Please explain the pronounciation of 'Los Gatos.' (Los Angeles, San Jose: school, to live in)

[gone down south]

It's "Laws Gahd-uz" in our house

[nmguy]

Los Gatos, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Los Baños: originally inhabited by mexicanos, now by gabachos. He who has the most money controls the pronunciation.

Being a retired Spanish teacher, I wince whenever I hear how folks pronounce the names of these cities. So much for authenticity.

[Wintermomma]

How should one pronounce Palo Alto? Both accurately with Spanish accent and with local gringo?

[treedonkey]

It's pro-nownced 'the cats'

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by nmguy

Los Gatos, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Los Baños: originally inhabited by mexicanos, now by gabachos. He who has the most money controls the pronunciation.

Being a retired Spanish teacher, I wince whenever I hear how folks pronounce the names of these cities. So much for authenticity.

I thought it was Los Banos - 'the bays.' Los Baños is 'the bathrooms.'

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by Wintermomma

LOL. I was thinking maybe it was all the Spanish influence in SoCal that has this silly thing eating me up.

The way people in LA pronounce Los Feliz is ridiculously wrong if we're going to be true to its spanish origins.

It is NOT pronounced LAWS-FEEliss.

And what about Palos Verdes?

It is NOT pronounced PALACE-VerDEES.

LOL

[nmguy]

Originally Posted by Wintermomma

How should one pronounce Palo Alto? Both accurately with Spanish accent and with local gringo?

Here's how you pronounce the vowels in Spanish . . .

A = a in father

E = e in met (at beginning or middle of a word) or like the e in café (at the end of a word)

I = ee in feet

O = o in bone

U = u in tune

Now, try to pronounce the name of this Mexican town: Parangaricutirimícuaro ;-)

[Wintermomma]

*snicker* Right after I figure out how to say the name of that volcano.

Okay Palo Alto with the 'a's prounouced like the 'a' in father? Sounds pretty! My son's Spanish Teacher is a native-speaker so he's ALL over my butchered SoCal pronounciations these days.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by Wintermomma

*snicker* Right after I figure out how to say the name of that volcano.

It's easy.. Eyjafjallajökullanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndro bwllllantysiliogogogoch. Rolls right off the tongue!

[jbunniii]

"San Francisco" and especially "Los Angeles" are among the more grossly mispronounced specimens.