ProNUNciation, not proNOUNciation

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“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.”

This, one of my favorite quotes, is by a man whose name I did not know how to pronounce – that is, until yesterday.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Now, I don’t sprechen no Deutsch.  So the fact that I’ve spent the last 10 years referring to this man as “Geth” is, on the one hand, understandable – and on the other hand, totally mortifying.

Sort of like yesterday at lunch, when I ordered the “tuna niçoise” salad – and right then and there, the waiter CORRECTED me.  “Not ‘ni-swahhhhh.’ ‘Nee-SWAHZZZZZ.'”

Well, es-CUUUUUZE.

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4 Comments

  1. Duane on September 29, 2010 at 9:21 AM

    you had something other than an open faced turkey sandwich for lunch?!?

    scandalous.

  2. Joey on September 29, 2010 at 3:00 PM

    I just checked with every single Texan, and none of us know how to say “niçoise”. I don’t even know what “ç” is. Can one chicken fry “niçoise”?

  3. Jodie@Velour on September 30, 2010 at 7:51 AM

    Oh I love this!

  4. Kate on October 1, 2010 at 3:46 PM

    well how do you say that guy’s name? I’ve been wondering for a while too…

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