In article <v02130501ad6c40edc78a@[204.215.131.99]>, Edward Rodley <[log in to unmask]> writes: > Living in Cambridge, MA which boasts an Agassiz Street, an Agassiz School, > and a museum or two that owe their existence to him, I've never heard any > other pronounciation than AH-guh-see (the "AH" is a broad vowel, close to a > short a and the "guh" is really a "g-schwah") Unfortunately, local pronunciation is not always a reliable indicator. Near Pittsburgh (my current home) are the towns of DuBois (DOO-boys) and North Versailles (vur-SALES). In Colorado, there are the towns of Buena Vista (bee-YOU-nuh VISS-tuh) and Montrose (MON-der-rose). Santa Barbara, California has a strong Spanish influence in names, which are mangled as follows: Isla Vista (EYE-luh VISS-tuh); Calle Real (CAL-ee REEL); Refugio (usually ruh-FYOU-jee-oh, occasionally ruh-FOO-fee-oh, differing in 2 syllables); El Colegio (ell coll-EE-jee-oh); etc. I was taught that the "proper" pronunciation of the glaciologist's name was uh-GAHSS-ee. Robin Panza [log in to unmask] Section of Birds Carnegie Museum of Natural History Pittsburgh PA USA