You gotta love kids. Anyone who has kids can appreciate all the little words and phrases that they mispronounce. It's terribly cute to hear your little one say psghetti for spaghetti, or cimmonin for cinnamon. When my oldest daughter was about 6, she was getting ready to go to Church and she marched out of her room and announced the only thing she had to wear was her "tacky pants" as she showed me her
khaki pants! That still cracks me up, and I still tease her about it sometimes, asking her if she wants me to wash her tacky pants. She's now 11 so she just rolls her eyes at me and says
"Mom!"
If you could use a good laugh, check out
The American Sandbox Dictionary of Mispronounced English, 1st Edition, by Alvin Zamudio. The book-- filled with hundreds of mispronounced word entries that were chosen from thousands submitted by parents--is written in true dictionary form with pronunciation, part of speech, definition and an example sentence. The book is sprinkled with charming black-and-white illustrations which were drawn by the author's two older children. Here are a few examples of the entries found in the dictionary:
far-mer-john [FAR-mur-jon] noun
A hard, dry Italian skim milk cheese usually grated
and served atop foods such as a salad or baked meal.
"I want more farmerjohn on my pizza, please!"
-original source unknown
jug-gle-man [JUHG-gl-muhn] noun
A civilized man of good background,
breeding, education, and social stature, such
as a man who opens a door for a lady.
"Dad, you're a real juggleman!"
-Bella, age 2, Garder, KS
sick-as-hell a-ne-mi-a [SIK-az-hel uh-NEE-mee-uh] noun
A Chronic blood disease most common among people of African
descent where abnormal hemoglobin causes red blood cells
to become nonfunctional and sickle-shaped.
"Dad, I learned about sick-as-hell anemia in school today."
-James, St. Louis, MO
This is the kind of book to keep on the coffee table and browse through when you want to smile. It's such a humorous reminder of the precious innocence of children. It would also make an excellent gift for new or expectant parents (or for ANY parent for that matter); in the back of the book are a few pages on which parents can chronicle their own children's adorable mispronunciations.
The American Sandbox Dictionary of Children's Mispronounced English can be purchased at
www.reedypress.com and at bookstores nationwide.
Win It:
One reader will win a copy of
The American Sandbox Dictionary of Children's Mispronounced English. To enter to win, simply fill in the form below. Enter through 2/15/11.
To get bonus entries, do any of all of the following and submit the entry form again for EACH entry.
