustic gumbo, including French, Indian, English and even some African dialects.

People in my region of the country (South central US) say _*neither*_ "New Or-lee-ahns," _*nor*_ "New Or-leeens," as you've described. We say simply: NewOr'-lins, with emphasis on the first syllable, "or." Like the Cajuns, we also elide the New, so the full "oo" sound is not completed. 

I think it would do the contributors to this thread a great credit if you would do more specific research on the subject before posting something based upon what you have heard from only two different media sources.


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## Outsider

Thanks for your detailed explanation, GenJen54, and don't forget to vote in the poll.


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## Kelly B

I'm the current voter for "other:" I usually say NewOrlins or N'orlins, as GenJen described.


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## xav

The English pronouciation is nearer to the French one.
Old-fashioned French people even say "La nouvelle Orléans" !
But of course, the point is : How do the inhabitants say ?
Orleeeens !


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## swift_precision

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> You are making quite an assumption here by thinking that accents in the United States, particularly the Southern United States, should follow the British prescriptives for pronunciation.
> 
> Many of New Orleans' own denizens would probably laugh if you insisted this be the case. They pronounce it *New'awlins*, by slightly eliding the "oo" sound from "New" and pronouncing the "or" as "aw," as in "saw," with an ever-so-slight "uh" sound before the "aw."
> 
> Part of this pronunciation has to do with Louisiana's location in the Southern United States. Most of it, however, comes from the influence of the Cajun dialect, which is a veritable jumbo of lingustic gumbo, including French, Indian, English and even some African dialects.
> 
> People in my region of the country (South central US) say _*neither*_ "New Or-lee-ahns," _*nor*_ "New Or-leeens," as you've described. We say simply: NewOr'-lins, with emphasis on the first syllable, "or." Like the Cajuns, we also elide the New, so the full "oo" sound is not completed.
> 
> I think it would do the contributors to this thread a great credit if you would do more specific research on the subject before posting something based upon what you have heard from only two different media sources.


 
Couldn't have said it better myself....and yea I prounounce it "NewOr-lins"  Which I think is about as close as you can get to the actual pronounciation.


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## GenJen54

> Originally posted by *Xav
> *But of course, the point is : How do the inhabitants say ? Orleeeens!



I'm sorry, Xav, but this is incorrect.  Please see below. 

This is an excerpt from "How Ta Tawk Rite," a treatise on New Orleans Lexicon and Pronunciation.  You can find the website *here.*

First off, <new or-LEENS> is generally a no-no. It's like putting a big, red neon sign on your head that says, "I'm not from around here." As also mentioned above, the two main exceptions are when it's pronounced like that in song lyrics (easier to rhyme, but contributes to the confusion of non-natives) and when "Orleans" stands alone without the "New", as in Orleans Parish.

Much of the City of New Orleans sits in Orleans Parrish (pro. Or-_leeens_), but the city itself is not pronounced that way. (see above)


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## Outsider

xav said:
			
		

> But of course, the point is : How do the inhabitants say ?


I'm interested in the replies of all native speakers of English, not just  those from Louisiana.


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## Aupick

When I first went to live in the US I got laughed at for calling it 'New Or-lee-ans', so I started saying 'New Or-leens'. Then I got to know a former resident of the city who told me it should be 'N'orlins', as GenJen54 and Kelly B have said. But it sounds silly coming from a British mouth, so I've reverted to 'New Or-lee-ans', just as I still say 'Paris' with an 's' on the end, even though it's not pronounced that way by Parisians.


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## VenusEnvy

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> We say simply: NewOr'-lins, with emphasis on the first syllable, "or."


I'm from MD, and I say it this way, as well.


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## BasedowLives

as far as i know, the natives of new orleans say it "Na-awlins"
 i say "new ORlins"


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## cuchuflete

I sort of agree with BasedowLives and GenJen...I would just transcribe the sound a little differently. I've visited that city a dozen times, and have heard many of the locals--not all--especially the working class people, compress it so that it sounds like:

Nawlinz or, if they say it more slowly, Náawlinz.​​


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## Kräuter_Fee

Spaniards say "Niu Orle-áns", but I learnt with an American teacher it's "New Orli:ns"... so I say "Niu Orli:ns"... I thought it was the only correct version, but I see it's not


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## Cracker Jack

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> You are making quite an assumption here by thinking that accents in the United States, particularly the Southern United States, should follow the British prescriptives for pronunciation.
> 
> Many of New Orleans' own denizens would probably laugh if you insisted this be the case. They pronounce it *New'awlins*, by slightly eliding the "oo" sound from "New" and pronouncing the "or" as "aw," as in "saw," with an ever-so-slight "uh" sound before the "aw."
> 
> Part of this pronunciation has to do with Louisiana's location in the Southern United States. Most of it, however, comes from the influence of the Cajun dialect, which is a veritable jumbo of lingustic gumbo, including French, Indian, English and even some African dialects.
> 
> People in my region of the country (South central US) say _*neither*_ "New Or-lee-ahns," _*nor*_ "New Or-leeens," as you've described. We say simply: NewOr'-lins, with emphasis on the first syllable, "or." Like the Cajuns, we also elide the New, so the full "oo" sound is not completed.
> 
> I think it would do the contributors to this thread a great credit if you would do more specific research on the subject before posting something based upon what you have heard from only two different media sources.


 


Thanks for the correction.  And I'm sorry I stated in an earlier post the word English.  It should have read the Americans.  No I don't insist on this because I'm not from the US.  But what about the rest of the Americans, how do they pronounce it?

In the news accounts I watch from cable TV, I hear it that way.  They don't broadcast news with southern accent.  I based my post on what I hear.  However I do not impose them. I am just giving my two-cents worth.  I won't argue with you on this matter because you are more of an authority being a native speaker and a resident of that region.


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## ere2005

I'm new... and this list is very interesting!

I'm with GenJen on this one.  My vote would have to be, "none of the above."

I grew up in Missouri but now I live near Louisiana, in Texas. I've always said "noo~are'-lins."

I've heard some people from southern Louisiana say "Naw'-lins."

I've heard people from northern Louisiana make a very prissy point of saying "new      ore'-lee-anns" (space intended to convey the pointed pause).

I've heard sports announcers in Texas say "noo~ore-leenz' " (which just sounds dorky/contrived).

But mostly, I hear people from Louisiana and Texas and Missouri alike, say "noo-are'-lins" like I do.


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## sergio11

At one time or another, I have heard all the pronounciations listed above. My opinion is that the pronounciation "New Orleens" is getting more and more rare and far in between.  I used to hear "New Orleens" more frequently 29 years ago when I first got here, especially from New Englanders, but not as much now.  

Nowadays, when you come across people from New Orleans and pronounce it "New Orleens", they usually correct you.  Any of the other variants you can say without being corrected by the natives.

This is my observation without a scientific study or any type of statistics.


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## foxfirebrand

I vote with GenJen and others who also agreed with her-- she was quite _close_ to the true state of things.  And I'm as puzzled as she is, just why English speakers should determine how a French-influenced city in the heart of Darkest Dixie should pronounce its name.

The only thing I'd add is the y-upglide that follows the initial "N."  You don't wanna be saing _nooo_ like a Yankee.  The Southern "new" is pronounced _nyeuw._  I would phoneticize the elided form, as in New Orleans, as _n'YAW-l'ns_.  

People down there who say "nyew or-LEEENs" are just hamming it up, or being fanciful, like the Alaskan who says "Alasky-by-Crackie!" when you ask where he's from, or the similar "West-by-God-Virginia."


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## elroy

I say "New Orlins."


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## jacinta

Yep.  I say New Orlins also, with  emphasis on the "Or".


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## Mr X

I say New Orleeens, as in:

I left my wife in New Orleans
With 45 cents and a can of beans


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## Jose Carlos

Hi

I've heard reporters from the Voice of America in the same text pronouce both New 'Orleans and New Or'leans which is enough for me, that is, I guess both can be used.
Genjen54's explanation is very convincing. That's nice.


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## Nick

We say "New Or-lins" or "New Or-leans" or "New Or-lee-uhns".

I usually pronounce it the first way. I think it is the most common (for non-natives, of course) and most newscasters pronounce it this way as well.


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## ayed

Well, I pronounced it :
New-or-lee-yanz"lianz"
thanks


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## 'alexcia'

I have never pronounced it as 'New Or-lee-ans'. I always say 'New Or-leens'.. But I think both can be used.


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## fenixpollo

Yesterday on Public Radio in the U.S., there was a story about people who refuse to leave N.O.  One 3rd-generation resident spoke about her hometown, pronouncing it New OR-lee-ans. 

Click here, then click "Listen" to hear the story.


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## daviesri

Ñore-linz  (sorry about the spanish 'ñ' but I am not sure how to write out that sound.  Maybe an 'ny')


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## Tabac

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> Many of New Orleans' own denizens would probably laugh if you insisted this be the case. They pronounce it *New'awlins*, by slightly eliding the "oo" sound from "New" and pronouncing the "or" as "aw," as in "saw," with an ever-so-slight "uh" sound before the "aw."
> 
> QUOTE]
> I was on an escorted tour of the Big Easy a couple of years ago, and much attention was given to the correct pronunciation of the city's name.  With several natives among us, I discovered that there are many pronunciations which will not raise eyebrows.  The most common was the above; 2nd in rank was nearly the same, *N'awlins.  *Two are absolutely taboo:  anything resembling the original French   and New Orleeeeeeeeens.
> 
> So, I cannot vote in the poll.


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## supercrom

I always listened to the second Pron. Nevertheless, in Spanish we say "Nueva Orleáns" /or-le-áns/. New Orleens sounds strange to me.

I would say New Ór-lee-ans /njú ó:r-li-ans/, I wouldn't even emphasise the R.

*Cheers*

*Supercrom*


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## dave250

New Or'-lens, New Or'-li-ens, Ne-wah'-lens


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## VenusEnvy

dave250 said:
			
		

> New Or'-lens, New Or'-li-ens, Ne-wah'-lens


So, which one do you use?


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## dave250

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> So, which one do you use?


 
 The first one.


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## TgaGirl

I always say, New Orleens, and I'm pretty sure most of the people I know down here in NZ. I don't think there's really any wrong way to say it, surely?


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## foxfirebrand

TgaGirl said:
			
		

> I don't think there's really any wrong way to say it, surely?


 
Can you really call a place anything you want?  

If I call Seattle _SEE-t'l_ and Minneapolis Min-NEE-pliss and Greenwich GREEN-wittch and Caen KEEN and New Delhi New DEE-ly and Lima LEE-ma....

Oh wait, that last one was right.  But you see what I mean.


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## weesiokbee

hi! new orleans? there's really no wrong or right pronunciation of this at least on the cultural point of view. What I mean is people from different cultures with different accents or manner of speaking can pronunce the word  in their culture, in their own accent but of course grammarians and public speakers has always their say on it according to what they have studied.


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## QUIJOTE

Interesting enough the way everyone said they pronounce it, all are in the dictionary.


http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=new+orleans&x=15&y=13


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## Maestro TD

> …What I mean is people from different cultures with different accents or manner of speaking can pronunce the word in their culture…


I completly agree. Where I am from, I would pronounce the city as "Noo Orleenz". That's just how I say it in normal converstaions from my area of the U.S. However, if I were to be around any inhabitants of the city, I would try to adapt to the way it's pronounced over there.


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## foxfirebrand

weesiokbee said:
			
		

> hi! new orleans? *there's really no wrong or right pronunciation* of this at least on the cultural point of view. What I mean is people from different cultures with different accents or manner of speaking can pronunce the word in their culture, in their own accent but of course grammarians and public speakers has always their say on it according to what they have studied.


 
It's one thing to say PERR-iss instead of pa-REE because certain languages have their own way of pronouncing faraway places.  I notice the idea was raised that, if you go to a faraway place, it might be a good thing to change your pronunciation to the correct form.

I suggest that in today's world pa-REE isn't as far away as it used to be.  This forum is immediate, it exists at our fingertips.  The faraway is less and less exotic *as we become more educated about each other.* 

I used to talk about a city in Iddaly called NAY-p'ls.  Then I lived in NAH-pu-lee for three years.  It's a faraway city now, but not so far from my heart, and I don't call it by the name a foreigner to that place would use.  I think when I was younger I was more ignorant, and it is a good thing to become less ignorant.

Even so, a lot of people will go on saying Noo Or-LEEEEENZ.  If that's what you do in your culture, you won't have problems in that context.  But I still think it's going overboard to say the things I highlighted in boldface in the quote above.

It's one thing to say we have our own way of saying things.  It's another to say *"there's really no right or wrong pronunciation." *  Would you say the same thing about your own name?


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## Outsider

Note: the conversation I was having with foxfirebrand, Brioche and GenJen54 has been split to another thread.


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## foxfirebrand

Outsider said:
			
		

> Note: the conversation I was having with foxfirebrand, Brioche and GenJen54 has been split to another thread.


 
For the record, I disagree strongly that the topic of deliberate and more-than-slight mispronunciation of place names is outside the purview of the English-only forum. We are talking about language usage.

I answered your (to me) misguided reaction of "taking things personally" over on the cultural issues forum, but I won't be squabbling about extra-linguistic ramifications and getting off topic over there.

Whether you in particular wanted to do combat over the shoulds and shouldn'ts of behavior was never my concern-- my opinion about using language with discretion and flexibility was meant for the forum at large to react to, and I had looked forward to other responses *on the topic of language use.* 

That I will do with anyone who continues replying to this thread.


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## Outsider

I thought it would be neater that way, but as you wish.



			
				foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> For the record, I disagree strongly that the topic of *deliberate and more-than-slight mispronunciation of place names* is outside the purview of the English-only forum.


Who says it's 'deliberate'? You called it 'ignorance'. Ignorance isn't necessarily 'deliberate'. 



			
				foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> We are talking about language usage.


But I was expanding the topic beyond *the English language*, and beyond *the phrase 'New Orleans'*, which is why I thought it would be more appropriate to move on to a different thread, and a different forum.



			
				foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> I answered your (to me) misguided reaction of "taking things personally" over on the cultural issues forum, but I won't be squabbling about extra-linguistic ramifications and getting off topic over there.


Sociolinguistics is extra-linguistic?


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## fenixpollo

Maestro TD said:
			
		

> Where I am from, I would pronounce the city as "Noo Orleenz". That's just how I say it in normal converstaions from my area of the U.S.


 TD, I live in the same part of the country as you, and I say it New OR-lins.   Two Texans that have posted (ere2005 & davriesi) also have different pronunciation from each other.  

On the other hand, posters from Maryland, The Rocky Mountain West, California, New York, The Middle of the U.S. and even a New Orleans native have the same pronunciation as each other.

Maybe it depends more on what's accepted in your circle of friends and family than on your region -- in some cases.


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## Maestro TD

> Maybe it depends more on what's accepted in your circle of friends and family than on your region -- in some cases.


It is not just pronounced in my _circle of friends and family_, thank you very much. I didn't say *everybody *says it in that manner. Yes, I know you say it that way, but a majority in my community (outside my family and friends) pronounce it as I do.


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## fenixpollo

Maestro TD said:
			
		

> It is not just pronounced in my _circle of friends and family_, thank you very much. I didn't say *everybody *says it in that manner.


I know you didn't, and neither did I.  That was my point -- just to make the observation that different people in the same region say it differently.


> Yes, I know you say it that way, but a majority in my community (outside my family and friends) pronounce it as I do.


 I don't know if a *majority* in my community (outside my family and friends) pronounce it as I do, but I know that my pronunciation is common in our state.

I wasn't implying that your pronunciation is _wrong_... just observing the different ways of pronouncing it depending on the individual, rather than on his or her region.

And I should have suggested that pronunciation "might depend more on what's accepted in *one's* circle of friends and family than on *one's *region."

Sorry for the unintended offense.


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## Go army5

"New-ore-leans" thats how we americans say it some people say it in a differnt way i dont know why but its like that.


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## Brioche

Outsider said:
			
		

> Until recently, I had only heard people say 'New Or-leens', but in the aftermath of this terrible hurricane I've noticed that British newscasters say 'Or-lee-ans'.
> How do you say it?



I was listening to National Public Radio's "All things considered" this morning.

The reporters clearly said "new OR-linz".


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## DPR

1) //New AW-lee-'nz// is prevalent among some Louisiana/New Orleans natives (perhaps mirroring the original French, as the Spanish does). Also, we shouldn't forget the variations that can exist between some Caucasian speakers and African-American speakers. The above pronunciation came from an African-American friend from New Orleans.

2) Thanks to Firebrand for the worthwhile comments about "foreignness" and diversity. Many expatriates, for instance, adopt certain "native" pronunciations even when speaking in their mother tongue. Some more interesting examples to add to your discussion include transliterations/transcriptions: Mecca/Makkah...the Indian cities like Bombay/Mumbai or Calcutta/Kolkata...Bejing/Peking...Szechwan/Sichuan. This includes both pronunciation and written form, and issues such as adopting the native form vs. using the "naturalized" English form. And certain forms are less proximate than others, often dependent on similarity to traditional English pronunciation (e.g. Zhongguo for China, as in Mandarin, would need a much longer time to catch than Roma for Rome.)


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## Rogue_Chere09

This is an interesting thread.

I think the pronounciation of New Orleans has to be one of the hardest pronounciations to write out. I live in southern Missouri and there a several different pronounciations I hear all the time. Each of these pronounciations sound very different, but when you're trying to find actual letters to go along with them, it becomes difficult.

The pronounciations I hear the most are N'orlins (it sort of sounds like Na-Or-lins), Nawlins (Naw-linz), and New Orlins (New Or-linz). It's very rare around here to hear everyday people say New Or-leens or New Or-lee-ans. Usually people on TV and people who do the news (anchormen and reporters) will say New Or-leens or New Or-lee-ans because it sounds more professional and you don't have to worry about anyone not understanding you due to an accent.

That's just my two cents and I know that people from different regions and places are going to pronounce it differently.


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## cas29

There is an "Orleans" near Ottawa, Canada and it is pronounced Or-LEENS by the Anglos and Ohr-ley-ahn by the Francophones.  For New Orleans I think most people not from the spot say New Or-leens, that's what I mostly hear.

People from a spot very often have their own pronunciation --- Toronto is T'ranna, Ottawa is Oddiwa.


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## nmuscatine

I say "New Orlins," like many of the other Americans reported that they say.  I'm from California, and most people around here tend to say it like that.  I do also hear "New Orleeens" somethimes. I think older people are more likely to say that, or people who didn't grow up in California.


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## MarcB

New Orleans= new orleens = people not from there. norlins=people not from there. New orlee-aans =people from there . New orlins= people from there. Remember most French speakers in Louisiana are from rural La not New Orleans. Many other variations exist outside the state.


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## meanderer

Suppose I am in the minority as far as natives go. Cajun French was my grandmother's native tongue. We say New Or-lee-ans.  MarcB is probably closest to our pronunciation, but would say the accent falls a little more on the 'Or'.


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## gasman

When visiting New Orleans, on several occasions, I never heard anyone saying anything but Noo Orleens, never never New as I know New.


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## cycloneviv

This thread seems to at times have drifted decidedly towards defining the "correct" way to say "New Orleans", and/or arguing about whether there is/should be a correct pronunciation. I believe the original question was "How do you say it?"

In my area, as has been stated by other antipodean members, it is commonly pronounced "Nyew Or-leens". Pronouncing it "Ny'orlins" or anything similar would probably have you marked down as a bit of a prat, unless, of course, you are American. This is not to say that "our" way of saying it is correct; it is simply answering the thread question.

On the topic of correctness, it seems there are at least three ways that a native of New Orleans would say the name of their city. Which one's _more_ correct? (This is a rhetorical, off-topic question.)


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## patte_d_anguille

I once knew a girl from New Orleans and she would say New Or-lee-ans.


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## SoBelle

I couldn't have said it better myself, GenJen54.  I am moving to the New Orleans area, and I'm a Southerner.  I have listened to people pronounce New Orleans all my life, then I went to the area and listened to how the locals pronounce it.  Not only do they pronounce it N'awlins, they frequently write it that way, too!


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## Nucleara

<Off-topic chatter removed by moderator.>
Well I call it 'New-or-leans'!


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## SoBelle

<Off-topic chatter removed by moderator.>


 I think we can all "agree to disagree" without getting so personal.  There might be English majors who feel most comfortable with the more formal pronunciations and locals/regionals who want to pronounce things the way their family or peers do, so I think we can safely say there are more than a couple of ways to pronounce New Orleans.  I think the closest, phonetically, to the way I pronounce lies somewhere between Noo-Oh-linz and Noo-Or-linz, with little separation between "New" and "Orleans."  Am I right?  Yes, to those who say it like I do.  Am I wrong?  Yes, to those who don't pronounce it the way I do.


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## flinchy

Hey everybody - first post, but please don't hold that against me. 

This might be slightly off-topic because the original question was "How do YOU say it?"  However, it seems that a lot of people are curious to find out if there is in fact a "correct" pronunciation, so I'll proceed as if that had been the question.

Just so you know where I'm coming from, I should state my opinion that the people who live in a place should be the final arbiters of the correct pronunciation. Outsiders can voice their opinions all day long, but in the end their opinion carries no real weight. The locals get to decide how it's pronounced. So for example, there's a town in Pennsylvania called North Versailles, and it is pronounced North Ver-SALES. (I know, horrible, right?) Outsiders can protest all they want, native French speakers can say "Mon dieu!" and make the sign of the cross, but in the end the fact remains that however ugly it might sound, the correct pronunciation is North Ver-SALES. Why? Because the people who live there say so. End of discussion. 

I've lived in New Orleans for 14 years and count among my friends many local writers, culture mavens, musicians, and just locals in general. Among these folks, there is no disagreement - they are all completely consistent on how to pronounce the name of the city. It's really not ambiguous. And they will all tell you that there are two - but only two - correct pronunciations.

So this is definitive (he said pompously).

*clears throat*

The formal (but less common) pronunciation of New Orleans is four syllables, and the more common one is 3.

The Formal, Correct Pronunciation is (drum roll, please):

new OR-lee-yuns.

I know this may come as a shock, but that is correct. Four syllables. Emphasis on 2nd. New OR-lee-yuns. When it's said quickly with the local accent, it sounds like: nyoo AH-leeyuns. It's worth practicing a few times: new OR-leeyuns, new OR-leeyuns, new OR-leeyuns.

Having said that, it is only a small percentage of the local population who take the trouble to pronounce all four syllables on a consistent basis. These people comprise about 10% of the population and fall into several categories:
* TV newscasters
* politicians
* local "gentry," i.e. snooty rich people
* miscellaneous locals who just like to get things right

The other 90% pronounce it as three syllables, which is also correct, just a slightly more lazy way of saying it. This is the classic, common pronunciation that most people use, and you will never be wrong to pronounce it this way:

new OR-lins.

Said with a local accent, it sounds like: nyoo AH-lins.

So there you have it. For the record, I have almost never heard anyone in New Orleans say it as two syllables, e.g. "N'Awlins." In my opinion, that's an urban legend. If you are in New Orleans and say "N'Awlins," locals will look at you funny.

And all locals also agree that "new or-LEENZ" is always wrong. That is the very worst thing you can say. It marks you as an ignorant outsider. I think the reason so many people pronounce it this way, ironically, is because of music: there are many well-known songs that pronounce it incorrectly, presumably because it's easier to rhyme. The most egregious example is Johnny Horton's "The Battle of New Orleans," which includes the infamous line "and we caught the bloody British in the town of New Or-LEENZ." People from New Orleans cringe every time they hear this. It's wrong, wrong, wrong.

I hope that clears it up. Have a good day and please visit New Orleans soon - we need you!


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## ewie

Wow, that pretty much says it all, Flinchy ~ thanks and welcome to the forum

(For the record ~ not that I have to say the name more than about once a decade ~ I fall into Flinchy's 'miscellaneous locals who just like to get things right' category)


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## baa7ith

flinchy said:


> And all locals also agree that "new or-LEENZ" is always wrong. That is the very worst thing you can say.



Was just about to say.


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## natkretep

Thanks to flinchy for bringing up the distinction between the formal and informal pronunciation - so it does look as if the situation is certainly not straightforward.

I'm also in general agreement that the local pronunciation gets priority, but it is also tricky in that it needs to be 'translated' into the speaker's accent. For example, New Orleans speech is non-rhotic, but I would expect a speaker with a rhotic accent to include the /r/ sound. And as cycloneviv as indicated, if in your accent 'new' always contains the /j/ glide, it would be artificial to say 'noo'. And so on. Some amount of naturalisation seems required. I'd happily continue to refer to Gothenburg or Munich or Canton, though if I were in these places, I might try to approximate the Swedish Göteborg, German München or Mandarin Guangzhou. (The last is also complicated, because of course Mandarin is the northern dialect, rather than the local dialect.)

By the way, I say /njuː'ɔːlɪənz/ nyew OR-lih-uhnz.


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## boozer

And I am totally unfamiliar with any local dialects and pronunciation varieties. I don't even remember ever saying it.

But in my head it sounds like /njuː ɔː'liːnz/


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## nmc831993

Hi, I'm from New Orleans and just found this thread because I was becoming incredibly annoyed by the pronunciation of New Orleans on "The King of Queens" where they kept saying "New Orleeeeens."  Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, they claimed the locals say "N'awlins."  That pronunciation only comes from Cajuns who live in more rural areas of Louisiana, and is only actually used by locals during a yearly weekend festival called "Naturally N'awlins."  Locals actually pronounce it closer to "New Orlens" or "New Orlans" putting emphasis on "OR."  So if you read this please pronounce it this way, and definitely don't claim that locals say "N'awlins."


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## margiemarz

"nyew'Aw-ins" it is for me (Baltimore, Maryland _Bawlimmer, Merilin_).


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## tammara

NEW ORLEANS was named after the Duke of Orleans.  It is pronounced NEW OR-LE-ANS.  To pronounce it any other way is incorrect.  A proper name is never pronounced differently than the intent of the persons who named it.  There is no English pronounciation other than New Or-le-ans. Any other pronunciation is based upon ignorance.  The city is used poetically in song as New Orleans.  Perhaps this is the reason for the common mispronunciation.


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## Alxmrphi

> A proper name is never pronounced differently than the intent of the  persons who named it.  There is no English pronounciation other than New  Or-le-ans. Any other pronunciation is based upon ignorance


Ah, I see you're new here


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## Miss Julie

My husband grew up all along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. (including New Orleans), and he pronounces it as three syllables ("OR-lee-inz"). As stated, it more closely resembles the French pronunciation.


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## George French

Outsider said:


> Until recently, I had only heard people say 'New Or-leens', but in the aftermath of this terrible hurricane I've noticed that British newscasters say 'Or-lee-ans'.
> *How do you say it?*


 
*It* of course.

Nevertheless I interpret your question as "How do *I* pronounce New Orleans?" I pronounce it as *new or lee on, a *sort of French pronounciation.

I know that others pronounce it differently... It is nice to see all these differences?! The great thing about our common language is that I recognise most of the posted pronounciations... and I know they all refer to New Orleans...

GF..

What a great language we have!


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## boozer

Miss Julie said:


> ...and he pronounces it as three syllables ("OR-lee-inz"). As stated, it more closely resembles the French pronunciation.


Now that really confuses me 

No English pronunciation of the city in question, as described here, bears any resemblance to the way _Orléans _sounds in French.


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## Miss Julie

boozer said:


> Now that really confuses me
> 
> No English pronunciation of the city in question, as described here, bears any resemblance to the way _Orléans _sounds in French.


 
By "more closely," I was referring to the number of syllables used (_"OR-lee-inz" vs. "Or-LEENZ"_). I'm sorry that I confused you.


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## pob14

flinchy said:


> The other 90% pronounce it as three syllables, which is also correct, just a slightly more lazy way of saying it. This is the classic, common pronunciation that most people use, and you will never be wrong to pronounce it this way:
> 
> new OR-lins.
> 
> Said with a local accent, it sounds like: nyoo AH-lins.


 
I started saying it that way after visiting there and hearing the locals.

Before that, I was an ignorant "new or LEENS" outsider.


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## Egmont

tammara said:


> NEW ORLEANS was named after the Duke of Orleans.  It is pronounced NEW OR-LE-ANS.  To pronounce it any other way is incorrect.  A proper name is never pronounced differently than the intent of the persons who named it.  There is no English pronounciation other than New Or-le-ans. Any other pronunciation is based upon ignorance.  The city is used poetically in song as New Orleans.  Perhaps this is the reason for the common mispronunciation.


I don't suppose you've spent much time in Schenectady or Albuquerque.


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## Alxmrphi

I would say the [li:nz] pronunciation, even if people told me it's not how it's pronounced there, it's my pronunciation. I'm not alone with it and it feels natural to me.
Why are we policing pronunciations? We don't police accents that naturally have diverging qualities, so why would we when a difference in pronunciation occurs for the same word?

People get so.. counter-intuitively wound-up about such petty things...


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