links! and language

[jazzfish]

Racefail: now by e-mail!: "On a related note, if you're going to complain about how 'Immigrants, not Canadians, must adapt!', I shall give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're referring to the way that your own ancestors 'adapted' upon arriving here, and would like more recent immigrants to take your land, kill you, and put your kids into special schools where they'll be sexually abused and beaten for speaking their own language. Your willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of tradition is truly admirable. Here, have some of these blankets." [via racism_101]

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed To Work!: 7) USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public." [via Dr rivka]

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As I'd expected, there's a weak correlation between growing up speaking Southern and pronouncing the name of that state with four syllables. Also, none of my friends are French, and more than a quarter of them are willing to consign Nawlins to the vasty deep.

Personal linguistic postscript on neighboring states: I drop a syllable from Missippi unless I'm concentrating on saying it right, but I add one to Aladamnbama unless I'm talking about the band. Thus is Equilibrium maintained.

Comments

[thanate.livejournal.com]

For true equilibrium, however, you'd have to add the *same* syllable, thus making it Alassibama, which possibly no one would understand.

[babushek.livejournal.com]

Your links made me snarf my air. In a good way. :)

[merseine0613.livejournal.com]

Oooh! Blankets!!

Do they have cholera or just H1N1 in them??

And as for saying stuff... what do you do with Pierre SD? Or Cairo, IL? Or Madrid, IA? Southerners aren't the only ones with pronunciation problems.

[jazzfish]

If we're going to be traditionalists I think we're obligated to go with smallpox. :)

Mostly with place names like those I roll my eyes a lot.