Some performing groups came in twos (the Everly Brothers, the Smothers Brothers, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Steve Lawrence and Edyie Gormé, Peaches & Herb, Ike and Tina Turner, Simon and Garfunkel, Martin & Lewis, Martin & Rossi), some in threes (the McGuire Sisters, the Andrews Sisters, the Ritz Brothers, the Supremes, the Three Stooges), some in fours (the Pointer Sisters, the Ames Brothers, the Four Lads, the Four Tops, the Chordettes, Little Anthony and the Imperials, the Drifters, the Coasters, the Platters), and some were even larger (the Osmonds, the Marx Brothers, the King Family, the Von Trapp Family Singers, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). I'm kidding on that last one, but only sort of.
All of the foregoing are from the part of ancient history known as the mid-twentieth century. I stopped listening to pop music when my children were small (translation: five decade ago). We have blogger Tasker Dunham of Yorkshire,England, to thank for stirring up my brain cells in this area. At least you know that if, as Scottish people say at this time of year, auld acquaintance should be forgot, you will always have this blog to fall back on.
Enough of that.
There are words that describe various kinds of animals, words like canine (dog), feline (cat), asinine (donkey), bovine (cow), .ovine (sheep), equine (horse), porcine (pig), lupine (wolf), volpine (fox), caprine (goat), leonine (lion). If there is no such word as orcine to describe whales, there should be. All of these words describe mammals. Words also exist that describe birds (avian), bees (apian), and fish (aquatic) but they do not end with "-ine". Neither do "marsupial", "reptilian", or "ungulate". If you know words ending with "-ine" that describe particular species (ducks? geese? chickens? hippos? rhinos? giraffes? ostriches? opossums? beavers? mongooses? platypuses? kangaroos? alligators?) please share them with us in a comment. Inquiring minds want to know.
Enough of that, too.
Mispronunciations irk me, especially by untrained singers at Christmas time. It isn't "Comfert and joy", people, and it isn't "O night deevine", and most importantly it isn't "Silunt night" or "Sleep in heavunly peace".
In regular, unsung speech all year long, "mis-cheevy-us" drives me crazy. If you try to remember that mischievous has three syllables, not four, you won't make it rhyme with devious. Say "mis-chiv-us" to keep my blood pressure in the normal range and I will thank you.
In the perfect world according to me, the first syllable of "applicable" is stressed, not the second syllable. The second syllable is stressed in "incomparable" and "irrevocable", not the third syllable. Perhaps these are problems for Americans only.
Enough of that, too.
I promised you petty gripes and I always deliver on my promises. And if you have spent a few minutes thinking about something besides Joe Biden or Donald Trump, it has all been worthwhile.
I'm trying to avoid petty gripes - I have too many so am making an effort to be more positive and all-embracing. It won't last!
ReplyDeleteAs Rudyard Kipling once wrote,, “You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din.” Of course, you are not a man at all. There is that to help explain it. Thank you, Janice.
DeleteIn the National Anthem it is perilous not peruhlis. It is certainly not my only peeve but I'm trying to limit myself.
ReplyDeleteI have others too. For example, in the Hallelujah Chorus it isnt “hah-lay-loo-yah”. We are to be commended for our self-restraint. Thank you, Emma!
DeleteI have a coffee mug that says "I'm Silently Correcting Your Grammer."
DeleteDon’t even get me started on spelling. I think one of the worst I have seen is “Wallah!” for “Voila!” — a song monstrosity if there ever was one. Thank you, Emma!
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