OK, I'm drawing a blank here. I started to comment on the phenomenon of having holidays in the middle of the week, but that was a non-starter. The last time that I posted a weekend word was months ago and it started with a "U" (remember "uxorial"?) I guess that would suggest a word starting with "V," n'est-ce pas? So, the word that came to mind was vehement [VEE-eh-ment]. It is not an unusual word at all, but I used it in conversation recently and was surprised by the response. Talking with a man who is well educated and for whom public speaking is a significant aspect of his work, I described some of his comments as vehement. Not only did he object that his comments were not spoken in anger (while "vehement" can imply anger, it basically means "intense, emotional, fervent"), but he pronounced the word "ve-hem-e-nent." I didn't know whether to make my case or stop to correct his English.
Hmmm, that does bring up something else. Certainly you have heard people describe an activity as "not my for-tay." They are undoubtedly using the word "forte" which comes directly from French (it means "strength"). Maybe that's why they pronounce the "e" as "ay"--to sound more French. But the word has no accented "e" either in French or English. It should simply be pronounced as if the "e" were silent, which it is. "Ft. Worth is not my fort and creating wealth is not my forte."
Oh did you like the flowers? Yellow hibiscus reminds me of Hawaii, although the hibiscus that grew outside our door on Oahu was a bush over ten feet tall. Had to be trimmed every month or so. I don't know the name of the little purple flower, but the photo turned out nice.
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Say it isn't so! Moi? Mispronouncing a word? I had to check it out and found this at Dictionary.com:
Usage Note: The word forte, coming from French fort, should properly be pronounced with one syllable, like the English word fort. Common usage, however, prefers the two-syllable pronunciation, (fôrt), which has been influenced possibly by the music term forte borrowed from Italian. In a recent survey a strong majority of the Usage Panel, 74 percent, preferred the two-syllable pronunciation. The result is a delicate situation; speakers who are aware of the origin of the word may wish to continue to pronounce it as one syllable but at an increasing risk of puzzling their listeners.
Well, I learned something new today. I am one of those who is guilty of using the two syllable pronunciation. However, descending from rural Southern stock probably excuses me anyway, since we tend to drag everything out into more syllables than we need!
I have my own nit-picky grammatical error that I have been wanting to write about, but I need to get a picture of the sign to show what I am talking about.
Like you, anger would be the least of the things I would think of someone declared my speech to be vehement. In fact, I'd be proud to have my speech declared vehement, I am usually so wishy-washy.
(I do like the flowers).
That was me in the previous comment, feeling a little weird and long-winded! Anyway, I got my little grammatically incorrect error posted.
I'm guilty of dragging out the words too, annie. My most peevish gramatical error: irregardless. I reeeeaallly hate that.
Love the flowers!
(I have a red hibiscus that is growing like a weed, but has stopped blooming. No blooms at all for the past couple of weeks. Any ideas? Just needs more fertilizer?)
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