It appears there are some misguided trolls out there in cyberland who feel that this is their blog, not mine, and that I should write only happy, fluffy rainbow thoughts at their discretion.
Sorry, o deluded trolls. This is MY blog, MY outlet, and I will write whatever the hell I want to on it. Go ahead and bitch at me if London is your dream city and how dare someone not love every gray, drizzly moment. But it won't make me change one word or one ounce of attitude. This is MY reality.
I'm sure I will write happy-clappy unicorns and pixie dust posts in the summer, which I do love here. But expecting a Southern Californian to be cheerful during a London winter is to laugh. And this blog is one way for me to work through my seasonal depression.
So if you don't like my therapy, go find an alternate reality. Maybe blogs about Disneyland would be more your style, mmm'kay?
And have a nice day.
2009-02-22
2009-02-15
Pronunciation: A Mini Rant
I'll concede on "al-u-MINimum" - after all, the British spell it with an extra "i" so really, "a-LUM-i-num" doesn't make sense here.
"HERbs" instead of "'erbs" - extra h, please - fine. After all, as Eddie Izzard sort of says, there's a fornicating "h" in the word.
"Respite" with a long "i" instead of a short "i" - again, that's the way the word is spelled so I'll give them that one as well.
I'm less forgiving of "in-ven-tree" for "inventory" - now Americans get the credit for pronouncing the word as it is spelled. And "left-tenant" for lieutenant - well, at least they don't pronounce the word "lieu" as "left" as well (or do they? Not a word I've heard here often.)
But what I really can't stand is Los Angel-EASE.
ARRRGH!
Makes me grit my teeth every time I hear it, mostly on the Beeb.
It's Los AN-jell-es. Not like the word angel; like the words "an" and "jell." Followed by "es" - short e, soft s. I lived there twenty years. I know.
But then, I don't know why it bothers me. We're talking about a country where Derby is pronounced Darby, Leicester is Lester, and Cholmondeley is Chumley.
So I guess LA - and at least they pronounce the abbreviation like the natives - is getting off lightly.
(Apologies to any linguists who should be appalled by my pronunciation keys!)
"HERbs" instead of "'erbs" - extra h, please - fine. After all, as Eddie Izzard sort of says, there's a fornicating "h" in the word.
"Respite" with a long "i" instead of a short "i" - again, that's the way the word is spelled so I'll give them that one as well.
I'm less forgiving of "in-ven-tree" for "inventory" - now Americans get the credit for pronouncing the word as it is spelled. And "left-tenant" for lieutenant - well, at least they don't pronounce the word "lieu" as "left" as well (or do they? Not a word I've heard here often.)
But what I really can't stand is Los Angel-EASE.
ARRRGH!
Makes me grit my teeth every time I hear it, mostly on the Beeb.
It's Los AN-jell-es. Not like the word angel; like the words "an" and "jell." Followed by "es" - short e, soft s. I lived there twenty years. I know.
But then, I don't know why it bothers me. We're talking about a country where Derby is pronounced Darby, Leicester is Lester, and Cholmondeley is Chumley.
So I guess LA - and at least they pronounce the abbreviation like the natives - is getting off lightly.
(Apologies to any linguists who should be appalled by my pronunciation keys!)
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