English words beginning with <j> pronounced [Z]?

[Edward Callary]

FWIW, there is a town in w central Illinois near Mt. Sterling named Jaques, named for site owner Hiram Jaques, a former New Yorker. The local pronunciation alternates between /jekwIsh/ and /jekrIsh/.

Edward Callary
Northern Illinois University

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org