\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Clearly upset that the Adams State Grizzlies had scored another touchdown and were starting to rub it in, Art Abreu, a tight-ends coach and play-by-play sportscaster for the Highlands Cowboys, asked on the air why such demonstrations are tolerated.<\/p>\n
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Abreu made a brilliant point: If running backs or receivers who score can perform excessive in-your-face end zone dances, why doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the quarterback who threw or handed off the ball join in a little dance?
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Why don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the centers, guards and tackles, who block for the fellow who scored do the same?
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sequence in the new movie, “Coach Carter,” in which the high school basketball team he coaches becomes overly demonstrative each time there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good play. The players high-five one another and perform all kinds of taunting, show-boating techniques, all of which say, “I did it. That was my basket.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0During practice, Coach Carter, played by Samuel L. Jackson, points out the absurdity of self-praise when he stops to lace his shoes and rhapsodizes about such an act. “Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that a beautiful bow? I tied it all by myself.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Now realistically, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to blame youngsters for feeling some exuberance: a touchdown, a homerun or a three-pointer is an accomplishment not everyone is familiar with.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Yet, Abreu is correct in criticizing the I-did-it-all-by-myself aggrandizement (he calls it “hot-dogging”), and we trust he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be just as critical if the Cowboys themselves were performing the end zone festivities. Abreu said that toward the end of last football season, something like that happened: a Cowboy was flagged twice for excessive endzone demonstrations. “It may have cost us the game,” he said.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0As for having tackles, ends, centers and guards celebrating in the end zone, that would be bad, as it would then become a line dance, which is best left for cheerleaders and members of the school pep squad.
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\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0At least once each morning, radio listeners hear from a kid who tells us, “Last night I got sick, and my parents took me to QuickCare.” She cutes us to death as she explains that she “didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even cry.” But at the end of the commercial she admits having cried a little. “After all, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just a kid,” she tells us.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Cuteness aside, this kid has been saying the same thing for months. Someone who gets sick every week night is costing her parents a fortune in co-pays. The nightly shots must make her arms quite porous. But more important, she needs a primary care physician who can give her a thorough workup to keep her from getting sick every single night.
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\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d
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\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0A few months ago I listened to a presentation by students representing a number of high schools in the Santa Fe-San Miguel County area. While much of the information was right on, several of us noticed almost a penchant for being inarticulate. Several students, some of whom read from prepared scripts, slurred and elided several sounds; they failed to include inflectional endings, with the result that “licenses” became “license,” and “tomorrow” became “tomor.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0I talked to a participant later, who explained that most of the students simply pick up what they hear, and repeat it. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fair enough explanation, but he added that “It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not cool to be too clear.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Geez. A few years ago I attended a holiday presentation at Mike Mateo Elementary School in Sapello. The kindergarten class stood front and center, not fidgeting, not daydreaming. After their customary yuletide carol, the teacher caught all of them by surprise by asking each one what he or she planned to do in life.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0In order, every kindergartener took the mike, looked at the audience, projected, and articulated some quite coherent statements. Now if kids not yet in first grade can do that, why can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t older people attempt to be clear?
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The kindergarten teacher, by the way, is Bernice Martinez, herself the daughter of retired teachers. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it be great if every teacher stressed diction and articulation the way Bernice Martinez does?
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\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d
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\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0A recent column on uniqueness got some reaction to the question of which of two grammatical constructions was correct. I used the expression “\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcquality\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is one of those words which don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily denote goodness.” And the question was whether “don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t” or “doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t” is correct.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0I received four emails and two phone calls on that question, with four of the six agreeing that “don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t” is correct. I especially appreciated the one caller who said she chose “don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t” because I had used it, and “you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make grammatical mistakes.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Oh, but I do. Sometimes I make the errors for effect, or to prove a point.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Alfonso Archuleta, voting for “don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t,” emailed to explain why: “I would defend your usage of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 since the antecedent is logically \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcwords\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 — the last mentioned — rather than \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcquality.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Another way to check the correctness is simply to reverse the order of the words, this way: “Of the words which (don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t\/doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t) necessarily denote goodness, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcquality\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is one.” Finally, in one of many columns on the unpredictability of the English language, I said the word “ghoti” can be pronounced “fish.” One reader asked whether a ghoti is a fish. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not: He must have been thinking of flounder or halibut.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how “ghoti” can be pronounced “fish\u00e2\u20ac\u2122:
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The “gh” in “cough” sounds like “f.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The “o” in “women” sounds like “i.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The “ti” in “nation” sounds like “sh.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0And now, how can “phtholognyrr” be pronounced “turner”?
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Alfonso Archuleta, can you field this one?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Clearly upset that the Adams State Grizzlies had scored another touchdown and were starting to rub it in, Art Abreu, a tight-ends coach and play-by-play sportscaster for the Highlands Cowboys, asked on the air why such demonstrations are tolerated.<\/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":"https:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=57"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=57"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}