- By Jim Evans
- Entertainment
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SMART TALK SMART TALK Dr. Parley Speake
MYANMAR: At our annual alumni weekend, The Center for English as a First Language will present the Edwin Newman Award, for fluency in English, to radio newsman Anthony Kuhn.
Myanmar used to be called Burma by English speakers because the British, who pronounce things any way they like — JAG-you-er instead of jaguar, for instance — thought Myanmar sounded like Burma. Only 25 years after the official name change, an English speaker, Mr. Kuhn, has figured out that Myanmar, like jaguar, should sound the way it looks: MYAN-mar. How hard is that? Actually, he’s been saying the name correctly all along. He just doesn't get enough credit for doing so.
During treatment, we remind patients that saying MEE-en-mar is as dumb as saying ca-NEE-on instead of “canyon.” If they can’t get used to starting a word with M-W, we have them say “some young people” several times. Then we ask them to listen to themselves, which many of us fail to do.
In “some young people”, they learn to hear the M just before the Y in “young.” Then we ask them to drop the first two letters in “some” and say “myung people.” Next comes “myan” a few times, and finally, Myanmar. Embarrassingly easy.
Now they no longer sound ignorant, like the poor dears who say TUCK-son instead of Tucson.
Mr. Kuhn will receive his award in Strunk Hall, on our campus in Underbelly, Texas, on the last weekend in July.
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