Date: Wed, 23 Feb 1994 18:42:00 EST
From: "Dennis.Preston" 22709MGR[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MSU.BITNET
Subject: Re: [u]/[ju] in Houston
Buena Vista, IN (bet you can't find it on a map) is also pronounced [byuna
vIsta] (read schwa for a) and comes with a folk etymological narrative. It is
said that the local priest (who, of course, knew Latin) gave the community
this Latin name for 'pleasant view.' The Mexican-American War naming fetish
apparently left no folk memory (even though there is a Saltilloville-you can
guess the pronunciation) not far away.
Dennis Preston