How often does “Seattle” get mispronounced?

My late mother used to say “SEE-attle.”

I always attributed that to her profound hearing deficit. And the fact that she mispronounced a lot of place names, something I don’t remember her doing when she was younger.

So after gently correcting her a few hundred times, I gave up.

Anyway, I was thinking about the minor online flap caused by comedian Marc Maron mispronouncing “Spokane” and it got me wondering. Hearing people mispronounce the name of our town is such a standard part of living here, I wonder if we might almost miss it if it didn’t happen. You know, in an odd sort of way.

It’s like part of our identity. And at least it’s attention of a sort.

Something big comes along, like Expo 74 or the rise of GU basketball, and we think the mispronunciation days are over. Halleluiah, the nation has learned!

Then, immediately it seems, we learn that is not the case.

It gets under our skin because it clearly suggests the Lilac City isn’t a prominent blip on the nation’s cultural radar. So be it.

But what about a glamour burg bathed in self-esteem? A place like Seattle. Do they go out of their minds over there when someone mispronounces the name of their city?

The nerve! How dare that benighted rustic! Imagine, not knowing how to say it correctly.

I haven’t been over there in quite some time. Maybe I should try to get the SR to send me. I could walk around saying “SEE-attle” and observe how the natives react.

My guess? They wouldn’t take it well.