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Don G.
King's Row
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 1071
Location: MA
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 Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:15 pm Post subject: A quixotic ponderable |
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Did you ever have a moment when you wonder about the stupidest things? Maybe it comes with age, but it seems to be happening more and more with me. For instance...
Why is Don Quixote pronounced kee-ho'-tay, but quixotic is pronounced kwix-aw'tik? Why shouldn't it be pronounced kee-ho'tik or even kee-haw'-tik? Why do we bastardize it so?
That is all. As you were.  |
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Dan-O
The Gates of Troy
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Lizden
A Zillion
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Location: The dark recesses of my mind
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Lee Gordon
A Zillion
Joined: 25 Jul 2008
Posts: 6864
Location: West Hartford, CT
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| Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 1:39 am Post subject: Re: A quixotic ponderable |
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| Don G. wrote: | | Did you ever have a moment when you wonder about the stupidest things? |
Ever??? 
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Bruce
Boardmeister
Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 7977
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:45 am Post subject: |
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I for one never have a moment when I ponder the stupidest things. I have several hours when I do that and some memorable lost weekends, but never just a moment.
Quixotic comes from the Brits who used to refuse to pronounce Spanish in its original form so the name Quixote became QUICKS-oat. From there it's easy to get to Quixotic.
I love the history of language and another book along those lines gave me the roots of pumpernickel bread. Pumper is an Old German word for fart and Nickel is their word for devil. Poor people were considered nothing better than devil's farts and so the course bread they ate, darkened with molasses, was called devil's fart bread. Something to think about the next time you're at the deli.
B
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I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. . |
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Moe Egan
4 Large
Joined: 11 Sep 2006
Posts: 4339
Location: Live Free or Die
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| Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:30 am Post subject: |
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Love, love, love Richard Lederer. He's from NH- I have a few of his books and have interviewed him yars and yars ago- fun guy.
Not that anyone asked, but I also love Don Quixote....and Sancho....and Peter O'Toole who played Don Quixote
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Lee Gordon
A Zillion
Joined: 25 Jul 2008
Posts: 6864
Location: West Hartford, CT
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| Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 4:00 pm Post subject: |
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A few years ago there was a Britush (ITV) series called The Adenture of English by Melvyn Bragg.
And a few years before that, Robert MacNeil did a series for BBC and PBS called The Story of English.
I highly recommend both.
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