Pronunciation
Most native residents pronounce the city's name as ['luːǝvǝl] (info) (IPA) — often this degrades further into ['lǝvǝl] (info). The name is often pronounced far back in the mouth, in the top of the throat. The standard English pronunciation, however, is ['luːivɪl] (info) (referring to King Louis XVI), which is often utilized by political leaders and the media. No matter how Louisville is pronounced, the 's' is always silent. (This contrasts with the name of the cities Louisville, Colorado, Louisville, Georgia, Louisville, Mississippi and Louisville, Tennessee, which, although spelled the same, are pronounced ['luːisvɪl] (info).)
The variability of the local pronunciation of the city's name can perhaps be laid at the feet of the city's location on the border between the Northern and Southern regions of the United States. Louisville's diverse population has traditionally represented elements of both Northern and Southern culture.
Regional migration patterns and the homogenization of dialect due to electronic media also may be responsible for the incidence of native-born Louisvillians adopting or affecting the standard English pronunciation. Nevertheless, the ['luːǝvǝl] pronunciation is most popular among residents and is, with few exceptions, used by news and sports reporters.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
