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.
# posted by Ninja @ 8:23 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
My first guess is that the incorrect pronunciation is unconsciously borrowed from visual.
# posted by 
: 7:10 PM
: 7:10 PM 
Dictionary.com :)
vig‧i‧lant /ˈvɪdʒələnt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[vij-uh-luhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. keenly watchful to detect danger; wary: a vigilant sentry.
2. ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful.
[Origin: 1470–80; < L vigilant- (s. of vigilāns), prp. of vigilāre to be watchful. See vigil, -ant]
—Related forms
vig‧i‧lant‧ly, adverb
vig‧i‧lant‧ness, noun
—Synonyms 2. wide-awake, sleepless. See alert.
vig‧i‧lant /ˈvɪdʒələnt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[vij-uh-luhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. keenly watchful to detect danger; wary: a vigilant sentry.
2. ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful.
[Origin: 1470–80; < L vigilant- (s. of vigilāns), prp. of vigilāre to be watchful. See vigil, -ant]
—Related forms
vig‧i‧lant‧ly, adverb
vig‧i‧lant‧ness, noun
—Synonyms 2. wide-awake, sleepless. See alert.
# posted by : 3:05 AM
: 3:05 AM
oops, wrong version before.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) - Cite This Source
vig‧il /ˈvɪdʒəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[vij-uhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. wakefulness maintained for any reason during the normal hours for sleeping.
2. a watch or a period of watchful attention maintained at night or at other times: The nurse kept her vigil at the bedside of the dying man.
3. a period of wakefulness from inability to sleep.
4. Ecclesiastical. a. a devotional watching, or keeping awake, during the customary hours of sleep.
b. Sometimes, vigils. a nocturnal devotional exercise or service, esp. on the eve before a church festival.
c. the eve, or day and night, before a church festival, esp. an eve that is a fast.
[Origin: 1200–50; ME vigil(i)e < AF < ML vigilia eve of a holy day, special use of L vigilia watchfulness, equiv. to vigil sentry + -ia -y3]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) - Cite This Source
vig‧il /ˈvɪdʒəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[vij-uhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. wakefulness maintained for any reason during the normal hours for sleeping.
2. a watch or a period of watchful attention maintained at night or at other times: The nurse kept her vigil at the bedside of the dying man.
3. a period of wakefulness from inability to sleep.
4. Ecclesiastical. a. a devotional watching, or keeping awake, during the customary hours of sleep.
b. Sometimes, vigils. a nocturnal devotional exercise or service, esp. on the eve before a church festival.
c. the eve, or day and night, before a church festival, esp. an eve that is a fast.
[Origin: 1200–50; ME vigil(i)e < AF < ML vigilia eve of a holy day, special use of L vigilia watchfulness, equiv. to vigil sentry + -ia -y3]
# posted by : 3:21 AM
: 3:21 AM
Lots of excellent reading here, thanks! I was searching on yahoo when I uncovered your publish, I’m going to add your feed to Google Reader, I look forward to a lot more from you.
Post a Comment
# posted by : 1:37 AM
: 1:37 AM << Home
