AN _OUNCE OF PREVUNCIATION

å

                                           [The Annunciation by Fra Angelico, 1450]

A caller asked about the difference between pronunciation and enunciation. Pronunciation refers to the proper utterance of a word. This involves the placement of stress, or accent, in multisyllabic words, and the value given to the consonants and vowels. Misplace the accent, or give the wrong value to a vowel or consonant, and you have mispronounced the word.

 

Enunciation refers to the clarity of the speaker. Thus, his or her pronunciation might be perfect, but if he or she mumbles or slurs, I may not understand what is being said.

 

No one asked, but notice that the verb form of these words contains the letter -o-, which is dropped in the noun form:

 

Announce/annunciation     1429/1389

Denounce/denunciation     1384/1548

Enounce /enunciation         1805/1551    

Pronounce/pronunciation  1384/1439

Renounce/renunciation      1393/1399

 

The oddball in that list is enounce. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (the source of all the first usage dates) it was spelled enunciate in 1623.

 

The source for all of them is the Latin nuntiare, but when certain forms came through French, an -o- was added.

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DUFF

Jim from Suttons Bay asked about the word duff, the decayed matter on a forest floor -- specifically, whether it has any connection to the phrase, an old duffer. Though they share a similar spelling and may both be Scottish terms, there is no direct connection. For a small word, duff has had many meanings, as The Oxford English Dictionary attests.

• Soft or spongy matter covering the ground, esp. decaying vegetable matter (fallen leaves, etc.) covering a forest floor; leaf mould. [Possible Scottish variant of dough.]
• Coal in the form of small particles and dust.
• Something worthless or fake; counterfeit money; smuggled goods. [Back formation from duffer, a dishonest peddlar, possible variant for a Scottish word meaning an incompetent person.]
• A boiled or steamed sweet pudding, usually containing fruit, and made in a bag.
• The buttocks; the backside.
• To alter the appearance of (something for sale) in a deceptive or misleading way, esp. so as to make it appear new or of superior quality; to fake, forge, counterfeit.
• Representing the sound of a dull blow, thud, or drumbeat. Frequently reduplicated.
• Originally of money: fake, counterfeit; not genuine. More generally: worthless, useless, inadequate, poor.
• To perform (a shot) badly. Also in extended use: to make a mess of (something), to muff.
• With up: to become foggy or hazy.
• To beat (a person) up, to thrash.
• A variant of dough.
• Dull, flat; lacking in spirit or energy, listless; inactive. Also: slow-witted, stupid.
• Sad, melancholy, out of spirits.

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Subjectively Subjunctive

This appeared recently in a local newspaper (The Leelanau Enterprise): "The character clause is common in local zoning ordinances. But interpreting this part of the ordinance is subjunctive. What one person sees within character may be a nuisance to others."

The writer should have said subjective, based on personal tastes, feelings, or opinions. Subjunctive is used to designate a particular verb form.

An example of the subjunctive form of the verb is “as it were.” It means in a manner of speaking, and it often reveals a reservation in the speaker’s mind or a delicacy of expression. It has a companion in “so to speak.” What stands out is the verb form used; contrast these verbs, all of which are correct:

• My niece nests here, as it were, every summer. [subjunctive mood]
• As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. [indicative mood]
• If I were a policeman, I’m sure I would feel stress. [subjunctive mood]
• When I was a policeman, I felt stress. [indicative mood]

Verbs have a quality called mood. It doesn’t mean that they’re all emotional, ready to burst into tears at any second. Mood could very well be spelled mode. It designates the form of a verb chosen by a writer based on his or her intention: to express a fact, a command, a wish, a question, or a condition.

The indicative mood is the most frequent mood in English; it deals in objective fact. The indicative mood also includes questions.

• I was young once.
• Was she ever young?
• This is erroneous.
• Is this an error?
• If I was rude to you last night, I apologize.
• Was I rude to you last night?

The imperative mood issues commands.

• Act your age.
• Be certain of your facts.
• Don’t be rude.

The subjunctive mood is used to talk about conditions that are contrary to fact or events that may not happen (hypotheticals), to promote a sense of urgency and thus exhort someone to action, or to express a wish.

• Were I younger, I would beat you in tennis.
• If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
• It is necessary that this issue be settled now.
• If I were a rude person, your anger would be understandable.

The subjunctive mood is not used very often in modern English, and when it has the pronoun you as the subject, it slides right on by, unnoticed. There is no special list of verbs that are found only in the subjunctive mood. Rather, the same verbs can do double duty and more.

• I want to be helpful. [indicative mood]
• Could you be more clear? [indicative mood]
• Be a man! [imperative mood]
• Be that as it may. [subjunctive mood]

Many subjunctive verbs are encased in clichés, like flies in amber:

• , as it were
• Be that as it may.
• Far be it from me to complain.
• If this be treason, make the most of it.
• If I were you,
• We demand that he be impeached.
• I move that the motion be tabled.
• Suppose that she were here.
• So be it.
• I insist that cursing not be allowed.
• Were an epidemic to break out, we’d all die.

Sometimes we use should, could, or would instead of the stand-alone subjunctive:

• I wish that he were here.
• I wish that he could be here.
• Had she listened to me . . . .
• If she would have listened to me . . . .
• Be you ready or not, the bus leaves at 6:00.
• You should be ready to board the bus at 6:00.

Finally, the verb in the subjunctive mood will always be found in a dependent clause. Most of the time, the subordinating conjunction that introduces the dependent clause will be overt (If an epidemic were to break out, we’d all die), but sometimes it is merely understood (Were an epidemic to break out, we’d all die).

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GOING TO THE DOGS

 

I was preparing to do the Sunday crossword puzzle when my eye was caught by the ads for dogs on the following page. One of the ads was selling a Whoodle, and I thought, what the heck is a whoodle? It turned out to be a mix of a Wheaten Terrier and a Poodle. This trend of designer dogs has gotten totally out of hand. Stunned, I decided to do some research, and here are some of the breeds that I found.

 

·      Aussiedoodle:  Australian Shepherd and Poodle

·      Bassador:  Basset Hound and Labrador Retriever

·      Bernedoodle:  Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle

·      Bogle:    Beagle and Boxer

·      Cavachon:  Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Bichon Frisé

·      Cheagle:  Chihuahua and Beagle

·      Cockapoo:  Cocker Spaniel and Poodle

·      Dorgi:  Dachshund and Corgi

·      Goldendoodle:  Golden Retriever and Poodle

·      Gollie:  Golden Retriever and Collie

·      Horgi:  Siberian Husky and Corgi

·      Labradoodle:  Labrador Retriever and Poodle

·      Morkie:  Maltese and Yorkshire Terrier

·      Pekapoo – Pekingese and Poodle

·      Pitsky:  Pit Bull and Siberian Husky

·      Puggle:  Pug and Beagle

·      Saint Weiler:  Rottweiller and Saint Bernard

·      Schnoodle:  Schnauzer and Poodle

·      Snorkie:  Miniature Schnauzer and Yorkshire Terrier

 

In my unsophisticated day, we used to call such mixes mutts, but I may have to capitulate to the current trend. So, what about an Irish Wolfhound and a Chihuahua – a Wolfhaha? Or better yet, a bulldog and a Shitzu – a Bullshit. Or a Sheepdog and a Shitzu – a Sheepshit.

 

Soon, the trend may extend to larger animals. Until that day arrives, I can’t wait to visit my local zoo to see a Rhinelephant and a Zebraffe.

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BUG

One of the things that my listeners enjoy, as do I, is the fact that many words have multiple meanings that evolved over the centuries. Sometimes the meanings progressed in a logical and orderly fashion, like ascending a staircase, but sometimes they took quirky and unpredictable sideway leaps because of figurative extension or historical interference or trendy slang. At any rate, it’s always an instructive journey. 

Last week, a listener called in to ask about the word bug and all its permutations. Let’s crawl through its meanings over time. [The dates indicate the first written example given in the online Oxford English Dictionary.]

 

·       An imaginary evil spirit [1425]

·       A pompous, conceited person [1536]

·       A small insect [1594]

·       A contemptible person [1785]

·       A person with an obsessive interest [1841]

·       A defect in a machine [1875]

·       A harmful microorganism [1885]

·       An irrational, foolish, or insane person [1885]

·       A British boarding school student who is younger or considered somehow inferior [1900]

·       A weight allowance given to an apprentice jockey [1906]

·       The transmission key in a telegraph or Morse code machine [1910]

·       An illness caused by a microorganism [1918]

·       A small car resembling a bug [1919]

·       A burglar alarm [1920]

·       A small makeshift lantern [1924]

·       A concealed microphone [1936]

·       An error causing a malfunction in a computer program [1952]

 

Most of the verb forms describe actions connected to the nouns listed above, but they also include to damage, to annoy, to bulge outwards, to run away, to back out of a situation, and to dismiss someone.

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