Up & Coming Weekly

6 UCW JANUARY 13-19, 2010 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MARGARET DICKSON, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com. It Takes One To Know One by MARGARET DICKSON Up and Coming Weekly Publisher Bill Bowman and his wonderful editorial staff have blessed me with, and guided me through, this column space for almost a decade now. Over that time, I have tackled issues large and small, some of interest to lots of people and some of interest mainly to me. Early on, I wrote a piece on the academically gifted and college-recruited 17-year-old daughter of a friend. The girl made the conscious decision to quit using birth control and, not surprisingly, had a baby the New Year's Eve before her 18th birthday. I referred to her as "Susan" and said that she had very likely changed and lessened the quality of her adult life. Lots of readers let me have it on that one. The most comment I have ever received, though, has come after columns on what I initially thought was on a topic of intense but narrow interest. And what might that be? Grammar and the correct usage of the English language. Who could have predicted that so many sticklers live among us in the Cumberland County community? You cannot recognize them on the street.They do not wear uniforms or name tags, and they are not all English teachers. They come from all walks of life, apparently, and they are not shy about their thoughts on the use and misuse of English. It was great, and I have since done several columns on this topic, each generating thoughtful and well- expressed comments from sticklers I know and sticklers I do not know. So you can imagine my delight last week when a friend sent me photocopies, one from June of 1965 and one undated, of a newspaper column entitled "Strictly Personal" by Sydney Harris. Both address the correct pronunciation of certain words in English. My prior columns have dealt more with grammar and common mistakes that we hear so frequently that they no longer jar us, and, to some ears apparently, begin to sound correct. Think the misuse of "lay" and "lie" and "John went to the movie with Bill and I," the likes of which sent sticklers running to their computers to share their exasperation. Sydney Harris takes on pronunciation, another topic that punches sticklers' buttons. He laments that speakers on radio and television set bad examples by mispronouncing all sorts of words. Here are excerpts from the columns my friend shared. You may have to speak some of them aloud to get Harris' point, and some of them may surprise you. "There is no 'edge' in 'education.' There is an 'n' in 'government.' There are four syllables, not three, in 'temperature.'There is no 'cue' in 'nuclear….' The word 'respite' does not rhyme with 'despite,'…and should rhyme with 'mess kit….' There is no 'buddy' in 'nobody,' there is no 'ter' in 'Notre Dame,' and there is no 'ray' in 'lingerie.' (And no such thing as 'silk lingerie,' by the way, because in French the word means 'made of linen.') There is no 'gub' in 'gubernatorial,' there is no 'cull' in 'culinary,' and there is no 'loud' in 'cum laude.' There is no 'Arthur' in arthritis, there is no 'plic' in 'applicable' and no 'range' in 'arraignment….' There is an 'a' in 'diaper,…' and there is an 'l' in Pennsylvania.' There is no 'spear' in 'experiment,' there is no 'mo' in 'memento,' and there is no 'ick' in 'stomach.' There are three syllables, not two, in 'veteran,' there are two syllables, not one, in 'coupe,' and there is one syllable, not two, in 'fi lm.' There is no 'cow' in 'Moscow,' there is no 'ay' in 'forte, 'and there is nothing 'religious' in 'sacrilegious,' (which is derived from the word 'sacrilege' and not from 'religion.') There are fi ve syllables, not four in 'incidentally,' fi ve syllables, not four in 'incendiary,' and three syllables, not four, in 'athletics.' (In fact, the same people who pronounce 'government' as 'goverment' pronounce 'athletics' as 'athaletics.)" I am sure you are getting Harris' point by now, and here is one more from me. Researching one's family is "genealogy" not "geneology." The word says "al," not "ol." This one is a particular pet peeve of my friend who sent Harris' columns. My point is that the English language is precious, living and evolving, but that the more we make these and other usage boo-boos, the more they sound normal to our ears. Our language should be treated carefully and with respect for the power and beauty it brings to those who speak and write it. I will be waiting anxiously at my computer to hear from my fellow sticklers about what Mr. Harris had to say nearly 50 years ago. And, if you are wondering how life has turned out for "Susan," she married her baby's father, and they have had a second child. Both are employed, and Susan is pursuing a higher degree in nursing. She is defying the statistics for early and out-of-wedlock motherhood, and more power to her. THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET MegaBytes Sweepstakes Register for FREE Cruise to the Bahamas Bring ad for $5 FREE play! Pot of Gold Pot of Gold Internet Gaming Keno • Black Jack Shamrock $4,000 Jackpots WIN BIG $$ WIN BIG $$ 3319 D Raeford Rd. • Next to Mama's Kitchen 910-483-1205 AIR DUCT CLEANING The Maintenance Men 910-476-7021 1023277ti Are You Interested In Addressing One Of Your Family's Greatest Health Risk? 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