Former names you use without meaning to

[jwolfer]

All those cities in India that were renamed (Madras, Calcutta, Bombay, Bangalore)- it's not that I'm opposed to using the new names, I just never remember that the names were changed.

"Istanbul was Constantinoble, now it's Istanbul not Constantinoble...." - They Might be Giants :-)

That's nobodys business but the Turks.. TMBG covered a song from the 1940s. Not sure of the original artist

[Brandon]

      - Rosemont Horizon instead of Allstate Arena

I've done this quite often, but..

I intentionally still call it the O'Hare Expo Center, not the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.  Why would I want to use a mobbed up mayor's name?

[slorydn1]

     - Rosemont Horizon instead of Allstate Arena

Wow, I didn't know they had changed the name. In today's world, I'm not particularly surprised, though.


Man I remember when the roof collapsed when they were building it. I saw a ton of concerts there back in the late 80's and everytime I stepped inside there I would think of the roof collapse during construction-never stopped me from going though.

[english si]

Sort of like China.. Peping--->Peking--->Being.. The powers that be changed the official English translation

Cape Cabo Verde being the one that catches me out. Also I tend to spell Cote d'Ivoire beginning with an I, and Myanmar beginning with a B if doing something like a sporcle quiz - mostly as it's easier to spell (though I can do Myanmar without thinking now).

I keep calling the League Cup (English soccer competition) the Carling Cup, which was the early 00s. Here in the 10s, it's the Capital One Cup. Sponsorship deals last a while, but I keep accidentally getting it wrong.

Also 'The Dome' rather than the O2, though that's naming the building, not the venue.

St James' Park (Newcastle FC stadium) had a sponsorship deal (briefly becoming the Sports Direct Arena). However so much vandalism happened that the current company that owns the naming rights chooses not to use them. Also, all the Media coverage of games were passive aggressive about the change in the first week or two, but then just called it St James' Park after that.

[J N Winkler]

All those cities in India that were renamed (Madras, Calcutta, Bombay, Bangalore)- it's not that I'm opposed to using the new names, I just never remember that the names were changed.

Of these four, the only one for which the new name does not appear almost homonymic to a spelling pronouncer like me is Madras (Chennai).  For the other three the deanglicization seems lighter and less politically loaded than, say, the question of whether to call a certain county in Northern Ireland by a name that has four syllables instead of two.

In spite of spending a month in Vienna, I never felt seriously tempted to call cities in the Slavic parts of the former Austria-Hungary (which were mostly under the Austrian part of the dual monarchy) by their German names (it is Bratislava to me, not Pressburg).  It really was not idiomatic at all to call them by German exonyms even in German-speaking contexts, such as the ÖBB railway timetable search engine.

"Istanbul was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul not Constantinople...."

It would be strange to call the former capital of Ottoman Turkey anything but Istanbul; "Constantinople" is really idiomatic only in historical contexts, such as when the Byzantine Empire is being discussed.

More marginal cases are cities in Spain which gave their English exonyms to battles in the Peninsular Campaign (part of the Napoleonic Wars).  As an example, I don't think anything but A Coruña would be idiomatic in Spain today (even La Coruña would be somewhat politically loaded), but you can probably go to England and dig up an old fossil that calls it Corunna by default.

[iowahighways]

This sometimes happens with radio and TV station call letters. Even though Channel 8 in Des Moines has been KCCI for more than 40 years, some older folks still call it by its original call letters (KRNT-TV).

[english si]

whether to call a certain county in Northern Ireland by a name that has four syllables instead of two.

The city that can be called either of the same two things is more controversial. Tends to be, in order to tread on the least toes, two-syllables for the city and four for the county. Unless, of course, you go down the six syllable route...

[Laura]

How about John Cougar Mellencamp?   I think many people slip up and use the Cougar name still, not to be rude, but out of habit.

However speaking of Prince, many people have become sort of weary too, that John Mellencamp changed his name three times since his first album.  He was John Cougar at conception, then he added on his real last name to it, and the last time he just dropped the Cougar to be his real name.  So many may say the whole Cougar thing just out of spite.

John Fill-in-the-Blank.

I refer to him as John Cougar Mellencamp because I really don't feel like trying to remember what he changed it to, plus everyone knows who I'm talking about that way.  In fact, since reading the last several posts, a call came in at work and I promptly forgot the history of his name; I am not going to re-read it to find out; I'm going to keep referring to him as John Cougar Mellencamp.

I just call him "Mellencamp" without either of the other two words, though that's not unique to him because I refer to Springsteen, Buffett, and McCartney the same way (though the same principle doesn't apply to everyone; Billy Joel or Mark Knopfler would be two examples where I don't use just the last name).

I call him John Mellencamp because that is the name he always wanted to go by. John Cougar was a record company creation and he hated it. So I don't have a problem with John going back to the name he always wanted to be.


iPhone

[GaryV]

I never say Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) but always say Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam - I had to look it up)

[PHLBOS]

Anyone still calling St. Petersburg (in Russia, not the city in Florida) Leningrad?  Granted, it was originally St. Petersburg prior to 1917.

Intentional or not, I still refer to the town in MA as Manchester as opposed to the current Manchester-By-The-Sea.

[1995hoo]

Anyone still calling St. Petersburg (in Russia, not the city in Florida) Leningrad?  Granted, it was originally St. Petersburg prior to 1917.

....

The sign at the entrance to the harbor does (I suppose from my point of view when I took this it was the "exit from the harbor" since we were leaving):

[catch22]

I still have the tendency to occasionally refer to our local department store as "Hudson's." even though the name changed to Marshall Field's in 2001 (and later, Macy's, after the Federated/May merger).
 

[Henry]

With the recent re-branding of Hess stations to Speedway, this might be a repeat of when Amoco stations were renamed BP. All of the old-timers I know refer to the stations by their former name instead of the ones that replaced them.

[roadman65]

Old timers from the early Baby Boomers and before do not like change.  Even my dad never stopped calling Route 3 in NJ "S3" when he spoke.

[texaskdog]

—"turn rOT where MagrudAHHH's used to be, then turn rOT again at the next stop sign."

You sure you're not from Boston?

[Big John]

With the recent re-branding of Hess stations to Speedway, this might be a repeat of when Amoco stations were renamed BP. All of the old-timers I know refer to the stations by their former name instead of the ones that replaced them.

I know some who still referred Amoco as its former name of Standard.

[Pete from Boston]

With the recent re-branding of Hess stations to Speedway, this might be a repeat of when Amoco stations were renamed BP. All of the old-timers I know refer to the stations by their former name instead of the ones that replaced them.

I know some who still referred Amoco as its former name of Standard.

Are there still Standard stations? I haven't seen one in 20 years, but I don't live in their territory.

[lordsutch]

It would be strange to call the former capital of Ottoman Turkey anything but Istanbul; "Constantinople" is really idiomatic only in historical contexts, such as when the Byzantine Empire is being discussed.

Although, oddly enough, "Istanbul" is simply a Turkish corruption of "Constantinople."

Almost nobody calls the Ivory Coast "Côte d'Ivoire," as its government insists they should.

Much closer to home, I don't think anyone in the Mid-South who's not on the payroll of the University of Memphis calls it anything other than "Memphis State" (or, sarcastically, "Tiger High") unless they've been corrected first.

[DeaconG]

I've still occasionally refer to Martin Luther King Dr. in Philly as West River Drive.

It took me a few years to stop referring to Temple University's Liacouras Center as the Apollo Arena (its original name).

I've still referred the AT&T Station along SEPTA's Broad Street Line as Pattison.

Recently, I've referred to Jefferson Station along SEPTA's Regional Rail as Market East; granted, that name change happened only a few months back.

Many people still refer to US Airways as USAir despite the fact that the name change occurred back in 1997.  Such won't matter too much longer since it will be adopting the American Airlines name courtesy of the recent merger.

Also, East River Drive becoming Kelly Drive, Columbia Avenue becoming Cecil B. Moore Avenue and Columbus Blvd. vs Delaware Avenue.

AT&T Station? Oh God, no; it's Pattison-that's what they named it when they built the Broad Street Extension and that's what it is.

Jefferson Station?  Hell, if you're gonna go that route just name it back to what it was...Reading Terminal!

[Pete from Boston]

New England Medical (station and hospital), never Tufts Medical Center.

Anyone in Eastern Mass. remember "State/Citizen's Bank," the name no one ever, ever spoke?

[PHLBOS]

Also, East River Drive becoming Kelly Drive, Columbia Avenue becoming Cecil B. Moore Avenue

Those name changes took place long before I set foot in the Delaware Valley.  You forgot about JFK Blvd. originally being named Pennsylvania Blvd.

Columbus Blvd. vs Delaware Avenue.

Not all of Delaware Ave. changed to Columbus Blvd.; just the stretch south of Spring Garden St.  IIRC, the name change took place a year or two after I-95 in that area got then-brand-new BGS'; all Delware Ave. references on the Exit (then 16/now 20) BGS' got Columbus Blvd. masks.

AT&T Station? Oh God, no; it's Pattison-that's what they named it when they built the Broad Street Extension and that's what it is.

I agree and stated such earlier.  There's nothing even AT&T in the area.  Money given to SEPTA from AT&T was what motivated the name change.

Jefferson Station?  Hell, if you're gonna go that route just name it back to what it was...Reading Terminal!

SEPTA can get alot more money from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital naming its station after it than from the Reading Terminal Market.  Remember, the Reading Railroad went bankrupt prior to it becoming part of the SEPTA system so there's no money to be had for such renaming.  Again, I don't fully agree with the current concept; but that's reality (for better/for worse).  At least the university/hospital is within walking distance from the station; so the name change has some level of logic beyond just marketing & money.

I know at least one person that still refers to SEPTA's Regional Rail lines by their now-defunct route numbers (R1, R2, R3, R5, R6, R7 & R8).  Whether it's by accidental or intentional is not fully known.

New England Medical (station and hospital), never Tufts Medical Center.

Anyone in Eastern Mass. remember "State/Citizen's Bank," the name no one ever, ever spoke?

I'm assuming the latter referring to the T's Blue/Orange Line station.  IIRC, didn't the station revert back to its original State name once Citizen's Bank was no longer paying the MBTA for use of its name?

[J N Winkler]

The city that can be called either of the same two things is more controversial. Tends to be, in order to tread on the least toes, two-syllables for the city and four for the county. Unless, of course, you go down the six syllable route...

Yup; I misspoke.  My understanding (which may not be completely in date) is that the four-syllable pronunciation for the city is what you use if you are very Orange and don't care who knows it.

[roadman65]

How can you keep up with name changes these days anyhow?  Look at the amphitheater near Tampa adjacent to the FL State Fairgrounds.  In just a matter of ten years it went from the Ford Amphitheater to the Ask Gary Amphitheater and now some new name ( I cannot remember what it is now nor do I even care) as I saw when I was in Tampa a few weeks ago.

I can see why some are reluctant to go along with the change, especially naming rights in sports venues which are ever so popular as the demolition of stadiums and coliseums just to please the teams as tradition is out the window.  Go Boston Red Sox for keeping Fenway still standing after 100 years and saying FU to change like every other sports teams have not been saying lately.  Ugh, it makes me sick that Orlando builds a brand new Arena to tear it down not even a quarter century later to build another new one. 

True some may say old names for spite of modern change, but still when names change like underwear how can you get used to all of it sometimes?  You may slip up and call it one name ago because the next name came along within the period of adjustment like the amphitheater in Tampa. 

[texaskdog]

Houston Oilers

[PHLBOS]

How can you keep up with name changes these days anyhow?  Look at the amphitheater near Tampa adjacent to the FL State Fairgrounds.  In just a matter of ten years it went from the Ford Amphitheater to the Ask Gary Amphitheater and now some new name ( I cannot remember what it is now nor do I even care) as I saw when I was in Tampa a few weeks ago.

That's nothing, in a 23-year period; the sports arena home to the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers originally opened as the Core-States Center.  It would later become the First Union Center (aka FU Center) then the Wachovia Center and, more recently, the Wells-Fargo Center.  The name changes were due to, you guessed it, bank mergers.