I live in Chicago, and I've always wondered why some people pronounce the city's name as Chi-caw-go (/ʃɪˈkɔːɡow/) rather than Chi-cah-go (/ʃɪˈkäːɡow/). The same's true with cities like Wichita, and states like Arkansas and Utah. Personally, I've noticed this as more of an East coast phenomenon, especially among older people. I read that it might be because of the LOT-CLOTH split, but this doesn't make sense to me since these words are part of the PALM and not the LOT set. The spelling also indicates an /äː/ pronunciation rather than /ɔː/.
Recent Questions - Linguistics Stack Exchange · Jul 26, 2026
Pronunciation of Chicago
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I live in Chicago, and I've always wondered why some people pronounce the city's name as Chi-caw-go (/ʃɪˈkɔːɡow/) rather than Chi-cah-go (/ʃɪˈkäːɡow/). The same's true with cities like Wichita, and states like Arkansas and Utah. Personally, I've noticed this as more of an East coast phenomenon, especially among older people. I read that it might be because of the LOT-CLOTH split, but this doesn't…
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