UTAHNICS and Brief Rant

I got thinking today about how people pronounce words. I like to think that I use grammar correctly most times. It must be a teacher thing -my parents corrected our grammar ALL the time at home. Funny, but I have met other children of teachers who report the same phenomenon. You can pick us out in conversations 'cuz we are correcting the rest of you and each other. Those of us that grew up that way don't get offended and don't think twice about correcting someone's grammar (although we should). I don't do it as often, but if you have been offended, I am sorry. Call me and I will give you Val & Ila Smith's phone number to complain. ;)  

I am glad my folks did that because we've all made assumptions about someone by the way they speak (do you remember that commercial?). I just spent 15 weeks of mostly holding my tongue w/ a 20-something roommate who used her own vocabulary (way to much) and incorrectly to boot.  Here's yer sign! Yes, I roomed w/ 'Nell'.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nell

Sorry, I digress.

During high school and into college I had a long distance boyfriend in Northern California who found pleasure in pointing out that he couldn't tell the difference whether I said tin/ten- pin/pen...you get the idea. So, I wrote him a letter, completely phonetic, in Southern Utah drawl. It was kind of fun. He couldn't spell worth a darn, so that was probably the only letter he could really read. Sad, but true.

Eric was raised primarily in Southern California, so just after we were married and he was working for UDOT, he came home to tell me, more than a few times, about learning a NEW word. Most were new to me, too. One that stands out was the verb 'clumb'- used in a sentence: I clumb over the fence. That was entertaining! I'd never heard that before. Then came my turn...he learned another NEW word- "squoze".   That was a word...at least where I came from, but when he told me to look it up I was shocked to learn it was not in the dictionary. The correct term is squeezed. Secretly, although I took note of it, I love to hear others say it--kind of like 'unthaw'. Technically, it's refreezing something, but we would unthaw meat for dinner all the time. Bet you did too! It took me a while to correct those and to use drown/drowned not 'drownded'. I found a newspaper article that pointed out words used in different counties; Beaver and Paiute county people said drownded...we do! I heard it the last time I was in Beaver.  

Eric told me it drives him nuts when I distinguish between things by saying "that one shirt" or "that one guy", so I am picking on his use of "council" He finds that item in the car between the seats...Beaver and Paiute people call it a "con-sole".

I learned a new phrase at the academy: 'Butt-hurt', meaning upset. Whaaaat is THAT! I really thought it was just a Gunnison thing, but when a Washington County cadet knew it... I guess Beaver must not know about that word yet...or at least not in 1985! That is SO wrong, people!

I found something on the internet about "Utahnic" and the variations. I marked the ones I use/know:

1) "or" pronounced as "ar" and "ar" pronounced as "or".

Standard pronunciation : "Margery feeds horses corn in the barn."

Sample Utahnic pronunciation: "Morgery feeds harses carn in the born."

The predominant religion here: "Marmons who pray to the Lard."

This pronunciation does not cause too much trouble unless you enlist in the "Ormy" and are stationed at "Fart Ard, Califarnia" ! (IT ALL SOUNDS LIKE MINERSVILLE, TO ME)

2a) Low Utahics: Do not pronounce "t" sounds in the middle and end of words.

Examples:

"Button" becomes "Buh'un",

"Mountain" becomes "Mouw'un"

"Brighton Ski Area" becomes "Bry'un Ski Area" (YEP, ALL ME...IT TAKES TOO LONG...U HAVE TO PAUSE. I NOTICED THE KSL WEATHERMAN DOES A GOOD JOB WITH 'LAYTON' AND 'BRIGHTON' THO)

2b) High Utahnics: "t" sounds, when pronounced at all, often become "d" sounds.

Sample Usages:

"Delta Airlines " becomes "Delda Airlines"

"Attitude" becomes "additude"

"Alta Ski Resort" becomes "Alda Ski Area"

"I goddagogedda book" means "I must go get a book." (of course it does...PLEASE CONGRATULATE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ON THEIR CORRECT USE OF HIGH AND LOW UTAHNICS)

3) Pronounce "il" phonemes as "el".

Sample Usages:

"Pillow" becomes "Pellow"

"Milk" becomes "Melk" (NOPE, THAT MAKES ME CRAZY...

4) Pronounce "ah" phonemes as "ahr"

Sample Usages:

"Wash" becomes "Warsh"

"Squash" becomes "Squarsh" ...SO DOES THIS. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYONE SAY 'GARSH')

5) Pronounce words ending in "sa" as "za".

Sample Usages: "Salsa" becomes "Salza".

"Mensa" becomes "Menza" (but hey, what's Mensa?) (HMMM, MAYBE)

6) Pronounce "ale" phonemes as "ell"

Sample Usages:

If something is available for purchase, It is not

"For sale", it is "For Sell"

When we empty the post box, we do not "get the mail",

we "get the mell".

The two genders here in Utah are "Mell" and "FeeMell". (OKAY, THAT'S LIKE THE PIN/PEN THING)

Utahnic Phraseologies:

Utahnic: "What it is, is..."

Meaning: "The issue is..."

Utahnic: "But, Hey..."

Meaning: "Stop and consider this..."

Utahnic: "Set with me."

Meaning: "Sit with me."

Utahnic: "Ferignernt"

Meaning: "How Rude"

Derivation: "For ignorant"

Sample Usage: "When LaMar pulled LaDawn's hair, LaDawn shouted, "Ferignernt !" at LaMar. (HAHAH...YEP)

Utahnic: "Oofer..."

Meaning: "How very..."

Derivation: "Oh for..."

Sample Usages: "LaRae remarked, 'Oofer Fun,' when she heard the weekend plans."

Can be combined with previous Utahnic, "Ooferignernt" meaning "How very rude". (YEP, FER SHER!)

Utahnic: "-ing" endings to words become "-un"

Sample Usages: "Going" becomes "go-un", "Heading" becomes "Head-un",

"Eating" becomes "Ee'un" (combines with previous "no-Ts" rule).

Utahnic: There is no past-tense plural conjugation of the verb infinitive "to be".

Sample Usages: "We was watch'un girls yessurday." (THAT WAS HARD TO STOP DOING...I PROBABLY SLIP IN FAMILIAR COMPANY)

Utahnic: "Crick"

Meaning: "A small, stream-like flow of water."

Sample Usage: "We was hu'un up Mill Crick yessurday."

(Meaning: "We were hunting in Mill Creek yesterday.") (DO I HEAR AN AMEN? CHAIRS CREEK, WE PLAY IN THE CRICK)

Utahnic: "Over Home"

Meaning: "Back Home" or "At Home"

Sample Usage: "I goddago over home fer lunch" means "I must go back home for lunch."

Utahnic: "Preeshaytya"

Meaning: "I appreciate you" (DUH)

Utahnic Pseudo-French names:

"LaVell", "LaDell", "LaRue", "LaRae", "LaDawn", "LaMar", "LaVerne"(I know everyone of these people...every one of those names is a Beaver person!)

Utahnic Profanities:

"Flip", "Flippin'", "Dern", "Fetch'un'", "Freak'un", "Oh my heck", "Gosh Dang"

...and remember, In Utah, "Heck is where people go that don't believe in Gosh." (NO FETCH!- TOO CALIF BOYFRIEND..THAT IS PROBABLY THE ONLY TIME THE DORK TRIED TO BE A UTAHN!)

Finally, I think I should address the word 'Crayon'. When I was little they were 'crans/crens'. Now, I say Cray-ons, but I am considering reverting back to 'crans'- besides that I need to go unthaw something for dinner.

Home Suite Home

I am in SLC for a 2-day work related training..Motivational Interviewing...something that I already do, but there are other things that I have relearned and other good things to take back to my job.  

Seems there is something big going on around here.  All the nearby hotels are full, so  I didn't get a room in the hotel where the training is.  I am at the BW Cottontree Inn.  The only place w/ a vacancy within 5-10 mins walking distance to the training.  Unfortunately for my checkbook, they only had suites...and fortunately for me I get to pamper myself tonight.  I have a living room, coffee maker, king size bed all to myself, kitchenette, jacuzzi tub (nice), 2 tvs (and both of them are on and playing different channels) and I have no camera to take photos. 

My last conversation w/ Eric before leaving home was that "I can't think that I'd find anything photo worthy for a camera."  Bummer!  

Ouuuuuuuuch!

It's just not his year.  First, he had the Shingles (a 9.8 case out of 10) and now this afternoon my husband comes home from helping a friend at a mechanic's shop.  He said he was moving pretty slow because he'd just hurt his leg and it was sore.  He was walking across a plank over a mechanic's pit and it broke.  Nice.   He came home to get some gatorade and some GDU (anti-inflammatory) and went back to help some more. So, when he came home a few hours later, this is what I saw!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 Lucky that he didn't break anything, but a trip to the Doctor is likely on the agenda for Monday.  

Just Up The Street

  

 Just up the road from our house is Kanosh Canyon.  We went for a  drive one day last week and ended up at a place the locals call "the falls".

                

There were  beautiful flowers and since I love rocks, I had to have a picture of them, too.  
This was an oddity on the side of the road.  It is some type of flower- or the remnant.  Most of these around the area have a few long stems on the stalk.  This one was so different it was picture worthy.  

P.S.  My neighbor told me this was call Mullein.  I looked is up and yep, wikipedia says it is a Great Mullein or Common Mullein

Smile

This is my Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Smile. This is also my Poke me with a Needle Smile, Public Defender smile, and my smile when certain in-laws come to Fillmore to visit. The good thing is none of the in-laws own a computer, so they will never know!  

I need to find this cat.  It appears to have already met my in-laws.

Ash, Ash and the Milford Flat Fire

This isn't fog.  These were taken on pleasant, but windy Sunday morning in April, heading southwest from Kanosh, on the old highway to I-15.We thought we'd escape and go to Richfield.   Since the Milford Flat fire last July, we get bombarded with ash and it is awful.  Last summer and fall I-15 was closed between Meadow and Kanosh several times because of low or NO visibility.  Traffic went through town and that made it pretty tough to get on to Main Street in Kanosh.  Those are the ONLY times I think that we could have ever used a 4-way stop light. They haven't routed traffic through town yet this year, but it has been close.  Interesting to note, just next to the light color green in this picture is I-15 and weekend traffic.  Kinda eerie...it looks like January fog!  

****Our Experience in the Milford Flat Fire****

" It looked like we were driving through Hell!" - driver on I-15 near Cove Fort July 7, 2008

When the fire started July 6th, it was in Beaver County and we were on our way to a family camp out at Tushar.   No worries....  

The next day we were at Tushar and it fell to me and Eric to do lunch for the family.  We were getting things ready and ash started falling in the campground.  It got worse, so Eric turned on the scanner to hear they had utter chaos at home: fatal accidents in the smoke, rescue problems, buildings destroyed and the east and west posse (Millard county S&R) had been called out.  Dad was in Beaver and dashed up to the campground to say he was going to block roads (he's in the Beaver S&R..yay dad!). Kanosh was possibly going to be evacuated. So, that ended the campout.

   Eric and I could only get as far as Cove Fort and met up with other posse guys to make sure the missionaries were out and start helping to protect the fort.  Luckily, we had our S&R vests with us 'cuz we weren't getting home any time soon. We went to the state road shed directly across from the Fort itself with two other Posse members.  Eric put an alternator in a posse member's truck while I watched the fire for them.  The fire came close to the Fort- and the wind changed directions, twice.  I would say within 200 ft or so of the buildings.  This photo shows the front corner of the barn roof with the tiny bit of green grass.  

The sound of rushing fire and sucking wind was incredible and the smoke, impossible to deal with.  I wish I'd had a camera. The smoke was horrid and stung our eyes and throats.  Eric was just finishing up when it got the closest it had been...right to the side of the road.  Luckily, it didn't jump the road to where we were.  The smoke was so thick we couldn't see the gate to drive out. We were trapped by the smoke.  The four of us got in our trucks (I saved the all important Twinkies on the bed of the truck)  and went behind the maintenance shed until we could see to get out.  It was nuts! 

   This lady lost her house, a mobile home on the hill. The explosions from the propane tanks were scary and sad because you knew she'd lost her home.      That night we drove home and it really looked as though Hell had erupted in Millard County. 

The next morning, Eric and I ended up back at Cove Fort rerouting traffic...and we were on KSL news!  The news people were really nice, as were most of the motorists. Many of them were not happy at all.  Ya know? seems like everytime I do a road closure, I get the angry oriental people and the deaf mute guy.  How do they know?

We evacuated Cove Fort 3 times in two years.  I hope that 2008 doesn't bring it on again!

Family Blogs

I am trying to convince my sisters three, that blogging is the best thing in the world.  We used to have the FAMILY LETTERS that made it round trip through the families of my mom's brother and sisters and back to us.  We'd all put in a letter if we wanted to.  That went on for many years, as I recall, and everybody knew everything important.  BLOGGING is WAY BETTER!  

I just got a comment from my Aunt, Carol Jolley.  For a long time she would say that since she had not met Eric in person, that she doubted he existed.   So what, about 15 year or so later, they finally met!   She has a blog as do some of her kids.  Even cousin Emily and her hubby Steve, whose very presence in the family was a mystery to me.  Again...family letters died off and no blogging...   Thru the very pages of the blogging wife, cousin Emily, I find that he's a lawyer, and one that (speaking from law enf prospective) I hope will not be going to the DARK SIDE (criminal defender).   tee hee. 

So,  it becomes painfully apparent to me that Blogging is the key to genealogy, universal bliss, Internet Karma and all that is right with the world.   Really, I bet if the sisters three blogged, that their kids would all be more genius than they are, have sweeter dispositions in between naps and would forego sticking foreign objects in their facial ( i.e. nasal/aural) orifices. 

Any debate on that one, sisters three?