\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Living with a language purist can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be all fun and games.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Although I intended the purist reference to be about my father, the late J.D. Trujillo, it could also refer to me, at least as far as my wife Bonnie is concerned.<\/p>\n
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 When, on occasion, Bonnie says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You sound just like your dad,” I wonder what could have given her that idea. Does ANY offspring, for any reason, want to be compared to a parent? It seems that no matter how much we disagree with elders\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 habits, practices, beliefs, customs, techniques and mannerisms, we are destined to emulate them. Or, as George Santayana said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat Western Civ. 101.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 My dad was the son of Severino Trujillo, a man who in the late 19th century traveled overseas, studied in Paris and acquired several languages. A comparatively educated man for the times, he must have seen to it that my dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grammar, especially in Spanish, was flawless. In turn, dad kept us five children in tow, never tolerating any solecism. Once, when I said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll learn you,” Dad asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s your grammar?” Naturally, I pointed out that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been dead for years.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Some purists overlook the good in an argument because of its ungrammatical or unpunctuated state. Some can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see the essay for the typos. In the same way, some teachers of art insist that their subjects \u00e2\u20ac\u0153stay between the lines.” In that regard, I never really felt comfortable in a man-to-boy conversation with Dad, fearful my language (it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter which language), would be shredded, riced, diced and pureed, mainly because Dad expected the King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s English (or Spanish) emanating from someone who at the time hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t had the luxury of many years of elementary school.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Later, as a journalist, I felt proud of being part of a two-man team that helped uncover a drug ring in western New Mexico. Some investigative reporting revealed its existence weeks before the cops found out (although the police said they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d known about it for months but were still surveilling it). Feeling great at getting a banner headline that day, I mailed a copy of the newspaper to my parents.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 What was Dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reaction? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you realize you misspelled the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmarihuana\u00e2\u20ac\u2122?” Actually, I hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t (realized it). His rationale was that one doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pronounce the drug \u00e2\u20ac\u0153mariwhana,” thus necessitating an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153h” somewhere, not a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153j.” Nevertheless, my impression was that the misspelling was all Dad got out of the Woodward-and-Bernstein type expose. Any correspondence with my dad unfailingly got critiques, no matter how minuscule the error. Dad wanted each written Spanish word to come complete with its requisite four tildes and seven accent marks.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 I was reminded of the young girl who was constantly being corrected. The girl said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mom, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d correct my language even if I was dying, wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you?” Her mom replied, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, dear, if you WERE dying, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d correct you.” And there was a vacationing family on a raft in Africa. The son hollered, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dad, come quick! Mom\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being attacked by an alligator,” only to have the father reply, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Son, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in Africa, so it must be a crocodile.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 To compensate for those who demand unquestionable language, there are those who deliberately put their own spin on and mispronounce and misuse them on purpose. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no reason why the cadence of a drill sergeant wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t flow better if the G.I. were to count off: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One, two, three, four.” Instead, it has to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hup, hoop, hreep, horp.” At least the vowels stay intact. And you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re criticized if you say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Forward, march,” when it really should be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153harch.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 In my youth I was interested in a neighbor girl, Vangie, a world of fun, but who I thought had a speech defect in that her \u00e2\u20ac\u0153no” always came out as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153doh,” and that was decades before Homer Simpson. So I asked this girl who was unable to say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153no” why she used the voiced lingua-dental plosive consonant in favor of the pure nasal sound.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Vangie replied that she had no trouble saying \u00e2\u20ac\u0153no” (I certainly found that out) but would say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153doh” for effect, the same way people say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll learn you.” Trying to sustain a courtship with her was problematic, as the dialogue usually went like this: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Would you like to go for a ride?” \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Doh.” \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How about the movies tomorrow night?” \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I said \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdoh.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 I was left wondering, What is she doh-ing to my emotions and my ego?
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Over the years I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned why language purists don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any friends: we devote too much time correcting others, as if we had the corner on proper usage. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been humbling realizing that some of my best friends are prone to in a way split infinitives and to once in a while ignore the rule that a pronoun is a word you shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t end a sentence with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Living with a language purist can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be all fun and games. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Although I intended the purist reference to be about my father, the late J.D. Trujillo, it could also refer to me, at least as far as my wife Bonnie is concerned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}