Sound and Nonsense奥利奥与金莺鸟
I used to dream of a stadium filled with fans, everyone on their feet and holding a chocolate sandwich cookie, chanting1), "Oreos, Oreos, Oreos," as Baltimore's baseball team won the World Series2).
I should be clear that (a) I know nothing about baseball, (b) I love Oreos, and (c) English is my second language. It is incredibly easy for me to mix up words that sound similar.
My Oreos dreams persisted until one night when I was having dinner with my friend Dave, a sports fanatic3), and the subject of baseball came up.
"How cool is that?" I said. "A baseball team is named after a cookie!"
"What team is named after a cookie?" Dave asked.
"Oreos—you know, the Baltimore team."
Dave cast a long, silent glance at me and then said: "The Orioles4) are named after a bird, not a cookie." He proceeded to spell it, trying to get me to pick up the difference between orioles and Oreos. I could hear the laughter in his voice.
This business of mixing up words is embarrassing, especially when I mispronounce people's names. Craig and Greg; John and Joan; Marian and Myriam. A few years ago, I worked with a Gail, who sat across from me, and a Gil, who sat next to me. When I called out to Gail5) (or to Gil), nine times out of 10,
both would reply, "Are you talking to me?"
My son Alex laughed his pants off when I told him I had a "sneaker" for a
Sound and Nonsense奥利奥与金莺鸟 来自淘豆网m.daumloan.com转载请标明出处.