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Pedants' corner

How do you pronounce 'Des Moines', as in the place in Iowa....?

25 replies

flowerybeanbag · 05/01/2008 22:19

Is it -

Dez Moynz
Day Mwa

or something else?

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expatinscotland · 05/01/2008 22:20

Da Moyne

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peachygirl · 05/01/2008 22:20

deh moyn

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donnie · 05/01/2008 22:21

De Moyn

I only know this because of a Joni Mitchell song!

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expatinscotland · 05/01/2008 22:21

i've been there.

it's a shithole .

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donnie · 05/01/2008 22:22

pmsl Expat!

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expatinscotland · 05/01/2008 22:25

Maybe it's gotten better since I've been there.

Hope so, cuz the restaurants weren't so good - lots of those chains. Sob!

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tangent · 05/01/2008 22:28

Like it reads, not french. Silent s in des. Second s not siletn. De Moyns.

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flowerybeanbag · 05/01/2008 22:31

Ooh thanks everyone!

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donnie · 05/01/2008 22:31

why do yo want to know beanbag?

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Verso · 05/01/2008 22:47

LOL @ this thread. I am reading yet another Bill Bryson book and still had no idea how to say Des Moines and was talking to DH about it the other day - then it came on the news in the graphics but no one pronounced it!!!

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notapushy1 · 05/01/2008 23:10

Well, according to Wikipedia, it's quite French-sounding:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Moines,_Iowa

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SantaBeClausImWorthIt · 05/01/2008 23:11

I wondered about this because on the news they were pronouncing it Dez Moinz

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MsHighwater · 06/01/2008 21:54

Ooh, what news was that? I've always thought it was Day Moyns.

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BecauseImWorthIt · 06/01/2008 21:56

BBC 24 I think - we have this on a lot so probably unlikely to be another station

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expatinscotland · 06/01/2008 21:57

NO ONE pronounces either 's' over there, no matter how the ponces on BBC are saying it.

Trust me on this!

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WideWebWitch · 06/01/2008 21:58

Bill Bryson is frm there iirc.

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expatinscotland · 06/01/2008 21:59

That explains a lot, WWW .

I told my sister about this thread.

I said, 'How do you pronounce 'Des Moines''.

Without missing a beat she replied, 'Shithole.'

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WideWebWitch · 06/01/2008 22:03

lol

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flowerybeanbag · 07/01/2008 09:32

donnie I wanted to know because DH asked me, I've no idea why he wanted to know actually. I think he was idly wondering and I said I am sure I can find the answer on MN. And I was right, I will tell him 'shithole'...

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FluffyMummy123 · 07/01/2008 09:33

Message withdrawn

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LeonieD · 07/01/2008 09:36

This reply has been deleted

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RosaLuxOnTheBrightSideOfLife · 08/01/2008 01:06

I noticed on the BBC news the other night the newsreader chickened out and said 'Now over to our reporter in Iowa' when the caption below said reporter said Des Moines.

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UnquietDad · 09/01/2008 20:47

I thought it was said "Des Moynes". Who sounds like he should be a football manager.

Obviously it comes from the French and it would be "day mwan" if you said it een a frunch aksurnt.

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Bewilderbeast · 09/01/2008 21:20

de moyn

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yurt1 · 09/01/2008 21:22

I have always wondered this - Dez Moynes in my head...

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