WARNING: The blog entry you are about to read can be classified as childish and immature (words which are synonomous, but can't hurt to emphasize:)).
Today Joseph and I watched a PBS show about killer sharks and their diet of elephant seals on the Pacific Coast. It was an interesting show. Joseph is in a shark phase (thanks to Shark Tale), and he was thoroughly interested in every minute of it, and asked tons of questions, some of which I could answer. Anyway, the problem was that one of the primary places to find the elephant seal is in a state park in Aņo Nuevo, California . Aņo Nuevo translates "New Year" in Spanish, and the first word should be pronounced "anyo". Unfortunately, every time it appeared on the screen during the documentary, it was written without the tilde, and pronounced "anno". This changes the translation to "New Anus". So during the whole show, I kept cracking up, thinking, "Why on earth did no one correct this? Are you telling me there was no one involved in the production of that documentary that knew the correct pronounciation? How do you go on PBS with a mistake like that not being identified?" So I did a search on the internet, and most sites read "Ano Nuevo", which could just be because no one knows how to implement the tilde on their keyboard. But the fact that the narrator of the documentary kept pronoucing it that way makes me wonder how many people actually call it that. And it's California, for Pete's sake! It's crawling with Mexicans. They're probably all laughing their anos off everytime somebody says it.
Posted by willa at Febrero 28, 2005 06:23 PM | TrackBackI beg to differ: childish and immature are not necessarily synonomous. Immaturity means a lack of full development or the suggestion of a lack of normal maturity. Childishness, on the other hand can mean simple; not complicated. Though childishness does carry with it a slightly negative feel immaturity does more so if only for the reason that childishness is a step closer to child-likeness which is indeed a positive attribute. Innocence, trustfulness and candor are added to childishness's simplicity to create an attribute we should all be accused of.
Posted by: lynnp at Marzo 1, 2005 02:56 PMI stand corrected. I think.
Stephen wondered if it is the reserve's close proximity (relatively speaking) to San Franciso that inclines folks to accept the alternate pronouciation (and meaning).
Posted by: willa at Marzo 1, 2005 03:19 PMI hate to jump in again, but *ahem* I believe you mean "pronunciation" as opposed to "pronounciation" or "pronouciation".
Posted by: lynnp at Marzo 1, 2005 09:39 PMQuite full of ourselves, today, aren't we??
Yeah, I noticed that upon reread myself. That's what comes of try to spit out a quick blog in the middle of fighting an 8 yr old who spends 4 hours doing 5 min worth of homework, and a 2 year old who insists on carrying around a stool with him and waiting for me to look away to climb up to the cabinet with the snacks. . .
Posted by: willa at Marzo 1, 2005 10:08 PMAnd one more thing, Lil Sis. . .I cannot believe you have corrected my grammar twice and have not even once appreciated the fact that there are people walking around California every day telling people they live in a brand spanking new butthole! What is wrong with you? Look at the bones, man! Wake up and smell the anus.
Okay. Out of my system. Had a long day.
Posted by: willa at Marzo 1, 2005 10:10 PMYeah, I was pretty tickled by the whole bum thing. When Karen first read the title of this entry she said she thought, "I wonder if she knows that means butthole?"
Posted by: lynnp at Marzo 3, 2005 02:06 PM