Spanish and Indian place names of California: Their Meaning and Their Romance

by Nellie Van de Grift Sanchez

C has two sounds. Before e and i it is pronounced like s in seat, that is, in Spanish-American usage; examples, Cerro, pronounced Ser´ro, and Cima, pronounced See´mah. In all other cases c has the sound of k; examples, Carlos, pronounced Kar´loce, Colorado, pronounced Ko-lo-rah´do (each o long, as in hope), Cuesta, pronounced Kwes´tah, and Cruz, pronounced Kroos.

Ch has the sound of ch in church. Example, Chico, pronounced Chee´ko.

D is slightly softened, and when occurring between vowels and at the end of words it is almost like th in then. Examples, Andrade, pronounced Ahn-drah´-dthay, and Soledad, pronounced Sole-ay-dadth.

G has two sounds. Before e and i it has the sound of strongly aspirated h. Examples, German´, pronounced Hare-mahn´, and giro, pronounced hee´ro. In all other cases it sounds like g in go. Examples, Gaviota, Goleta, Guadalupe, Granada. In gue and gui the u is regularly silent; exceptions to this rule are marked by the diaeresis, as in Argüello, pronounced Ar-gwayl´yo, or in Spanish-American, Ar-gway´yo.

H is silent except in the combined character ch. Example, La Honda, pronounced La On´dah, with long o, as in hope.

J has the sound of strongly aspirated h. Examples, Pájaro, pronounced Pah´hah-ro, and San José, pronounced San Ho-say´. This letter is one of the worst stumbling-blocks in the pronunciation of Spanish names.

Ll has the sound of the letters lli in the English million, but in many parts of Spanish-America it is pronounced like y in beyond. The latter is not considered an elegant pronunciation. Example, Vallejo, properly pronounced Val-yay´ho, but in Spanish-American, Va-yay´ho.

N has the sound of the letters ni in the English pinion. Example, Cañada, pronounced Can-yah´dthah.

Q only occurs before ue and ui, and sounds like k, the following u being always silent. Example, San Quintín, pronounced San Keen-teen´.

S has the hissing sound of s in say, base, and is never pronounced like sh as in mansion, or z as in rose. Thus in Santa Rosa the s is sharply hissed and is not pronounced as Santa Roza.