May 17, 2007
[FUN-eh-tix] or, how my students must feel
To me, phonetic transcription is second-nature. That's what a good UCLA/Ohio State education gives a person, right?
Imagine how vexed I was when I was asked, along with Brian Southwell to read names at the 3 pm CLA Spring 2007 Commencement.
It was actually a wonderful day for me. I got to have lunch with the speaker, John Bul Dau, and others before reading names. The ceremony was, as usual, very nice. Then it came my time to read the names. Each student (761 of them) passed a card to me (or to Brian, or to Rick McCormack, who read the CLA-Honors names) with their name and major written on it. They were instructed that they could give a pronunciation guide to help us read their names.
That's where it got fun.
It is well known that individuals' overt understanding of the sound structure of language is trumped by their knowledge of the language's orthography. Never was this clearer to me than when trying to read the pronunciation guides that were given to me. I tried--believe me, I tried--but it just didn't make them very happy. Plenty of dirty looks. Plenty. This must be how phonetics students feel the first time I show them a phonetic transcription using IPA.
Well, if you are a student and I mispronounced your name, take solace in the face that the dean introduced me as Brian Munson.
Still, it was fun. Hard work (they just kept lining up!) but fun. It gave me an opportunity to recoup some of the clout I lost when I behaved unprofessionally (or at least, I was told third-hand that I behaved unprofessionally) at the Graduate School ceremony on Friday the 11th.
More Baby Pics!
Nancy is insisting that I post more pictures of the baby on the web. Here goes. Pictures, pictures, pictures.
This looks like a baby version of my father. Very funny.
A high-def picture of the weeds in my dad's yard, featuring the baby.
