In Long Beach, California, there is a street named “Ximeno Avenue.” At first glance, you might pronounce it Zimeno, but the locals actually call it Ex-imeno. Even the real estate agents do it. Why? We don’t call a xylophone an ex-ylophone. Or read xanthan gum as exanthan gum. What makes Ximeno so damn special? I don’t know of any other words that start with X that are pronounced that way. I mean, if it was hyphenated like x-ray is, I could understand it. Even the Latin pronunciation wouldn’t be Ex-imeno, or Zimeno for that matter. It would be Jimeno. Unless of course you’re that Brazilian* children’s-TV-show sexpot, Xuxa, who pronounces her name Shoo-shuh. She might pronounce the street Shimeno. But Ex-imeno? Never. Then again, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there is some foreign rule of pronunciation I’m just not aware of. Or maybe, just maybe, everyone who lives in Long Beach is a complete moron.
*Originally wrote that Xuxa was Spanish, until Xolo pointed out my ignorance.
10 Comments