Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Why Cahnt the English Lunn to Speak?

Why do I ask? Because once upon a time, Sade's record company wrote, for an English record release, that her name (shortened from her full name of Helen Folosade Adu) is pronounced "Shar-day," and to this day, Americans think that means that Sade's name is pronounced "Shar-day."

Which would seem logical, until you realize that in English talk, such an "r" is only there to change the "a" sound from something that sounds like "Sadie" to the sound in words like "the Shah of Iran." So saying something is pronounced "Shar-day" means, to the English ear, that it is pronounced "Shah-day." Damn English.

So Americans, say "Shah-day." I know nobody else plays Sade anymore so this point may seem a little late, but Drew does, so this is for Drew. And, ultimately, for me, because hearing "Shar-day" makes me grind my teeth.

Oh, and "Bowie" rhymes with "Joey."

2 comments:

Scarlet said...

And "bouy" is pronounced 'boy' NOT "Boo-eey".

Thanks for listening....

Anonymous said...

A Poem for you.

Spell Checker Poem

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the erroe rite
its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew,
-Sauce unknown