Forecast: Bring an Umbrella to SC10

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A lot of folks will be leaving for SC10 already this week. So if you’re wondering what to pack, the long range forecast coming out of November 7 would seem to suggest that you bring an umbrella.

And since we’re doing tips, here is some vernacular help from resident Graydon Wilson:

New Orleans is pronounced “New OAR-luhns“. There is one segment of the population there who say it “Noo AW-yuns”, but those who do so are usually older, often quite a bit older. Their pronunciation is less seen as the world gets more connected, something we see among so many older dialects everywhere.

The pronunciation “New or-LEENS” is heard fairly often, but always from people who live elsewhere and are generally unfamiliar with New Orleans. It always grates on the consciousness of residents, akin to fingernails on a blackboard. It sometimes shows up in song (such as, “Do you know what it means, to miss New Orleens?”), but that’s more the function of poetic license and the need to rhyme.

The pronunciation “Nawlins” or “Nawleans” are inventions created for the benefit of tourists. It’s a little bit of fun, admittedly, but I have not ever met anyone in New Orleans who says it that way in ordinary conversation.