Have you ever found out, basically out of nowhere, that you’ve been pronouncing a word incorrectly your entire life? I think almost everyone I know has. For me it was ‘subsequently.’ I happened to utter it within earshot of someone whose first exposure to it had been auditory -unlike me- and knew to apply the emphasis to the correct syllable. We had a great big back and forth over it, both of us wondering if maybe the other person was right because we respected each other enough to not make assumptions of self righteousness, and then did the research required to prove me the fool of the hour.
That kind of stuff is always interesting to me, and I’ve found the discussions it brings about often lead to more open lines of communication, and subsequently healthier relationships and people. Not that I’m trying to draw any connections or create an allegory about being open to correction and committed to communication in order to seek truth. Not me.
It’s also fun when a person finds out they’ve been saying a word incorrectly, and instead of adapting, they stick to it, and just keep saying ‘new-cue-lar’ or ‘real-la-ter’ no matter how many people point out the erroneous enunciation, either vocally or just by making that face people make. You know the one, when one side of their face kind of scrunches up because their mind just did like a mini whiplash double take sort of thing, and they need an extra second to make sense out of the familiar but unclear utterance.
How many of you just did a practice run of that face, acting it out for yourself to see if that’s what you do in those moments? It is my dearest momentary hope that at least one of you got caught doing it, had to explain yourself to someone, and they subsequently made that face at you for being a weirdo.
There’s nothing wrong with being a weirdo, by the way. If someone doesn’t make that face at you at least once in a while, there’s a pretty good chance you’re not having any fun.
Just don’t confuse it with that face people make when you’re being annoying or offensive. They’re not the same face. That first one, the whiplash double take one, is quick to come and usually quick to go. That other one often sticks around for a while, and the sooner you recognize it and shut up the better. Trust me, as a person who has spent a lot of time in arguments where people made that face before calling me a blasphemer or, god forbid, a liberal, at that point they’re not listening to you anymore, and you’re just wasting your time.
Okay, I’m going to stop there, because the thoughts I mentioned in the intro are clearly starting to leak through, and I need a break. Until next time, friends and neighbors, keep your hands clean and your face untouched.
-John
