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Show SUNDAY/September 7, 1997 PUZZLES COLUMNS Page J-2 Page J-5 EASY SPEAK JULENEE, FISHER Uh, MayI Buy a Vowel? No Need to With the Ever-Popular Schwa Uh. Which vowel sound do Englisiy speakers use most? “Uh. ...” That'# right. “Huh?” No, you wereright thefirst time — uh. So, how do you speli the uh® Give up? It’s easy: a, e, t, 0 or u. Uh is the default vowel sound of our language, the vowei sound in most un: stressed English syllables. Listen to the a in attempt,the e in parent, the second i in, intimate,the first o in potato and the u in, until. Unless you are taking elocution lessons,all soundlike uh. 3 This uh sound has a name — schwa and a nifty phonetic symbol — an upsidedown e. In spite of being ubiquitous, what it does not haveis a letter of its own or much pronunciation status. Bill Bryson calls it a “colorless murmur.” Maybehedoesbecauseto utter a schwa@ With Burning Manat right, crowds enjoy makeshift fireworks created by burning steel woolin a cage swung on rope. you do not haveto stretch and tense your lips as you dofor theee in a “say cheese” Photos by Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune smile. You do notcircle your lips as for’ Been There; Burnt That BY RICK EGAN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, whackedgolf ballsinto the desert at Ras Baboos Driving Range, where clubs and balis were supplied free. BLACK ROCK DESERT, Nev. — Eachyear, Burning Man starts over. Last Sundaynight, the 40-foot wood and neonskele- curious Black Rock neighbors, paid $145 to drive over, park and take a look. Wanda,57, said, “it looks the o of no. You donotget to look pouty saying u as in true. You simply relax your lips and everything else connected with your mouth and exhale the lazy sound. = Easy Speaker D.C.F. thinks far too many of us have been relaxing our mouths far too often. The schwa sounds off in places it was never meantto be, How doyou say the number 11? Duh! Eeleven, of course; so who keepssaying uwhleven and why? Kemmediate has become thmmediate. Where will it all eng? Will uh eventually replace every vowelsound in English, simplifying pronunolation, Wanda and Jaay Schmerberof Pyramid Lake, some like a lot more fun than I thought. Next year we'll bring the motor home andstay. . It takes all kinds of people to make a world.” Because Burning Man is a noncommercial event, participants must bring necessities for desert survival ton wasstuffed with fireworks, doused with diesel and ignited by a real flaming man. More than 15,000 people gathered here over the Labor Day weekend at the Hualapai Playa for Burning Man97, a festival of fire, art and self-expression. “We never assigned a meaning to Burning Man,” said founder Larry Harvey. “It’s come into full flower and realized its potential. It’s more than an event. It is a movement, a phenomenon.” To Samantha Nalo of Miami, Burning Man is a release ‘‘to cleanse yourself, to get a fresh representation of who you are, where you are going and what you want to do next.” The phenomenon started in 1986. Harvey and 11 but further discombobulating speltthg? Adele Smith would like you to take the schwa some of you have beenusing in liaison and stick it in vinaigrette whereit belongs. Makeit /ee-ay-zon,if you please, — food, shelter, water, fuel. “Together, you have to make a commitment, and you have to think about your survival, which is a first for many people,” Harvey and vin-wh-gret, NOT vinegar-ette. Easier still, eliminate both from yourlife and you will not have to worry about pronun- puts you in touch with other people, because they are going through the same thing you are.” At times, it seemed everything was on fire from a psychedelic whale spouting 10-foot flames to the 30foot ringoffire created by a cagefilled with steel wool On to morecolorful sounds, Marilynda Weiker notices the increasing mispronunciation of taupe and mauve. Forthose said. “Notonly doesit put youin touch with nature,it ciation, scandal or high cholesterol. who do know whatthese trendy hues look like, let alone what they soundlike, they are brownish grey and bluish purple and have the same vowelsoundasso. (Fortu- and coffee creamer, spun on a rope. By late Sunday friends built an 8-foot wooden manandtorchedit ona beach near San Francisco. “‘The momentit waslit, our night, the 30-foot duck, the windmill and nearly everything else in camp that was combustible was in flames with people dancing and drumspounding. numberstripled,” Harvey said. “What we had instantly created was a commmunity.” This year, that temporary community, Black Rock City, was 140 miles north of Reno, Nev., on 3 square miles of prehistoric lake bed. “Strive to be unique, find yourself alone,’’ was written on a sign carried by Sean Corvino, New Haven, nately for unsophisticates like me, some newer, moreliberal dictionaries also al- The drumming never stopped. At night, the sound camefrom all directions as the drumcircles played for low mahvthough never tahp.) With 15,000 desert dwellers, Black Rock City was the sixth largest city in Nevada for the weekend. Security and firefighters were increased drastically this Barberi to know license has an s sound before and AFTERn. Shewould alsolike the fire dancers. Conn., also known as ‘“Yawnmower.” Corvino wore a long-tailed red drum major’s jacket as he circled the camp with a different sign every day. Erica Muehsam married Keith Sullivan, attended by a dozen belly dancers, under the Burning Man Saturday night. As they descended the steps, they were squirted with shaving cream by painted and costumed Easy Speaker Barb would like Tom year, and according to Mike Williams, Washoe County her ecclesiastical leader to recognizeit is reh-cog-neyez, not reh-con-eyez. (So it ig Sheriff's Department, “We had less problems here not just lay folk who err.) The schwa “We aretrying to re-create culture in our society, ” Harveysaid. “It takes three thingsto create this [culture]. First everybody needs to feel their own soul. problems.If we did useit all, instead of most, of the time, we could eliminate divisive differences, than we had atthe rodeo.” might be the answerto our pronunciation Second, to feelthat everyone aroundyouis having the people. A pedi-cab whisked the newlywedsacross the same experience, you needto be united with one an- playa to Bianca's Smut Shack for their reception. The festival's theme was “No spectators. Everyone is a participant.” Nevadans who ignored camp eti- Julene B. Fisher, West Valley City, isa other. And third, by being united with one another, former teacher of English as a second you become something greater than yourself. “Everyone is welcome to Burning Man. The only group we don't welcome is the intolerant, and they quette by riding their motorized ATVson the playa language. Send comments and questions Body painting and othercreative formsofselfexpression aboundedat Burning Man festival. self-exclude,” risked bonks on heads, as body-painted hackers to Basy Speak, The Salt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, UT 84110, or e-mail her at easyspeak@sltrib.com. The Boys & Girls Club of Mur- tay & Midvale goi a boost as sup- Scheen, Rena Dunn,Geneand Pat R.S.V.P. porters gathered at University Day, Nancy Mathews and Darrell Jorgensen. Park Hotel,Salt LakeCity, for the 10th dinner and auction. Martha and Art Pasker were there with Kris and Beth Pasker and Francine and Brent Cook. Chad and Kathleen Soffe chatted About 140 guests nibbled be- fore-dinner snacks and autographed bid sheets for items ranging from carpetcleaning and maid service to an ornate chest and original artwork. with Jennifer Van Dyken and Ken Jones. Dixie and Jerry Nelson at- tended with Colleen Costello and Johnand Judi Angelovich Executive Chef Barry Knabe was auctioned for $650 to a lucky JeunElle Thompson thanked Jue participants while Channel 4 bidder whowill invite eight guests for a gourmetdinner. The mayors were out on the townin Salt Lake City, with Murray Mayor Lynn Pett and Kathleen Pett encouraging the auction bidding along with Midvale May- or Don Poulsen and Dorothy Poulsen. Midvale City Councilman Keith Alexander was there with Barba ra Alexander. Jim and Barbara Earl, Bountiful, came to support the Boys & Girls Club and get an idea for forming one in Brigham City. Photos by Judy Mayid/The Salt Lake Tribune Lynda and Dick Baldwin, Boys & Girls Club. Executive director Bob Dunn was there with Krista Dunn and daughter Jamie, 9. Gary Dunn suabiaraas Boys and Girls Together showed a video of the fun and learning skills shared by club members. Former University of Utah basketball player Allen Holmes and Tony Holmesattended; Allen Holmesand basketball playing son Byron Scott donated a Los Angeles Lakers autographed basketball to the auction. Long. time board member AnnaBelle Mattson was there to support the event. Board president Lynda Bal- dwin and Dick Baldwin hadtheir bid tickets out for a half-dozen items, Roland ahd Mavis Davis were there with photographer George Hamer, Dick and Gay weekend anchors Brent Hunsaker and Kim Johnson were masters of ceremonies. The club, affiliated with Na- tional Boys & Girls Club pro- §rams, offers more than 20 programs designed for the area it Serves, It offers after-school activities as well as summer pro- grams. Among auction items offered byauctioneerRichard O'Keef was 4 30-minute Jazz Bear appearancefor the party of choice ($275) and a chance to relive the 1997 NBA championship game with the Jaz and the Bulls at the Delta Center, plus dinner at Midvale Mining Cafe. It sold for $525. DarrellJor ber Anna to j@ Mattson at dinner-auction, ¥ A 4 |
