So, is the use of...

[Lewis526]

Lima = "Leema".

That's a city in Peru.

Bless this thread. It warms the cockles of my heart!

 

[BOZ]

in illinois there's a city called Cairo.

now, most of us would say "KHI-ROW", like the egyptian city, right?

well, folks from around that way call it "KAY-ROW" - you know... like the syrup. in fact, at my job, when i have to call customers, i've been "corrected" about the town's pronunciation! yeesh.

 

[Stormborn]

In the heart of Alabama I was once asking for directions to a little town near the GA line called "La Fayette" which is names after the famous French general and diplomat. After 10 minutes at a gas station being told "there aint no such place" I finally got "OH! You mean LHa-fAY-ut!"

And I'm just as much from rural Alabama as he was, just a different part.

Don't even ask how many ways there are to pronounce "Helena."

 

[Mkhaiwati]

cairo is one example of Illinoisians getting it wrong, another is Orion up near the Quad cities. Most say o-RI-on, such as in Men in Black. Everyone there says O-ree-on.

As a person born in Texas and raised in Illinois, I still get a slight accent with my relatives. Ya'll are forgettin' another good-un from down there... fixin'

I am fixin' to post a reply, then I am fixin to go finish my laundry.

Take care ya'll

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I find it to be grammatically incorrect and inappropriate for use in conversation.

 

[Nifft]

New Yorker here. I use "y'all" occasionally when I want to disambiguate second person plural, but only in very informal situations.

Cheers, -- N