More than one St. Louisan has recently noted Gov. Jay Nixon’s frequent linguistic acrobatics, often switching between “Missour-ee” and “Missour-ah.” Pronunciations are a funny thing in the Show-Me State. They aren’t always accurate—but they’re never dull. If you live in St. Louis, the lingo comes with the territory. Here’s a guide (newcomers, take note) to those not-so-obvious streets and neighborhoods:
Bellefontaine Neighbors:
It’s pronounced BELL-fountain—though if you grew up in this area, BELL-fant-in is also acceptable.
Bevo:
The E in BEE-vo is pronounced differently than the E in A-B InBev, which sold the neighborhood’s historic namesake—the towering, Dutch-inspired windmill/restaurant at Gravois and Morgan Ford—to the city in January.
Creve Coeur:
French for “broken heart,” it’s pronounced, in this city, creev-CORE.
Des Peres:
Despite the name, pronounced duh-PAIR, there is only one.
DeBaliviere:
Said duh-BOL-ih-ver, this is a prime example of how St. Louisans did away with the highfalutin French of the city’s ancestors.
Florissant:
It’s FLOR-uh-sunt—not like fluorescent lighting.
Gravois:
Pronounced GRA-voy, with an A as in “grab,” any mispronunciation is a dead giveaway of an outsider.
The Local Lingo
By SLM Staff
