New TOWFI Blog Post - Why is Quinoa Pronounced As Though It Were French? and other tidbits

[Melanie & Co.]

Greetings, fellow logophiles,

After quite an absence, the blog is back!  http://takeourword.blogspot.com

The job of mine that pays the bills and puts food on the table took quite a bit of my time over the last 5 months, and in doing so, it also temporarily banished my etymological muse.  However, things have calmed at work, as well as at home, where most etymological musings take place.  I hope this calm will continue for some time.

In this edition of the blog, I answer a question that has bothered me for some time—why is the word quinoa, which came to English from Quechua via Spanish, pronounced as though it were French?  There is also some discussion of other Quechua words, and an analysis of a word borrowed from Hebrew.

Please feel free to comment on this blog.  One thing I'd like to hear from you—how do you pronounce quinoa, and where are you from?

Cheers!

Melanie

Take Our Word For it

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