Comments on: AL”MAN”ZO vs AL”MON”ZO (Tomato/To”mah”to, Potato/Po”tah”to

By: Tina Jakes

Tina Jakes — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:02:48 +0000

Well, having been a Wilder fan since I was a child, I think it must have been Al MAN zo. Reason I say this, is that Royal always called him Mannie, which Laura changed to Manly. I can’t see them calling him Monly.
As for Rose, remember that she was very cosmopolitan, having traveled the world, so its possible she did say Al MON zo.

By: Susan

Susan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:03:24 +0000

There are very different ways to pronounce names. Here in NY there are two versions of Houston (HOUSE-TON for the street) and Houston (as in Texas). Both names I have heard are from the same family. There are also the Roosevelts (some people pronounce it with the OOO sound and some pronounce it ROSE).

I don’t believe there is a right and a wrong way, just different pronunciations of the same name. Al-mon-zo on Little House was one way,
and the way Laura pronounces Al-man-zo is another way. You always have to go with what you think is the right way.

By: Teri

Teri — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:43:47 +0000

I love the TV show and everything about it, including how they pronounced Almanzo. However, when you get right down to the heart of it, the only author noted on the cover of the “Little House” books is LAURA INGALLS WILDER, not Rose or Roger or anyone else that has been mentioned here. So push away the rumors and commercialization and listen to Laura. I too heard the the recording of her voice. She definitely says “AL-MAN-ZO.” In my opinion, since they are Laura’s books, she is right. The TV show, Noel Silverman, and Rose Wilder Lane are wrong. Of course the fans already know this, just as we know Albert Ingalls never really existed, Carrie was born in Kansas, the Ingalls family only lived in Walnut Grove for a few years, and she actually met/married Almanzo in De Smet. So I suggest the same as those who commented before me… Mr. Butler, go directly to the source. THE RECORDING OF LAURA’S VOICE. Laura Ingalls Wilder is right because it’s her life, not theirs.

By: nansie

nansie — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:40:19 +0000

There is a recording of Rose’s voice. They sell it in De Smet now.

By: Amy Lauters

Amy Lauters — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:49:51 +0000

Sue, I think your comment re: Rose is more than possible on one level. She definitely had a need to seem more accomplished and distanced from her Midwestern roots, especially early on in her career. But on another level, and later in life, as she began to articulate her political views and extreme Americanism, she elaborated on the greatness of her father. Rose was proud of him and his hard work, and I can’t think that she’d deliberately mispronounce his name to make it seem more upper-crust. I wish we had a recording of Rose’s voice somewhere, because we’d be able to tell if her accent might have contributed to the confusion. By the end of her life, she spoke several languages, so it wouldn’t surprise me if there was an elongated “ah” in her speech at that point.

By: Susan Gaissert

Susan Gaissert — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:13:32 +0000

I don’t mean this against Rose, but could she have been putting on airs, affecting a snobbish tone? Al-mon-zo sounds more sophisticated than Al-man-zo. Just a thought . . .

By: Martha

Martha — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:51:03 +0000

I just wanted to mention that in german the name is Al-MAN-zo anyway…

The german speaking fans are surprised about the discussion that there probably could be a different pronounciation.

By: Sandra

Sandra — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:44:15 +0000

Interesting! I too have heard Laura Speaks — wish it was a better recording, and done when Laura was younger; it sounds very much like a voice that is much aged. But indeed, that’s the way Laura says it.

What strikes me as slightly odd about hearing this story about Rose … I’ve just tried to think of how often I’ve actually said my father’s name. He passed away many years ago, so I would be speaking of him posthumously, as Rose would have. I can’t imagine ever saying his first name. He’s “Dad” or “my father,” never “Tom.”

Still, interesting discussion. As for the mis-speak, I’ve decided to blame Lucy Lee Flippin.

sandra

=========
Sandra Hume
Editor, the homesteader
http://www.homesteadernewsletter.com
Blogging about Laura at lauraingallswilder.wordpress.com

By: ronna

ronna — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:51:19 +0000

I would love to hear Laura’s voice. I have been an avid LIW fan since the 6th grade and am so excited to hear about the new DVD coming soon about Almanzo. I, too, have always been a bit clumsy when pronouncing his name outloud, but in my head all these years it has always been ‘Al-MAN-zo’ to me. I would be interested to know where I could obtain the audio of Laura’s voice. It would be a welcome addition to my collection of all things Laura!

By: Beth Ingalls-Leisses

Beth Ingalls-Leisses — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:58:18 +0000

Dean, I have to agree with all these gals who have done their homework. I just listened to my CD once more, just to be sure, and Laura definitely pronounces it “Al-MAN-zo”. So, if that is the way Laura pronounces it, then that’s good enough for me. I usually talk about the pronounciation in my “Ingalls Family Travels” presentations, and will continue to do so until I get proof otherwise.

I’m sure you will enjoy the CD, Dean. I’m going to Mansfield in a couple weeks and I’d send you one…..but don’t know how to get it to you. But if you contact the museum they will send it to you, I’m sure.

Beth Ingalls Leisses