Sunday, October 20, 2019
Strolling Down the [AV]
Strolling Down the [AV] Strolling Down the [AV] Strolling Down the [AV] By Maeve Maddox Just when I thought Iââ¬â¢d developed a thicker skin regarding linguistic innovation! I was listening to classical music on my local NPR station the other morning when the DJ launched into some public service announcements. The first time she said [av] for avenue I wasnââ¬â¢t sure Iââ¬â¢d heard correctly, but then she mentioned another address that included the word avenue. Again she said [av]. And then, leaving no doubt whatever, she pronounced a third address as Central [av]. Say it isnââ¬â¢t so! I need the help of you readers on this one. Googling wonââ¬â¢t help me figure out if this is a trend or merely a local aberration. Please let me know if you have heard anyone pronounce the abbreviated form of Avenue as anything other than [ÃÆ'vÃâ¢-nÃ
«] or [ÃÆ'vÃâ¢-nyÃ
«] For the record, avenue, abbreviated Ave. or Av., came into the language as a military term meaning ââ¬Å"a way of approach.â⬠Now it refers to a wide street lined with trees or, in some cases, a street having a planted median. In British usage an avenue is the roadway leading from the gate to the front of a country house, like the lovely tree-shaded approach to Manderly in the movie Rebecca. I suppose I shouldnââ¬â¢t be too astonished. The word versus, abbreviated vs. or v. is now universally pronounced [vee]. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples)Empathy "With" or Empathy "For"?150 Foreign Expressions to Inspire You
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.