On Sun, 31 Oct 2010 22:38:42 -0400, Michael Robinson wrote:
"Jim Thompson" wrote in

Pronunciation Puzzle...

Nevada
^----- where are people getting that what I'd call "harsh-A" sound?

"Nevada" would certainly, I'd think, have Spanish naming origin,
wouldn't you think?

Wiktionary says Nevada comes from Spanish, "snow-covered," so I guess you're
right.
But there are places a-plenty that we Amurrikins don't pronounce correctly.
For example, Ausable Chasm in New York.
People pronounce it "ossa-bull" but it comes from the French Au Sable, which
means sandy and is pronounced Oh-Sobbla (sort of).

http://inogolo.com/pronunciation/Nevada ;-)

BTW,
If you're ever in the area of Pascagoula, MS, and ask for directions to
"pass-CAG-yu-la" you stand a good chance of getting beat up. ;-)

(It's pass-kuh-GOO-la.)

Cheers!
Rich