Posted on 03/15/2012 6:20:33 AM PDT by dangus
Pet aggravation: NPR-style know-it-alls who rewrite the English language and then tell people they're wrong for using the traditional meaning.
Whales are fish. They're not from the phylogenic class of Pisces, but then neither are cuttlefish, jellyfish, starfish, shellfish, or 80% of the other creatures called "fish." Crazy bonus fact: Tuna are warm-blooded, but are Piscean.
The 2004 disaster that killed all those people in Indonesia was a tidal wave. Notice how it came in like a tide, instead of like a breaker? Ironically, "tsunami" means "harbor wave," and is thus an inaccurate description.
Look at any old, hand-written document. Notice that they leave more space after a period than between consecutive letters?
How the hell did the 7th planet become "urineness?" Is it that Kai Ryssdell can't stop snickering at the discovery of rings around your anus? Here's a tip: the Greek God was "oo-RON-niss." The irony? The planet is largely composed of water and ammonia. Yup, Uranis is actually made of urine. So, maybe I'll give NPR that one
And of course: It's "Meksicoh," not "Meheecoh." "Bruhzill," not "Brah-zeel." Unless you're also going to pronounce "Parriss" as "Puh-ree," and "Kwibehck" as "Kay-beck," etc. Bonus: "Torino" is the name given by its Italian conquerors. (Well, "conqueror" may be a bit of a stretch, but how often do you get to say the expression, "Italian conquerors," referring to something after the Fall of Rome?) The city is actually called Turin in the local dialect. So the Olympic broadcasters were Olympic failures.
Well ... my uncle did not marry an insect, neether ... uhhh ... nyether .... uhhh ... well, he dint .. that's all.
When did THIS happen?
Uranus was spelled (or spelt) omicron, upsilon, alpha, nu, omicron, sigma, with the accent on the ultima, and would therefore have been pronounced o-ran-OS by the Greeks.
But only a pedant would use the correct classical Greek pronunciation in English. You might as well say ‘Kaisar’ and ‘faikes’ instead of Caesar and feces.
Or the reporters who always sound like they came from south of the border when they have to pronounce Nicaragua?
How the hell did the 7th planet become "urineness?"
Because they got tired of all the jokes about your-anus.
Those aren't fish, either.
The rule is that if the inhabitants of a given place are non-White, you have to pronounce the city with the accent of those inhabitants. Even when the name is an exonym. It’s just that the minds at NPR would explode to discover that places like Argentina, Chile, etc., are predominant white.
But yes, NPR frequently makes me want to shoot something. They never seem to realize that as a class, they appear to be educated far beyond their intelligence.
Whales are fish.
******
HUH?
http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/a6o404/futurama-smelloscope at 0:37.
If 80% of what are called ‘fish’ aren’t ‘pisces’, maybe its time to abandon the soppy shorthand that the definition of an ancient word is simply defined by a modern term. Fish =/= pisces. Get over it. Making that false presumption only destroys your ability to read Shakespeare, the prophet Jonah, and any other source where sea creatures are called ‘fish.’
Yes, but Etymology Man was defeated by a large bug he was unwisely summoned to conquer.
******
HUH?
I agree. Whales are no more "fish" than a seal or sea lion is.
She: "I don't know why you keep calling them that? That's not what they're called!"
Me: "What should I call them?"
She: "Munchen and Bayern, of course!"
Bye-bye.
Good grief, has it gotten to the point where they’re saying “Meheecoh” on NPR now? Ever since Dear Leader started with the Pahkeestahn business, the media have really let themselves go with the non-anglo pronunciations (which is a form of sticking it to The Man and therefore irresistable to leftists).
NPR needs to use the correct “Commie” for “progressive” and socialist for ‘rat.
These are the same kinds of folks who would say that peanuts aren’t nuts and that tomatoes aren’t vegetables. I expect one of them will be shot in a pub one day while arguing how much beer should be in a pint.
The Prince of Whales will be upset to hear that whales are not mammals. The confusion is understandable; however, as NPR is almost exclusively populated by dead fish.
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