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A teenager in foster care was arrested for the murder of a student on the UT-Austin campus. Texas lawmakers are talking about how to improve Medicaid. Why Austin is focused on a housing plan. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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Many people who move to the Lone Star State often ask “When am I a real Texan?” That was the inspiration for Typewriter Rodeo’s Jodi Egerton as she wrote this week’s poem.
Texas tops the national news on the April 8th the latest: a shoot at a military base in San Antonio. Also- the latest on a shooting incident at Lackland air force base…also
a cellphone video of a 12 year old slammed to the ground by school police stirs debate over the line between maintaining order and abuse of power. And Many happy returns? As taxpaying texans prepare to gloat on the 15th, we ask whether we might be more in line with the other 49 than we think. And this weeks inspiring basketball championship story you might have missed out on…Those stories and much more on todays Texas Standard:
An attrition rate of more than 90 percent? As nursing homes get more patients, nurses flee for better paying jobs. Also after nearly a year the first full length video from the biker shootout in Waco. And what do the pictures tell ya? We’ll explore. Also, the rapid rise of ME-TV plus, a farewell to a legend who gave a lot to Texas music, tho he wasn’t actually Texan…or an Okie, as you might have thought. It’s the national news show of you know where, this is the Texas Standard.
There are three kinds of Texans: those with an accent, those without an accent, and those who don’t think they have an accent, but do.
About a year ago, I made a list of the 12 most commonly mispronounced words in Texas. Well, they weren’t absolutely unique to Texas – some were Southernisms, but they were certainly common in Texas. I have now added to that list. I’m calling this commentary, “Mispronouncing in Texas 2.0.” As I did last time, let me assure you, this is all in fun. I’m not claiming that all us Texans talk this way. Some of us do and some of us don’t. It’s just fun to look at our own idiosyncrasies sometimes. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, we miss half the humor in the world. So here we go.
Purty for pretty: even used oxymoronically, as in “She’s purty ugly.” Sorry to tell you but that old truck of yours is lookin’ purty ugly.
Thang for thing: everything is ever-e-thang. Hand me that thang over there. Even my brother Redneck Dave puts it in a lullaby. “Hush little baby don’t say a thang, Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond rang.” Like they say, must be a Texas thang.
Tiajuana: “Went down to Tiajuana for my nieces wedding, came back with the Tiajuana Two Step.” It’s actually just Tijuana. Tijuana. No extra “a”. When you say Tia-juana you are saying Aunt Juana.
Terlingua has similar issue: it’s not Teralingua, Texas. Just Terlingua. Means three languages.
Valentimes for Valentines: I’ve heard this more than frequently around Valentines Day, especially from younger people. Gonna get my girlfriend some flowers for Valentimes. I guess they connect it to that time of year when love is in the air.
Volumptuous for voluptuous: “She’s hot. She’s Volumptuous.” Probably not. Now if she’s voluptuous, probably so.
Irregardless for regardless: irregardless is not a mispronunciation. It is just not a word. And what is more, irregardless is not a word regardless of how forcefully you say it.
Silicone Valley for Silicon Valley: really different places. Silicon Valley is where they design computers and cell phones and such. Silicone Valley would be where movies of the adult variety are from.
Expresso: it is Espresso. No X. You might take the expressway to get an espresso, but no “X” is needed for the beverage.
Calvary for Cavalry: when people need help they send for the Cavalry, not the Calvary. Calvary is the name of the hill where Jesus was crucified and likely the source of the confusion.
Salmon for Salmon: the “l” in salmon is silent. So don’t ask for smoked saLmon. Smoked salmon will do. However, if you order in Spanish, or Italian, you can use the “l” and all is well.
That’s my latest list of mispronunciations, but don’t think I’m being unduly critical. As soon as I’m off the radio I’m likely to slip back into some of these comfortable long vowels and lazy consonants myself, except for irregardless because my mama worked that one out of me when I was about ten.
W.F. Strong is a Fulbright Scholar and professor of Culture and Communication at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. At Public Radio 88 FM in Harlingen, Texas, he’s the resident expert on Texas literature, Texas legends, Blue Bell ice cream, Whataburger (with cheese) and mesquite smoked brisket.
“While no one would argue that Bolivian farmers shouldn’t get a good price for their crop, these trends cannot be ignored—or left up to global market forces. Perhaps most tragic of all is that this boom (and booms are always followed by a bust) is leading the poorest, most vulnerable farmers to degrade their own environment—i.e. the material basis for their very survival and cultural identity—in the name of short-term food security.” Tanya Kerseen “Quinoa: To Buy or Not to Buy…Is This the Right Question?”
In this edition of TSI, Raj Patel, Tom Philpott and Rebecca McInroy talk qunioa with Tanya Kerssen, author of Grabbing Power: The New Struggles for Land, Food, and Democracy in Northern Honduras.
A Texas trump thumping, as the state that gave the world the cheesehead hat gives Ted Cruz a boost…but is it enough? Also what if Mexico really did pay for Donald Trumps wall? Now that there’s a plan on the table…some foreign policy experts say this is no joke. We’ll hear why. And leaving money on the table? Why some of Texas’ top brands are just saying no to franchising. Plus how to hack an election: what sounds like hyperbole may very well be the dark secret of democracy these days. And is there really such a thing as a Texas accent? Y’all don’t go anywhere cause the Texas Standard is on the air:
Tho court arguments are still two weeks away, deferred deportation is looking down for the count already. As in a 4-4 count, we’ll explore. Also property tax assessments rising faster than paychecks all across Texas, now a tool used by homeowners to protest may soon disappear. And you’ve heard about disappearing factory jobs, but in Texas…they’re coming back thanks in part to an unlikely ally: lower oil prices. Also A woman’s basketball coach, fired for enforcing a team rule on dating. Title IX reconsidered..and much more today on the Texas Standard:
The GOP in disarray, they say, over Donald Trump. The fix? Remember Rick Perry? The name that keeps coming back and why today on the Texas Standard. Plus the wage gap between men and women: narrowing on the national front…but in Texas government, it’s actually growing. David McSwane of the Dallas Morning News with the numbers. Buddy, can you spare a dime? Toll roads hit a stumbling block, as a top Texas lawmaker says the arguments for ’em don’t add up. Find out what it’s like to be homeless and pregnant in Texas. And, you know those local elections you likely didn’t vote in? A wake-up call. All that and much more, on the Texas Standard:
Sometimes hearing someone else’s song can make you realize that something that you never even knew existed was possible. For M. Ward it was John Fahey’s record “The Yellow Princess,” which showed him that an artist could say everything he wanted using only one acoustic guitar. For Dana Falconberry, it was the songs she learned while playing with Redding Hunter in the band “Peter and the Wolf” which changed her approach to songwriting and performing.
Watch M.Ward perform “I’m Listening” live in Studio1A on VuHaus
Watch John Fahey perform “Red Pony“
Watch John Fahey perform “On the Sunny Side of the Ocean”
Watch Dana Falconberry perform “Cora Cora” live in Studio 1A of VuHaus
Check out Dana Falconberry’s tour of National Parks!
Subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher to get the new episodes of This Song delivered to you as soon as they come out.
Listen to the songs featured in episode 34 of This Song.
In Black America host John L. Hanson, Jr. presents a 1995 address by Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale at the University of Texas, on the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party.
Most people like what is familiar, comfortable, and tidy. But should learning be that way, too? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger talk about the ways in which learning is actually quite messy. And how we shouldn’t want it any other way. Ed and Jennifer discuss the value of getting down and dirty when it comes to learning new ideas. But does the thought of messing things up bring on anxiety? Ed has some thoughts about anxiety, learning, and education. Time for a new puzzler, too; for this one you need ten friends, ten mangoes, and one sturdy box.
This episode was recorded on February 24, 2016.
Terell Stafford is an American jazz trumpeter and current Director of Jazz Studies at the at the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University. In this edition of Liner Notes, Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about what Stafford’s music and perspective brings to discussions about jazz and American identity today.
What does the future hold for local businesses on South Congress Avenue? Why can people in Hyde Park hear music playing miles away at Stubb’s? Why are grackles are attracted to H-E-B parking lots? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!
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If you’ve ever eaten on the patio of an Austin restaurant, you’ve probably kept a close eye on the black birds that swoop in on your tortilla chips: the grackles. That was the inspiration for Typewriter Rodeo’s David Fruchter as he wrote this week’s poem.
Researchers announce preliminary findings on the zika virus…as Texas takes steps to protect itself. Also, judging by the background checks, firearm purchases in Texas are close to setting new records…what’s behind the call to arms? NPR’s John Burnet joins us to talk about it. Also, nearly eighty thousand people will gather in Arlington this weekend for a spectacle that may be more theatre than sport…what’s more texan than pro wrestling? You maybe be surprised by its ties to football. Plus our weekly roundup of all things politics and much more, check your watches, its Texas Standard time: