It brought a warm smile of recognition & cherished memory to my heart bits.
My Son, for reasons unknown (even, I suspect, to himself) calls penguins 'paynguins'.
(the 'pen' sound becomes a 'pay').
As parents neither of us felt the need to correct him, as his pronunciation was otherwise 'normal' (well 'normal' within an Australian rendering of the language).
I'm delighted to occasionally find a way to encourage him to say penguin without being 'caught', and (to my ear) there's still the faintest bit of 'pay' in his 'pen'.
He's now 30.
Thank you for your posts, they're truly a joy to read - and from their reading I get the sense that they're a joy to write.*
*except, of course, for the ones when you've got a bug up your arse about something, and these too
(possibly because they're more fun to write?) are a joy in their own way.
I have an anecdote...'do you like beds?' the young lady asked as were walked the tarn in the Lake District one day...this Kiwi gal heard 'birds' as 'beds' & I told her I liked them well enough, wondering where this question would lead... lol. I'm thinking many UK folks may well pronounce 'penguin' like your small/big boy.
For some reason it seems that, especially in the US, it is not uncommon for people to refer to all cattle as ‘cows’, regardless of whether they are male or female. I see this frequently on social media and elsewhere. Having spent some time on an Australian grazing property, I know the difference between calves, heifers, cows, bulls and steers, so I’m always very surprised to see an animal that is clearly a bull or a steer being referred to as a cow. It happens quite frequently.
I learned about steers quite early when walking in the Port Hills of ChCh we found ourselves in a paddock with steers looking at us menacingly & we got the hell out again...cue the chat about various different 'cows' in the car going home.
Nothing better to do with my time, and I'm glad I spent it reading the story! Rich with human and bovine emotions, packed with etymology to satisfy my old proofreader soul.
Many thanks for sharing your Son's poon tale.
It brought a warm smile of recognition & cherished memory to my heart bits.
My Son, for reasons unknown (even, I suspect, to himself) calls penguins 'paynguins'.
(the 'pen' sound becomes a 'pay').
As parents neither of us felt the need to correct him, as his pronunciation was otherwise 'normal' (well 'normal' within an Australian rendering of the language).
I'm delighted to occasionally find a way to encourage him to say penguin without being 'caught', and (to my ear) there's still the faintest bit of 'pay' in his 'pen'.
He's now 30.
Thank you for your posts, they're truly a joy to read - and from their reading I get the sense that they're a joy to write.*
*except, of course, for the ones when you've got a bug up your arse about something, and these too
(possibly because they're more fun to write?) are a joy in their own way.
I have an anecdote...'do you like beds?' the young lady asked as were walked the tarn in the Lake District one day...this Kiwi gal heard 'birds' as 'beds' & I told her I liked them well enough, wondering where this question would lead... lol. I'm thinking many UK folks may well pronounce 'penguin' like your small/big boy.
...'walked the fell'..I mean...
The ones with a bug up my arse are the most enjoyable by far! Catharsis.
Have you seen Benedict Cumberbatch struggling with "penguin", John - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GflW9_t7LZk
For some reason it seems that, especially in the US, it is not uncommon for people to refer to all cattle as ‘cows’, regardless of whether they are male or female. I see this frequently on social media and elsewhere. Having spent some time on an Australian grazing property, I know the difference between calves, heifers, cows, bulls and steers, so I’m always very surprised to see an animal that is clearly a bull or a steer being referred to as a cow. It happens quite frequently.
Thanks for this, Teresa. I've learned something new!
I learned about steers quite early when walking in the Port Hills of ChCh we found ourselves in a paddock with steers looking at us menacingly & we got the hell out again...cue the chat about various different 'cows' in the car going home.
If you look into the US cattle industry I’m sure you’ll find evidence of this. Very odd!
Nothing better to do with my time, and I'm glad I spent it reading the story! Rich with human and bovine emotions, packed with etymology to satisfy my old proofreader soul.
Good stuff on a MOnday Ken, ta, though I wished your Dad had elaborated in a 'learning moment' sort of way.