Comments on: Valensee-a or Valencha?

By: late for supper

late for supper — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 16:16:57 +0000

Don’t call me Sarah.

By: Brandon Cruz

Brandon Cruz — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 05:59:25 +0000

If you really want to rock it proper, say:

u-NIP-ero Sarah.

By: kif

kif — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 23:48:23 +0000

Any idea on the pronunciation of Junipero Serra Blvd?

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 21 May 2014 23:25:00 +0000

The Muni voice also mispronounces Pacheco as Pa-CHEE-ko instead of Pa-CHAY-ko. The pronunciation “Valencha” makes me shudder.

By: SCUM

SCUM — Thu, 12 May 2011 21:59:01 +0000

Back at you Crank.

By: Cranky Old Mission Guy

Cranky Old Mission Guy — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:57:01 +0000

The commenter who refuses to die.

By: SCUM

SCUM — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:36:51 +0000

Val-en-see=yah later.

By: Cranky Old Mission Guy

Cranky Old Mission Guy — Thu, 12 May 2011 09:18:10 +0000

Yes, the thread that refuses to die.

Well, fair point but, to make things perfectly clear, it should be pointed out that Valencia Street was named after a Spanish rancher (or his family), so what you call “an Italian thing” is really an Italian mispronunciation of a Spanish word. I couldn’t find it in an Italian dictionary, and if you try having the Google language lady say it for you, she will happily use the “see-a” sound for both the Spanish and Italian pronunciations (although the Spanish one gets a little “b”-sound on the “V”.)

So, for those of us without several generations of relatives in The Mission (and, frankly, I can’t see any special cachet — don’t pronounce the “t” — in having them) it is “a Spanish thing”. Or an education thing, if you will.

By: guero

guero — Thu, 12 May 2011 05:16:18 +0000

Wow I haven’t checked out MissionMission in a long, long time and I think this conversation was going on when I left. Now I show up and here it is–again! The Muni voice lady often has it wrong, but she is right this time. I use Valencha with family or locals but use Valensscia with hipsters or other new arrivals. It’s not a gringo thing! It’s an Italian thing. Valencia Street was an Italian hub before they migrated to “South City,” It was loaded with Italian stores and businesses. Italians pronounce the “c” as “ch” like “Ciao” or “Cucina.” That’s how it came about. To me it just distinguishes whether some is local or not, but there’s nothing wrong with either.

By: Leef Smith

Leef Smith — Tue, 10 May 2011 23:02:47 +0000

I grew up here pronouncing it “Valencha,” but started saying “Valenseeia” just so the latest generation of transplants could understand me.

Another old-school San Francisco pronunciation is Ju-niper Serra Blvd.

By: Pedro Navaja

Pedro Navaja — Tue, 10 May 2011 02:57:07 +0000

The waiter’s ears must bleed when you order cabernet sauvignon; provided you visit restaurants without a drive-thru.

By: Nico

Nico — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:57:00 +0000

but the confusion is relative to through, trough, though, etc. So, one couldn’t assume that this is an easy one at first. I had a friend in town visiting who thought it was GOO. hah.

By: MrEricSir

MrEricSir — Mon, 09 May 2011 07:53:57 +0000

If the Android WordPress client sucks as much as the iPhone client, I feel ya.

By: tacotron

tacotron — Sun, 08 May 2011 23:58:33 +0000

My grandmother would rise from the dead and smack me if I pronounced Valencia like that creepy robot lady.
“Please hold on…”

By: Pedro Navaja

Pedro Navaja — Sun, 08 May 2011 05:10:52 +0000

Great, now they live in a town with a meaningless name in multiple languages.