My latest article for The Week is on accented characters, like ü and é. They’re not officially part of English spelling, but they just don’t go away. And in spite of some people’s uncoöperativeness, I don’t think they’re going to go away, either.
In the future, will the English language be full of accented characters?
Posted in The Week
Tagged accented letters, accents, special characters, spelling, The Week
What can take a person from avid to pavid in an instant – and not just pavid, but flavid?
I’ll back up for a moment. Avid you know, of course; it comes originally from Latin aveo ‘I crave’ (yes, that’s also the origin of avarice). But add a simple p and you go from being full of piss and vinegar to peeing yourself: pavid means ‘fearful’; it comes from Latin paveo ‘I fear’ (not ‘I hit the pavement’, though that might be a consequence), which is the source of modern Italian pauro and French peur, both nouns meaning ‘fear’. Puff and flutter that p in flusteration and you get flavid, which means ‘yellow’ and comes from Latin flavus (not to be confused with flavius, which means ‘yellower’ or ‘goldener’ and was apparently a good thing in Rome, as it shows up in names of numerous important people, including some emperors).
OK, so what – aside from a wanton p – could take a person from avid to pavid? And what – aside from wayward pee – could make them flavid? Well, how about a gravid nimravid? Continue reading
Posted in word tasting notes
Tagged avid, flavid, gravid, nimravid, pavid, word tasting notes
For this week’s pronunciation tip, I’m talking about the perfect breakfast beverage: Champagne. Here’s how to say the names of several of the great houses in Champagne: Taittinger, Moët et Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Bollinger, Billecart-Salmon, Drappier, Nicolas Feuillatte, Henriot, Jacquart, Jacquesson, Krug, Lanson, Laurent-Perrier, Mumm, Perrier-Jouët, Piper-Heidsieck, Pol Roger, Pommery, Louis Roederer, Ruinart, and Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin; also Reims, Épernay, and Dizy.
Oh – and if you’re thinking about visiting Champagne (or just want to know what it’s like), I have 21 tips for you.
Posted in pronunciation tips
Tagged Épernay, Billecart-Salmon, Bollinger, champagne, Dizy, Dom Pérignon, Drappier, Henriot, Jacquart, Jacquesson, Krug, Lanson, Laurent-Perrier, Louis Roederer, Moët et Chandon, Mumm, Nicolas Feuillatte, Perrier-Jouët, Piper-Heidsieck, Pol Roger, Pommery, Pronunciation Tip, Reims, Ruinart, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin
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