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What’s in a name?

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hbelkins:
Anyone else think the famous song about getting your kicks on a famously-decommissioned US route skews the pronunciation of the word "route" toward the way it's pronounced in that song?

Around here, for many years mail was delivered not to street addresses ("1234 Name of Road" or "5678 Highway Number") but to rural routes ("Route 1" or "Rural Route 1, Box 1234") and the word "route" was pronounced "rowt."


--- Quote from: Scott5114 on December 01, 2021, 07:21:03 PM ---
--- Quote from: US 89 on December 01, 2021, 07:09:17 PM ---Heh. Today I learned. I didn't believe you until I went to Merriam-Webster, and apparently you can pronounce "root" to rhyme with "put". I have never, ever heard that.

--- End quote ---

My mom uses that pronunciation, but usually only in reference to things like tree roots. She wouldn't use it when she's rooting for the Chiefs while drinking root beer.

--- End quote ---

Reminds me of a movie quote, the source of which I cannot recall at this time. "Don't you root for the (name of team, I want to think it was the Tennessee Vols?" The answer was, "Hogs root." Wish I could recall that clip.

mgk920:

--- Quote from: Roadgeekteen on November 27, 2021, 04:56:40 AM ---US Highways and state highways are "route". Freeways are "highways" and sometimes "expressways".

--- End quote ---

Here in Wisconsin, it is a 'highway'.  Cross the state line into Illinois, it immediately becomes a 'route'.

Mike

mgk920:
Really weird in the 'highway' v 'route' v 'root' debate is the Post Office.  In USPS parlance, they make you address mail to a location on a state or county highway as "(grid address number)STATE/COUNTY ROAD XX CITY,ST/ZIP CODE", regardless of how the locals generally say it.

Mike

roadman65:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/52444478111/in/dateposted-public/
To some this could be considered controversial.

However, there is a city in Kansas with this name, but I’m sure it’s not politically motivated.

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