Chai M. Potok; O'Kun

[Dennis R. Preston]

Hmmmmm. Til I was pretty old I thought O'Possum was a kind of Irish
joke name for possum.

dInIs




>>At 8:47 AM -0700 7/24/02, Peter A. McGraw wrote:
>>Yesterday afternoon an All Things Considered, NPR announced the death of
>>the famous writer "Chai M. Potok."  I don't remember whether the (female)
>>announncer was from national NPR or our local affiliate OPB (in the land of
>>"Oregon Chai").
>>
>>I suppose he'll now be referred to as "the latte Chai M. Potok."
>>
>>Peter Mc.
>>
>
>
>This reminds me. Some years ago a New Yorker named Okun (name derives
>from Russian, where okun' designates the fish "perch") told me that
>despite being Jewish, he was contacted as a college freshman by the
>Catholic student group with an invitation to join. The letter was
>sent in good faith under the mistaken assumption that his name is
>Irish; it was addressed to him as O'Kun.
>
>Gerald Cohen

--
Dennis R. Preston
Professor of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics and Languages
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