How do you pronounce "Wilshire" as in "Wilshire Blvd. nee 78th Street"?

[Joe Kimball]

More importantly, is there a definitive way it IS pronounced, or was when 78th became Wilshire?

Inspired by this thread.

This one is the bear, in my opinion. I've heard both with some consistency over the last 25 years.

I've always said "WILL-sure", after the Los Angeles street and a nod toward the pronunciation in the UK, which is more "'-sheer" if I'm right, with dialectal variants upon that theme of course.

[Snowman]

My guess would have been OKC just continued the name from what Nichels Hills called the road when nothing else was in the area, which given the other east/west street names in the area means that it probably was intended to use a British inflection

[kevinpate]

wilSHIRE. Perhaps it is the overgrown hobbit in me.

[BlackmoreRulz]

wilSHIRE. Perhaps it is the overgrown hobbit in me.

Same here, thought he missed a third option.

[OKCisOK4me]

I only pronounce it Wil-SHY-ur because of The Lord of the Rings...

[betts]

I lived on it for about 8 years and we called it Wil-shur. And actually, in England shire is pronounced sure/shur.

[KayneMo]

I pronounce it "wil-shur."

But I prefer "wil-shuh."

[Joe Kimball]

I lived on it for about 8 years and we called it Wil-shur. And actually, in England shire is pronounced sure/shur.

Thanks for the tip. I may have heard an exception to the rule.

I didn't know people were out there pronouncing it with the stress on the second syllable....

[Zuplar]

Since this is America I pronounce is Wil-shy-ur. That's usually the way I hear it pronounced. I'm amazed at both these threads and how people pronounce things differently. I guess maybe people with accents over the years from other parts of the country say it a way and it's interpreted as a different pronunciation.

[traxx]

The neighborhood at 122nd and Macarthur is Warwick but I believe the British pronounciation is Warrick.

[adaniel]

FWIW, in Los Angeles, they pronounce their street as Wil-SHIRE. But of course we do things a bit differently in Oklahoma (See MiamUGH)

[Jersey Boss]

This is an informative and fun quiz on different dialects and pronunciations.

American Dialect Quiz New York Times 2013

[RadicalModerate]

Mos'ly: "will-shure"
(Air Depot: both ways "deep-oh" and "depp-oh" dependin' ifin im-a tawkin' t' summons who says "Will-SHIRE" 'r not.
at that point, I try to launch into an Irish accent (not a northern irish accent, but a proper cat'lick sorta brogue with Swedish undertones. =)

it may be a coincidence that mos' folk who say will-SHIRE also refer to a nearby roadway as GRAHND (boulevard).
but pro'bly it ain't.

Folks who say or use "nee" outside of a crossword puzzle are descended from the remains of that knight in that monty python sketch.

please note that "folk" and "folks" are indeterminate in their plurality.
"folk" is apparently the preferred word for the group in Tennessee.
yet I've never been there, so i don't no fer shure.

[Joe Kimball]

FWIW, in Los Angeles, they pronounce their street as Wil-SHIRE.

Does the "SHIRE" most correspond with "shyer" or "sheer" or "sure"? And, I just spoke to two locals this morning who referred to "WIL-sure". I've also heard it pronounced that way on a situation drama from the 70s.

Folks who say or use "nee" outside of a crossword puzzle are descended from the remains of that knight in that monty python sketch.

Thanks!

[RadicalModerate]

Does the "SHIRE" most correspond with "shyer" or "sheer" or "sure"? And, I just spoke to two locals this morning who referred to "WIL-sure". I've also heard it pronounced that way on a situation drama from the 70s.



Thanks!

I misspoke: The knights who said "Nee" weren't the other knight in the historical account of King Arthur and Wholly GRAY-alls.
However . . . There is no possible way that "SHIRE" could be pronounced "SHEER".
Like, it's impossible. "SHEIR" mebbe . . . not "SHIRE" (pronounced: "sure" for the sake of certainty.)
(suddenly . . . i feel as if I've been transported back in time . . . to a TV set . . . in a foreign land . . . with an argument clinic . . .)

[zookeeper]

FWIW, in Los Angeles, they pronounce their street as Wil-SHIRE. But of course we do things a bit differently in Oklahoma (See MiamUGH)

I think this is where even trying to get a phonetic spelling is confusing. You see wil-Shire, but you mean "Wil-SURE." At least since that's how it's pronounced in Los Angeles I'm guessing you just confused the phonics. In L.A. it is defintely Wil-SURE Boulevard.

EDIT: It got me really thinking....I know that's right, but....I called the Hotel Wilshire and talked to the guy for a couple of minutes. He was very kind and laughed when I told him why I was calling. He said he's been in LA for 30 years and everyone calls it Wil-SURE (as does the hotel). He says every once in a while he'll hear "Wil-Shire" but it is usually people from out of town.

[Mel]

A will-shire fan here. In case this thread pops up I pronounce Covell road cuvill because it irritates my wife.

[ljbab728]

The street name is used numerous times here and it's very clear how it is pronounced in LA.



My brother has lived about a mile from Wilshire Blvd for about 20 years and that how he always pronounces it.

[zookeeper]

The street name is used numerous times here and it's very clear how it is pronounced in LA.



My brother has lived about a mile from Wilshire Blvd for about 20 years and that how he always pronounces it.

Exactly!

[Joe Kimball]

However . . . There is no possible way that "SHIRE" could be pronounced "SHEER".

I would agree. I wasn't concise as I could have been; I intended to say that it is pronounced with a NOD towards that word, not as a homonym. Again, it depends on the dialect and accent, of which there are many.

I called the Hotel Wilshire....

Thanks for doing that! Actually, when I was talking to said locals (locals both to this area and there, it must be said), the Hotel Wilshire came up heavily in conversation. And, yes, this way of phonetic spelling is difficult, but the actual phonetic alphabet is even worse, and practically a language unto its own. Almost like Cherokee.

[ctchandler]

Free Won't,
One of life's little mysterys, why isn't "phonetic" spelled "fonetic"? Actually, that's the way (phonics) I was taught and I'm an excellent speller. Of course, part of that is inherited, my whole family was pretty good, I was just arguably the best of the bunch.
C. T.

And, yes, this way of phonetic spelling is difficult, but the actual phonetic alphabet is even worse, and practically a language unto its own. Almost like Cherokee.