Well, bird flu is bad. Not only because it's deadly, but because think how insipid "bird flu" sounds. Now, the Spanish flu--that was scary sounding.
Making the bird flu even more unfashionable sounding is the insistence by several local reporters and news anchors around here pronouncing it as if they're saying Evian flu, like the bottled water brand. Something of an unaccented schwa + Vee sound on the front, then a drawn out and stressed AHHHN sound on the end. It points out something I have often wondered about--do reporters not watch other news reporters, and maybe get some clues on pronouncing common words? I remember one local goob who pronounced "rhinocerous" as "rino-SEHR-us."
But avian? A-vee-'n.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at October 13, 2005 01:03 PMListening to the radio the other day, one of the sports update guys referred to a hockey player or team as having a "pen-shawnt" for something.
Happily, the host caught the mention and ripped the guy mercilessly after the update.
Posted by: skinnydan at October 14, 2005 08:47 AMWell, I guess pen-shawnt is better than pen-chant. PEN! PEN! PEN!
It reminds me too of this little old lady who had her own midday show in Montgomery in the mid-80s called "The Rozelle Show." One of these little old society-type aspirers, and one day she had was doing a travel show and had a travel agent on and they were going to talk about St. Tropez. But she didn't call it "san(g) tro-PAY". Nope. Saint Tro-pez. And of course, with the dutiful addition of extra syllables and a sweet Suthern accent, it came out as Say-unt Tro-pay-uz.
When I get PossumblogLIVE! started, I am going to have a reporter in Say-unt Tro-pay-uz.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at October 14, 2005 09:30 AMAnd obviously, that should read "she was doing a travel show." "Had" has nothing to do with it.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at October 14, 2005 09:31 AM