My pet peeve metaplasm is Feb-uary. Does anyone (including announcers on NPR) pronounce the first r in February any more? One person I noted this to told me the r was silent (!). But then, I live in New England where a lot of r's are silent.
Dear ets: Many if not most New Englander simply have difficulty making the "r" sound.
In spite of my youthful recitations of "Round and round the rugged rock the ragged
rascal ran" I simply cannot trill "r"s the way other regional speakers can.
Man spricht wie der Schnabel gewachsen ist. But to say the "r" is silent is stupid.
Hello, ets.
When I was growing up in Michigan, I always heard the second month pronounced "Febuary," but upon learning the spelling, I altered my own pronunciation, and now articulate it as "February." So, there is at least one other person who still says the first r.
I was taught that the "r" in February should be enunciated. And so I did. Just as I'd been taught that the first "r" in library should be enunciated.
What's interesting is, in contrast to small children, nearly every adult I hear does enunciate that library "r," but rare is the one who enunciates the "February" one. We appear to remain children in our lip laziness associated with the second month. Wonder why?
Hardly anyone pronounces the -us at the end of February any more.
In reply to:
Hardly anyone pronounces the -us at the end of February any more.
OK, Faldage. I'll bite. What's the joke? What haven't I read -- still again as always -- that you have read?
Beat regards,
WW
Just a wry* comment on the inability of some of y'all to appreciate the pleasure of hearing linguistic change happening before your very ears.
*Well I thought it was wry.
Thank you, Faldage.
Sorry I have to ask you to explain these things all the time, but I hate missing your wryness.
Best relief,
WW
On the subject of metaplasms in general, my favorites are vomick for vomit, and nauserated for nauseated.
Oooh, do hostabittle hospital and ambliance ambulance count as metaplasms? They're two of my faves...
do hostabittle and ambliance count as metaplasms?
Sure do. Specially if you got the former via the latter due to choking on a plate of bisghetti.
My cat gave birth on my plate of bisghetti so I had her spaded!
I had cancer in my lair-nicks
...do hostabittle and ambliance count as metaplasms? They're two of my faves...
...or, to paraphrase Will Rogers, is it?, I never metaplasm I didn't like...
maybe that should be a nuclear physicist I'm paraphrasing
I never metaplasm I didn't like...
maybe that should be a nuclear physicist I'm paraphrasing
or perhaps a phlebotomist... not to be confused with a lobotomist who presumably would remove more than plasm and blood
I guess I've been influenced by the Halloween season
phlebotomist.... Vampire
lobotomist... Dr. Frankenstein
But I suppose it's appropriate for a post titled feBOOary
