Schpelling

[Koontz John E]

On Mon, 2 Aug 2004, Rankin, Robert L wrote:
> > Are you interested in trying to schedule the Praat short course for
> > sometime next month?

Isn't prat British slang for something like "incompetent bungler"?  We
need training for that?

The aa reminds me of the period in which the CU PLains Center offices were
in the INSTAAR (Inst. for Arctic and Alpine Research) Building and Bob,
visiting to work on the CSD, would insist that the INSTAAR sign next to
the stairway in the lobby was actually Dutch for "Entrance Stairway."

Another linguistic joke associated with the CSD is Willem de Reuse's
insistence that Le Francais, a popular breakfast (braakfast?) venue just
off campus, was to be pronounced Le Frankay, because there was no cedilla
under the c.  Incidentally, Le Francais has been reduced to a bakery only
and moved into cheaper digs somewhat in an industrial park.  The
restaurant is now a Le Peep.

My own favorite Le Francais memory is passing by on my way home from work
one evening and seeing the owner struggling to drag out a heavy box of day
old bread.  He was a stout old gentleman, so I asked if he needed any
help.  He looked me over, sized up my ratty old coat, and said, "No, but
if you are hungry I will give some anyway."  That was one of several
incidents that caused me to replace that coat.  Another was leaving it all
day in mid winter by the heavily frequented postal counter in the
Bookstore and coming back in the evening to find it still there. I knew
then that it was completely worthless.