Caille, Callie or Kalee

[Guest]

Why is it that everyone, even knowledgeable collectors of long standing, calls machines made by the Caille Bros.Co. of Detroit "Kaylees" when they should be pronounced "kails". What's more, they usually misspell it "Callie" too.

Is this just a British foible or do the Americans do it as well?

My theory is the company name somehow got mixed up with that of Gaumont-Kalee who made the projectors that were once the workhorses of British cinemas. That also regularly gets miswritten "Kaylee"...

Ben.

[john t peterson]

You've got nothing on us, Mate. Here in the States it's also pronounced "Kaylee." But then, we're always looking in the wrong end of the pronunciation telescope.

[badpenny]

... I understand they sold the company to a manufacturer of portable marine engines, so they probably pronounced it Johnson Outboards ..... maybe!

Badpenny

[Guest]

Caille is a French word and it uses a pronounciation that is not used in English. The Ls are silent and I don't even know how to write the sound down in English. It's sort of like blowing air across your tongue! Because we don't use this form of pronounciation, English speakers have had to invent their own ways of saying the word, hence all the different variations.

I suppose it's like the French word 'travaille'. Fortunately, we Brits never have to say that word, but if we did most people would either say 'travail' or 'travay' or 'traveye', all of which would be wrong!

So it's no wonder that nobody knows how to say Caille properly in English. The truth is that you can't!

[Guest]

Thanks for the illumination! It's one that's always mystified me.

I guess what I'd really like to know is how, as Americanised French immigrants, the Caille brothers and family pronounced it themselves.

Ben.

[rogers1313]

I met Arthur Caille at the Liberty Bell Auction in Reno. They made a big deal about this issue. It is pronounced by Art as Kail. However, he also told me that he really didn't care how people pronounced his name. He just like to talk to people. And he definitely is one of the neatest people I have met.

Another side note. He tours the old Caille boat motors at boat shows. He showed me some great pictures of these old motors. Most had their original boxes.

Thanks,
Roger