Sunday, August 28, 2005
What is a Candlelight Vigual?
I have no idea what a vigual is. I hear a word pronounced as vij-ooo-all from time to time by intelligent and otherwise thoughtful, observant individuals, so I am only guessing at the spelling. I hear it used in concert with words like candlelight, peace, midnight, or memorial. I'm pretty sure when it is used, these misguided folks actually mean vigil.
A vigil is, according to the Merriam-Webster, an act or period of watching or surveillance. It can mean a watch before a religious festival, spiritual preparation before a religious feast, evening devotion or prayers and keeping awake during a time when sleep is customary. It is also associated with keeping an evening watch of any kind. This particular word is prounounced vij-ill. There is no extra syllable ooo in this word.
The word prounouced as vig-ooo-all does not exist. If anyone call tell me what the etymology of pronouncing vigil this way is, since it is so prevalent, I would be most interested.
So next time you want to tell your friends about a candlelight vigil you went to, do your listener a big favour and prounounce the second word as vij-ill.
A vigil is, according to the Merriam-Webster, an act or period of watching or surveillance. It can mean a watch before a religious festival, spiritual preparation before a religious feast, evening devotion or prayers and keeping awake during a time when sleep is customary. It is also associated with keeping an evening watch of any kind. This particular word is prounounced vij-ill. There is no extra syllable ooo in this word.
The word prounouced as vig-ooo-all does not exist. If anyone call tell me what the etymology of pronouncing vigil this way is, since it is so prevalent, I would be most interested.
So next time you want to tell your friends about a candlelight vigil you went to, do your listener a big favour and prounounce the second word as vij-ill.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Isn't the Word Herb Prounounced "Hurb"?
Well it depends on whether you are referring to Herb the person or herb the plant. It also depends on how old you are (at least in Toronto Canada).
If you are referring to Herb the person, then by all means prounounce it hurb. In fact you must. There is no other way to call out to Herb. If you mean a variety of plants that include rosemary, thyme, basil, peppermint, corriander, and parsley, to mention only a few, then you can prounounce it in one of two ways: hurb or urb. Both are perfectly acceptable.
I have done an independent (and very unscientific) survey and have found that at least in Toronto, Canada if you are over forty the chances of prounouncing it as urb are extremely good. If you under forty you will invariably prounounce it as hurb and screw up your nose if you hear urb. But now you will also know what generation the speaker is from!
If you are referring to Herb the person, then by all means prounounce it hurb. In fact you must. There is no other way to call out to Herb. If you mean a variety of plants that include rosemary, thyme, basil, peppermint, corriander, and parsley, to mention only a few, then you can prounounce it in one of two ways: hurb or urb. Both are perfectly acceptable.
I have done an independent (and very unscientific) survey and have found that at least in Toronto, Canada if you are over forty the chances of prounouncing it as urb are extremely good. If you under forty you will invariably prounounce it as hurb and screw up your nose if you hear urb. But now you will also know what generation the speaker is from!
Thursday, August 11, 2005
How do You Prounounce the Word Victuals?
If you're like me, you have often wondered why, even though you have seen this word from time to time in print, you have never actually heard it. I say if you are like me because you may actually know how to pronounce victuals and you are snickering in a knowing superior way as you read this. Before now, I would never have attempted to say this word out loud because I learned my lesson at a very early age. I noticed a hero in a book I was reading was named Prince Stephen. Step Hen. Imagine my humilation when my own cousin looked at me with a mixture of shock and insult and informed me that this was the same spelling of his name, thank you very much, and was prounounced Steeeevin. And what about dingy which I persisted in prounouncing as ding ee perhaps until I was an adult? I admit it. I was too lazy to look it up and just let a phrase like the dingy, dank room remain mysterious or a reference to something from the sea. (That's the dinghy that's prounouned ding ee). Thank goodness that I have changed my irresponsible ways.
First, we should get the meaning of this word out of the way. Victuals means food or provisions, especially food meant for people. So let me tell you how I think it is supposed to be prounounced (and it seems that I am not alone in this): vick two alls or if I say it faster: vickchewls. You may be very surprised as I was to learn that this word should be pronounced: vitilz. vittles. Listen to it yourself: victual. Now vittles, by the way, is an valid alternate, and I think, more reasonable spelling.
I think I only ever heard this word used on The Beverly Hillbillies. (Didn't Jed often tell Granny to put them vittles on the table?) Or Hee Haw. Its etymology is from Middle French adopted into Middle English originating from the Latin victus meaning nourishment. Who knew?
And it may interest you to know that someone who provides victuals is known as a victualler and that this is pronounced as vittler
If you have similiar stories about your disconnect between a word you saw in print and how you misprounounced it - I invite you to let me know about it. Let us share your pain.
First, we should get the meaning of this word out of the way. Victuals means food or provisions, especially food meant for people. So let me tell you how I think it is supposed to be prounounced (and it seems that I am not alone in this): vick two alls or if I say it faster: vickchewls. You may be very surprised as I was to learn that this word should be pronounced: vitilz. vittles. Listen to it yourself: victual. Now vittles, by the way, is an valid alternate, and I think, more reasonable spelling.
I think I only ever heard this word used on The Beverly Hillbillies. (Didn't Jed often tell Granny to put them vittles on the table?) Or Hee Haw. Its etymology is from Middle French adopted into Middle English originating from the Latin victus meaning nourishment. Who knew?
And it may interest you to know that someone who provides victuals is known as a victualler and that this is pronounced as vittler
If you have similiar stories about your disconnect between a word you saw in print and how you misprounounced it - I invite you to let me know about it. Let us share your pain.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Why Does J.D. Salinger use the Word Crumby?
Because he can. It was perfectly ok in the 1940s, when he wrote Catcher in the Rye, to use the word crumby to mean something miserable, filthy, wretched, shabby, cheap or worthless. Come to think of it, if you want, you can still use it. It is quite acceptable. It does seem more common however to use the spelling variant crummy. Your readers might be tempted to think of crumby as rhyming with Gumby.
I think I might find myself using crumbier in my writing rather than crummier, but crummiest rather than crumbiest. They just feel more natural. Whatever turns your crank, as they say, because all four are acceptable. So are crumminess and crumbiness if you want to be a an advocate for variety. As always, the watchword is consistency in your writing. We can at least be thankful that for all the dozens of times Salinger used it in his novel, (his main character also found most of the people in his life phony and used the word to excess), it was always spelled the same way.
If you do use crumby in your written communications rest assured that you can hold your head up high and cite its use in that classic work of the twentieth century.
I think I might find myself using crumbier in my writing rather than crummier, but crummiest rather than crumbiest. They just feel more natural. Whatever turns your crank, as they say, because all four are acceptable. So are crumminess and crumbiness if you want to be a an advocate for variety. As always, the watchword is consistency in your writing. We can at least be thankful that for all the dozens of times Salinger used it in his novel, (his main character also found most of the people in his life phony and used the word to excess), it was always spelled the same way.
If you do use crumby in your written communications rest assured that you can hold your head up high and cite its use in that classic work of the twentieth century.
