Earlier this month, Harry Mortenson, D-Las Vegas, submitted a bill draft request for the 2011 Legislative session for a resolution that asserts while the preferred pronunciation of the state's name is "Ne-VAD-a," pronouncing it "Ne-VAH-da" is also acceptable.
"The bottom line is, I do not want to change the pronunciation that Nevadans use for their state," Mortenson said. "I am trying only to ask them to be tolerant of those who use the Spanish pronunciation."
Jesus H. Tapdancing Christ, really? These assholes have nothing better to do than legislate how something is or isn't pronounced? I despise the notion of ceremonial legislation to begin with -- if it isn't something that will actually affect someone's life, don't waste time on it -- but this is on a par with proclaiming National Broccoli Week or some such nonsense.
Actual laws have consequences -- if you break it, there is a penalty, whether a fine or a jail term. Is Mortenson proposing to levy a fine for being a jerkoff and correcting someone's errant pronunciation? I just don't understand this type of crap. Bankrolled pedantry is all it is.
Besides, everyone knows the proper pronunciation of Nevada is "unemployed".
1 comment:
Nevada takes its name from the Sierra Nevada, literally "snow covered mountain range." Like Montana or Colorado, it's a frickin' Spanish word. This nomenclature is quite natural since Spain and her magnanimous Dominican priesthood were there converting the native savages into mutilated corpses long before any Mormon set polygamous foot in the region. It's mere conjecture that the preferred local pronunciation came about after there were enough Anglo-Norse-Germanic peoples to comfortably state aloud, "I ain't sayin' it like no Papist Spic." Accepting the Spanish pronunciation seems like a step back for these fine australopithecines who have progressed enough to deem the brilliant Sharon Angle worthy of ballot consideration.
And yes, legislating pronunciation is time-wasting and incongruous (perhaps not as incongruous as a true desert state being named "snow-covered" (don't get me started on Colorado: "colored")), but imagine being a local legislator competing with brothels, showgirls, and hectares of neon and slots. You gotta do something for a little face time.
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