How do you pronounce Impala?

[invertigo]

Okay, these chevy commercials make me cringe every time they say the word "Impala."

Is this a regional thing? I live in the pacific northwest, generally considered to have a very "clean" american english dialect and I have NEVER heard ANYONE pronounce the word IM-PAL-AH ("pal" as in friend) until these commercials. Everyone I have asked, from young to old has clearly pronounced it IM-PAULA (just like the girl's name) and that just sounds a heck of a lot better to me.

I really wish chevrolet would change the commercials and fix this, unless, of course, everyone I know is saying it wrong

So I guess I would like to conduct a informal poll...

Which pronunciation do you use?

1. Just like the commercial... IM-PAL-Ah

2. Like me... IM-PAULA

Thanks

[Nick]

I've always pronounced it like #2...

it's like when people say Volvo...I've always thought it was pronounced Vole-Vo and pronounced it as such, but when I hear it like in commercials it's Vall-vo...I mean, either way it sounds fine I guess...I just always thought it was the first way...

or then there's Jaguar, but it is always funny to here those crazy brits pronounce it Jag-You-Are on the commercials instead of Jag-War like we do...

[pow]

I pronounce it #1

[!!!TED!!!]

Im-Pal-Ah (that is the correct way, though everyone has their own accent and twist, depending on region ).

[Bimmer325]

My name is not Paula, so IM-PAL-Ah for me.

[CSpec]

Clearly #2. ImPALa is very Chicago-y.

[Croc]

Correct pronunciation is like Im*PAH*la. I checked several dictionaries. Don't worry about the GM commercials...those are the same ones with the nasally guy saying "Cadillac" that sounds so...common.

[thegriffon]

I'm with Croc, it should be Im'Pahl-a, but Im'Pal-a, with the short second vowel is also common. the final a is an undifferentiated vowel sound, but the first is either long as in father, farther or far, or short as in fat, cat, bat, or hat. I don't knoiw why anyone would rhyme it with paula, (melon-) baller, taller or caller.

[ocnblu]

I agree with Chevrolet. It's Im-PAL-a. That's the way I've heard it pronounced my whole life, both in common usage and in commercials made by the manufacturer.

I only pronounce it Im-POLLA when I'm trying to sound like a rapper in my six-fo.

[bowtie_dude]

Im - paul - a

[mustang84]

Im-PAL-a...I know a couple people that pronounce it Im-Pahl-a, but #1 is way more common here than #2. I had never heard #2 pronounced that way until about 2000 when the new Impala was introduced.

[CaddyXLR-V]

In MA, I've always heard it pronounced as Im-pal-a, in AZ its pronounced Im-paul-a. Since I grew up in MA, it's Im-pal-a for me. Rappers use Im-paul-a because it rhymes better.

[BuddyP]

Like Croc said... Im-PAH-la. Watch the discovery channel when they are talking about the African Safari and when they talk about the Impala (the animal) they say "Im-PAH-la"

[the_yellow_dart]

I agree with Chevrolet.  It's Im-PAL-a.  That's the way I've heard it pronounced my whole life, both in common usage and in commercials made by the manufacturer.

I only pronounce it Im-POLLA when I'm trying to sound like a rapper in my six-fo.

I agree. I didn't realize anyone but Dr. Dre said it the im-paul-a way. I say im-pal-a

[Robert Hall]

I've always pronounced it 'Im-PAL-uh' and heard it that way... I've heard a few people say 'Im-PAUL-uh'...

Same with the Bonneville--I've always pronounced it 'Bon-UH-vil' but I've also heard 'Bonnie-Vil'...

I'm from Ohio originally, so my pronunciations may be Midwestern in origin..

How about 'Escalade'? I usually hear 'ESKA-LAID' but I've heard 'ESKA-LAH-DEE' also..

Edited November 8, 2005 by moltar

[Croc]

Anyone who pronounces it Bonnie-Vill is way off. Bonneville is French, and technically the pronunciation should be (in French) BUNN-veeeeel (very slight L sound at the end). English translates this to either Bonn-vill or Bonn-(schwa)-ville......schwa= "uh" sound

Now anyone who pronounces Escalade any different than the correct ESK-uh-LAID simply does not have a firm grasp of the English language as it is a common English word, a noun for the act of scalaing a fortified wall or rampart.

Edited November 8, 2005 by Croc

[ehaase]

In Mississippi, they say Bon-uh-vuhl.

[Sixty8panther]

This should have been a poll, I'on the fence here...

I don't say "im-PAL-ah" like Chevy but I dont't say "im-Paula" either... If I had to try to explain it in this messed up languiage of our where Phoenetics are nonexistant I gues it'd be:

"im-Pah-la" I don't know, ESL remember.

(I guess I agree wiht Croc this time)

[Flybrian]

Bonny-vil is a corruption on the correct pronounciation, but I'd have to slap myself if I ever said pronounced it Frenchly.

[Croc]

I don't see what the big debate is...check a dictionary every time it should say im-PAH-luh as the pronunciation. Go to encarta.com and listen to their pronunciation.

Dictionary.com uses the "a" symbol with the german umlat (sp?) over it...i.e. the two dots. That signifies an "a" as in "father."

[Croc]

Bonny-vil is a corruption on the correct pronounciation, but I'd have to slap myself if I ever said pronounced it Frenchly.

I agree. It would be pretentious and awkward. Just giving the history of it...

[Flybrian]

Caddy-lack is one I've also heard, too, along with Bonny-vill. I suspect most of the time its intentional, just like saying 'Park' or ''Burban' in place of the actual name.

For my car, I've also heard mispronounciations like Uh-rawr-ruh, Oh-roar-ruh, and my favorite, Acura.

[I hope GMRULES again]

I choose #1. I had never heard it pronounced Im-paula until about a year ago when I saw Gary Cowger interviewed and I heard him say Im-paula and I was like WTF was that? a GM exec doesn't know how to pronounce the name of their best selling car?

[SoCalCTS]

I have to agree with Croc. Pronouncing it Im-PAL-ah where "pal" is prounced like "pal=buddy" is not even an option. There is not one dictionary out there that supports this kind of pronunciation.

[AAS]

I use #2