On Pronouncing Wingate

The credit for the rebus on the left goes to my friend, Win Corduan at Taylor University. It is suppose to depict a “Weather-Bee” at a “Wing-Gate.” This page is devoted to the second half of the rebus, but if you want, you can also check out a discussion of the first half.

Let me start at what may seem like an odd place. Taylor University is located in Upland, Indiana. Now, say “Upland” to yourself. How does it come out, something like (1) “UPlind or (2) “UPlend” or (3) “upLAND.” More likely than not, you choose (1) or (2) unless you are from Upland, Indiana (there is also an Upland, California, but I have no idea how those Uplanders pronounce the name of their fair city). Most of the students at Taylor at the time (many of whom–like myself–were not from Indiana, let alone Upland or its environs) held that the locals were ignorant and just a little bit crazy. After all, most place-names that end with -land are softened (think of England, for instance). Residents of Upland took offens eand though we were arrogant and ignorant. Residents can call their city (and technically it is a city) what they like. It is their doamain after all. Moreover, it is called Upland because it is the highest point between Chicago and Columbus (a route on the Indiana Central Rail Road) and so is literally “Up Land.” This is the classic sort of town-and-gown thing that always goes on, particularly when the college is the primary economic force in the town. For the record, I now side with the residents.

As is now too apparent, the parallels between Wingate, NC and Upland, IN are unmistakable. Of course, it is a little more complicated for Wingate, because at least Upland doesn’t share the same name as its town. Incidentally, the town of Wingate adopted its name after the University (then a comprehensive school). Every so often the issue of how to pronounce the name of the school (and also the town) comes up in the school newspaper. Invariably, folks who are not from around here (OK, technically they are what are known as Yankees¹ or northerners) pronounce the name “WINgate” saying that that is how it is spelled, and anyone who says otherwise is ignorant. Such an attitude makes me cringe (remember, I ended up agreeing with the Uplanders). Worse, a northerner calling a southerner “ignorant” is like throwing petrol on hot coals. The other side of the debate is basically that the town and the university were both pronounced something like “winGIT” or “winGET”² long before we northerners tried to come in and gentrify the place. The debate still goes on. There are even two Facebook groups, each taking opposing views and neither too nice about it.³

So, what arguments could be marshaled on each side?

For the pronunciation of “WINgate” we have:

• Its spelled W-I-N-G-A-T-E and should be pronounced accordingly

Other possible arguments not used include:

• Etymologically it is related to gate and should be so pronounced
• Historically, the family-name is tied to a place-name in England, and should be pronounced accordingly

For the pronunciation of “winGIT/GET” we have:

• That’s how it always was pronounced
• It’s a Southern thing, get over it

Other possible arguments not used include:

• Etymologically it is related to gate and should be so pronounced
• Historically, the family name is tied to a place-name in England, and should be pronounced accordingly

Let get the that’s-the-way-its-spelled nonsense out of the way first. Proper names in general have rules all their own. For instance, Why is Ronald Reagan “RAYgon” or “RAYgen” and Donald Regan “REEgen?” And while we are on the topic, just how are the following pronounced:

• Poughkeepsie, NY
• Cairo, IL
• Lima, IN
• Concord, NH
• Plymouth, MA
• Wooster, MA?⁴

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