Ask Chicagoist: How Do You Say "Chicago"?

Shi-caa-ga

Shi-caa-ga, Ill-ih-noi.

Ever notice how many people say Ellinois? People on the news, even. I'm sure these are the same people who drink melk and sleep with their head on a pellow, but it's annoying.

I say shih-CAH-go, but none of the other pronunciations bug me. chick-AH-go or shih-CAW-go, whatever. As long as it's not followed by Ellinois.

A girl in Scotland didn't believe me when I told her my home state was pronounced Mishigan. All her life, she'd only heard it pronounced Mitchigan.

Hey now, Jake. 'Melk' is the one pronunciation that has stuck from my suburban Shi-cah-goe, Ellinois accent that has survived, as I've moved around the country.
I always thought the difference in pronunciation was more a suburban versus city accent. I grew up with more of a midwestern accent, although not as strong as most of my far west suburban classmates, but Shi-caa-ga accent was more akin to a Bronx accent. Like the difference between Long Island and Brooklyn, or something.

I grew up in the SW suburbs and I pronounce it Chi-caw-go. My parents, who grew up in the city, made it very clear that Chi-caw-go was the only correct pronunciation.

My seventh-grade teacher pronounced our state Ellinois. It drove me nuts!

Now if we can only figure out how to pronounce Matteson.

I never understood why Des Plaines is "displains" but De Moines is "duhmoyne."

It's a North-Side/South-Side thing. It's Chi-KAAH-go on the North Side, and Chi-KAHW-go on the South-Side. Either is fine. Just don't say Tschee-KAH-go, as all my friends in Germany insist it's called. That drives me crazy. (Aside: in Germany, an expression for an act of crime is "ein kleines Chicago" - "a little Chicago." Proud?)

While we're on the topic, it's Muh-WAH-kee, Wih-SKAAHN-sin. It's not Mil-WAH-kee. There is no L. And the first syllable of the state is WIH, not WIS. I can detect a Midwesterner out here in California in a second by someone who says Wih-SKAAHN-sin (or better yet, 'SKAAHN-sin) instead of the annoying and incorrect wis-KAWN-sin. Yuck.

NSH, it's Matt-eh-son. Like Madison, but with a distinct T instead of the D, though it often sounds like Madison anyway. I have a relative who used to work for the village, and the president (and apparently the founding family--the Mattesons) pronounce it as such.

I say "shi-CAW-go," though it's very slight. Kind of in between "cah" and "caw."

Jose, I too pronounce it "muh-WAU-kee," as in "M'waukee W'sconsin." Friend of mine once called me out on the "w'sconsin" pronunciation. It's rather subtle.

Also as a native chicagoan, I have no idea how I pronounce Chicago. As I can not remember the last time I used Chicago in a sentence. If someone asks where im from I just say my neighborhood, or parish or something like that. I do remember as a kid my cousins from batavia making fun of the way i say milk, which I am also unsure of how I say.

Let's go Honey Bunny We are going to be late, we are tennising with Buffy and Rex at the club this morning, then we have to go meet new people in Paris, lAA de dAAh!

I've never actually met a single Chicagoan who says Chi-kaw'-go without sounding like a Fourth Generation Daley Family Love-Child. It just sounds false - sorry buddy.

I buy rounds for guys from Chi-kah-go when I'm traveling around the world. I pretend I'm from California when I run into dudes claiming to be from Chi-kaw-go. They can go wear their Sox hats in someone else's face.

I lived most of my childhood years and many years after college and grad school in Chi-CAH-go, never feeling native enough, I suppose, to say Chi-CAW-go, which IS frequently heard around town, and has the patina--or the claim anyway--of native authenticity. It is...autochtonous.
To me, it always sounded either parochial or pretentious, as though the person is trying to really let you know that THEY--but not you--are a real Chi-CAW-goan.
And it's not just Daly. Anyone remember Fahey Flynn, the newsman? Or Joel Daley? These guys said something almost closer to Chi-COAH-go.
Also, the Cubs new announcer, Len Kasper--who used to call the Marlins games in Miami, or Mayamuh (Old South), or Ma-ya-mee (Spanglish), or Mee-ah-mee (Spanish)--likes to assert his local bona fides by saying Chi-CAW-go.
As far as I can recall, Chi-CAH-gah, or Chi-KEAH-gah, was more of an early 20th c. South Side Irish thing, or a Brooklyn thing, as if from a gangster movie, "Bugsy's goin' tah Chi-CAH-gah..." And some New Yawkuhs and New Englanders have also been heard to grate ears with Tche-CAH-go. Finally, when you go to France, you should say you're from Chee-kah-GEAU...

I live in the south suburbs (joliet). I say "Shee-kah-go. My mother insists it's "Shi-Caw-Goh" but that doesn't sound right to me. Sounds like a western accent to me. I went to Florida and they all made fun of the way I say syrup. Syrup. Seerup. They say "Surrup." Also Sausage. I pronounce it "Saahsage" whereas most call it "sowsage" which sounds ridiculous. and of course, they say "Mahp" for my "MAyAP" Maybe I've got my own accent going on. lol!

Hello.
I am from the UK and for a long time I have wanted a clarification of the pronunciation of Chicago. However, when I found your website today I was blown sideways by the many varying opinions but unfortunately my particular query wasn't addressed, so I wonder if someone can help me here? As follows:

1). I knew CHICAGO was originally a Native American place-name and your letters today illustrate admirably the probable / possible meanings of the word; also the French influence on the pronunciation of the name but none of them state HOW the ALGONQUIANS - or any other Native Americans of the area - would ACTUALLY have PRONOUNCED IT.
A long time ago, I was told they would have pronounced it as CHI-CA-GO, with she heavy 'Ch' sound and not the French 'Sh'..................
Is this correct?
Can any decendants of the Native Americans of the area, help me - or any Native American linguist experts?

Thank you very much.

Thelma Gemmell
London, UK.

Hello.
I am from the UK and for a long time I have wanted a clarification of the pronunciation of Chicago. However, when I found your website today I was blown sideways by the many varying opinions but unfortunately my particular query wasn't addressed, so I wonder if someone can help me here? As follows:

1). I knew CHICAGO was originally a Native American place-name and your letters today illustrate admirably the probable / possible meanings of the word; also the French influence on the pronunciation of the name but none of them state HOW the ALGONQUIANS - or any other Native Americans of the area - would ACTUALLY have PRONOUNCED IT.
A long time ago, I was told they would have pronounced it as CHI-CA-GO, with she heavy 'Ch' sound and not the French 'Sh'..................
Is this correct?

Can any decendants of the Native Americans of the area, help me - or any Native American linguist experts?

Thank you very much.

Thelma Gemmell.
London, UK.

I apologise for the four copies of my letter above - it wasn't deliberate by me, just that my PC hates me.

Sorry.
T.G.

"Over down der on Cicero."

Just to comment on a few posts: Matteson should be pronounced (MAT-suhn), but many people who have lived there or around there for years pronounce it (MAT-is-suhn). If you look at the word "Matte" which I would think most people are familiar with - you know it to be pronounced (MAT). Why then do people separate the "MATT" and the following "E" to make two syllables out of it. I work in Matteson and so does my mother-in-law and I usually hear her say "MATT-is-suhn" probably because she is always surrounded by locals who say it the same way. The second post I'd like to comment on is the one about Des Plaines and De Moines. That one is easy. Technically, Des Plaines should be pronounced (DAY-plenz) if you stick to the correct French pronunciation. De Moines should be (DUH-mwon)if you keep the same French pronunciation rules in mind. As far as Hobart, IN locals go - yes, they do pronounce it (HO-bert)as do I and about 90% of all natives of Lake County, IN (like myself). That one, I'll agree should be nothing else but "ho-BART", but I'll always say it the other way. I'm not sure if anyone touched on Merrillville, IN, but us natives of Lake County, IN and even outside of the area pronounce it (MERR-ih-ville) with no indication that there's 2 "L's" in the middle of the name. Funny.
I now currently live in Bourbonnais, IL. Now there's another subject of pronunciation!
When I first moved here I was floored by all the times I would hear (ber-BONE-ihs) and not
(ber-bun-NAIS). It is, after all, yet another French name that people have just butchered over the years. You can't blame them too much though, since a lot of them were taught by their parents and their parents' parents whom all lived in the area. Oh well!

I'm a lifelong Chi-CAA-goan (not ChiCAWgo, I pronounce everything all nasally like). I've grown enamored with Chicagoans who say "moran" and not "moron." My 29-year-old sister was convinced until two years ago that it was actually spelled "tomarrow." You guys are right about WisCAAHnsin. I do know people who say sassage and I personally was never aware that there was any other way to say Paul-eye-na unless you were in a different country. My hard consonants do not exist. I almost never pronounce the G at the end of a present verb. Extensions of my family leave out words in sentences on a regular basis, like, "the dog needs walked" or "the plants need watered" or "the floor needs cleaned." All store names have an apostrophe-S at the end of it: Jewel's, Target's, etc. This is because we grew up with Field's, and since it's now Macy's, I don't see the trend changing. I do know people who exclusively say "da" (not "the") or dere (there). Friends from out of town always try to say "Des Plaines" the correct French way (day plAA), at which point I laugh and tell them not to bother, they sound funny. My favorite true Chicagoan sentence: my fiance was telling me about how he used to play football with his big brother's friends on the south side, and "you knew sombodys was always gonna start trouble."

The one person is right, no one talks about MilWAAhkee anyway; for some reason all we care about is Madison. We even have Badgers ornaments at Field's this year.