Sunday, March 13, 2011

Etymology of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh was named in 1758 by General John Forbes in honor of the British statesman William Pitt. Given that Forbes was a Scotsman, it is possible that the intended pronunciation of the settlement was /ˈpɪtsbᵊrə/ (PITS-brə or PITS-bə-rə), similar to the pronunciation of Edinburgh as a Scotsman would pronounce it. It was incorporated as a borough in 1794 and chartered as a city in 1816.

1 comment:

George Senda said...

Just took a quick look but I like what I see so far.

From one 'Burgher to another ...

The Guy From Pittsburgh ( tm )