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Lovin life! No matter where we are or what we're doing.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

AUS-tin

My last post has inspired some great conversations among friends and family here in Austin. As Frank and I have talked more about what it's like for me to drive in Austin, another subject has arisen that I must write about, especially for those of you who don't live here.

To put it FRANK-ly (hehe), Austinites need "hooked on phonics" when it comes to pronouncing words. How would you pronounce the word, Manchaca, for example? Maan-cha-ka, correct? Not in Austin. If you were given directions by a local, he or she would tell you to "turn on 'Manshack'... and they would be referring to Manchaca. If I were looking for 'Manshack' (don't forget your Texan accent when you pronounce that, with emphasis on the first A!) as I was driving in my car, I'm not sure I would turn on Manchaca-- would you?

That's only the beginning! I started a list on my phone, just so I wouldn't forget to tell you:

A couple weekends ago we went to New Braunfels, TX for the day. It's an old German town south of Austin. We talked to a local outside a coffee shop while we were walking around who suggested we head up to Green, TX. That's what he said. But as we were driving home, we saw an exit on the freeway for Gruene, TX. If you know anything about phonics and/or the German language, I need not explain more. ;)

Then there's Burnett, TX... before you open your mouth, though, here's how it's pronounced: Burn-it. And we can't ignore Buda. The first time I saw that, I wasn't sure how to say it. The phonetics are not as easy to assume on this one. Don't worry, the good folks of Texas have figured it out for us. It's 'Bue-dah,' just in case you needed to know. (And if you're in Oregon, you want to know, because there's a huge Cabella's in Buda... of course!) ;)

I'm sure there's many more... I'll keep you posted as I stumble upon them. There's really never a dull moment here in Texas! ;)

Much Love,
Alita (& Frank)

2 comments:

  1. No kidding, grew up here and still can't figure out the names and pronunciation of them. LOL

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  2. Yeah, and don't forget to pronounce Cabella's as 'Kay-Bellas' That one gets me every time...

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