[Dixielandjazz] Louis Armstrong pronounced his name "Lewis"

[Steve barbone]

Dear Bill (Bil)

Ha, Ha. A subtle distinction? Nah, the distinction couldn't be plainer. All
of us old folks who went through schools when they taught "English"
understand that perfectly. And as an accomplished writer, you know the
difference. However, the urge to obfuscate seems to have triumphed. VBG.

"Louis" and "Louis" have at least two different pronunciations. The "Louis"
in Louis XIV, and/or Crab Louis are pronounced quite differently from the"
Louis" in St. Louis Missouri. (Louie and Lewis in case you missed the point)

Regarding Bil and Bill, there is no valid comparison as they are neither
spelled the same, nor have two different pronunciations.

Cheers,
Steve

on 8/11/05 1:06 AM, Bill Gunter at jazzboard at hotmail.com wrote:
 
> Steve B writes (regarding "Louis" vs. "Louie"):
> 
>> "Judging from home recorded tapes now in the Archives, Louis pronounced his
>> own name as "Lewis."
> 
> What was the specific information on the home recording that indicated the
> pronunciation was "Lewis" rather than "Louis?"
> 
> That's a pretty subtle distinction.
> 
> I have a friend named "Bil" and we often get confused as to which is the
> correct pronunciation . . . "Bil" or my own name, "Bill."
> 
> 'Tis a puzzlement.