Each of the nine Greek goddesses known as the Muses is memorialized by a street in the Lower Garden District. From a literature class long ago, you might recall the name Melpomene, the muse of tragedy, but ask for directions using the Merriam-Webster pronunciation, and you'll earn the smile that locals everywhere bestow on hopeless tourists. You'll be pointed the right way, too, but I'd rather not be made to feel like a rube. (Note to self: Be more gracious the next time I'm asked for directions to Hyoos-ton St.)
In New Orleans, Melpomene is Mel-puh-meen. Her sisters Calliope, Euterpe, and Terpsichore each also shed a syllable, while one variation for Clio is so bizarre I'd have to hear it to believe it. Read much more in this lexicon of New Orleans terminology and speech, from Chuck Taggart's engaging (and literate) Gumbo Pages.
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