Mastodawn

I had the photo edited for #WildflowerWednesday but ran out of time/oomph to write alt text, so didn't post. I'll throw it in now for #WildflowerHour This is local Castilleja miniata Paintbrush (I think some of our populations are hybrid, even though no other species locally, but this one is pretty basic). Grown from seed collected just up the road and scattered in a #MarginalGardening area on the acreage #Alberta #Canada #NativePlants #florespondence #BloomScrolling #nature #GoOutsideForMe

@cohanf The name seemed Spanish, so I looked it up, was utterly confused because the plant is North American and discovered by a Scottish and an Englishman... but then I switched to the Spanish version of the Wikipedia, which adds crucial info: they named it after Domingo Castillejo, a Spanish botanist.

Why do I write this unnecessary comment? Because, for once in my life I've solved a mistery and I didn't want all this effort to go unnoticed 🤣

@enriquericos 😆 Well I'm glad you did-- I always wondered (but never got around to looking it up) and pronounce it in Spanish in my mind- I've never had to say it and never heard anyone say it- I've 'talked' about this genus a lot, but !00% online...lol no idea what the standard NA pronunciation is! I can't imagine an anglicised pronunciation that wouldn't feel weird...lol

@cohanf I guess you guys would say castilleha, there's nothing like the Spanish j in English, right?🤔

@enriquericos the h sound as you say would be the closest equivalent (sometime you might want to hear my story about overpronouncing the h in my name to sound more Spanish J while in Mexico--maybe you can guess...oops...lol). But anyway that assumes the English pronouncer had heard it pronounced in Spanish.. I'm suspecting it might be said more like a French j-- castileja like deja vu. The ll of course would just end up as English l..

@cohanf You're right about everything. And I must add, I would probably call you Cojan sometimes, I'd do my best to pronounce it right but I'm pretty sure I would fail 😅

I knew a Graham who was studying here... He finally gave up and introduced himself as Grajam to every Spaniard, even signed his drawings with that made up name 😂 He had a great sense of humour.

@enriquericos I got some funny looks and smirks in Mexico when I said Cojan.. I guess it's a bit of an unusual form of the verb cojer (subjunctive third person plural or something like that??) so it did not occur to everyone....lol but when they did: "Your name is *what*?"

@cohanf Yes! I forgot to tell you and it's important:
Coger in Spain only means grab or take, you wouldn't have a problem here, but in some parts of the Spanish speaking America... coger means "to have sex", so if you say cojan (a form of coger) over there, you would be telling them to have sex, not necessarily with you, but confusion and problems might arise...

@enriquericos yes, that was definitely the intention in Mexico..lol

@enriquericos an acquaintance in Mexico finally took me aside and asked 'Do you know what your name means in Mexico?' lol after that I just went with a silent h...lol

@cohanf A friend of mine in Argentina, on the beach. The water currents started dragging her into the ocean and she, being Spanish and also attractive, screamed: "¡Cogedme, me ahogo!" Which would translate crudely as "fuck me, I'm drowning!"

You can imagine the faces on the locals until one of them understood the situation and rescued her.

@enriquericos 🤣

@enriquericos as for how others pronounce my name I don't care as long as I know they are talking to me..lol I worked with someone who called me Colin for more than 10 years, even though she could see my name on her cash register regularly...lol An Indian co-worker yesterday asked if it should be pronounced to rhyme with Dan (as she was saying it, which would be standard Canadian) or Johann (as many of the other Indians pronounce it)- I said she was in line with my family, but I don't mind..lol

@cohanf 😂 You have the patience of a saint, I applaud your attitude.

@enriquericos like the old joke: call me whatever you like, just don't call me late for dinner...lol

@enriquericos plus as a Canadian having lived in several large very multicultural cities, and having travelled in various places where I spoke only some or none of the local language- I'm well aware from the other side that the fine points of name pronunciation are not always easily achieved...lol Even when you *can* make the sounds, if the word/name is surrounded by words your mouth is making in another language, it takes an effort to reshape for that one word!

@cohanf effort to reshape, that's the key. Even when I know in my head how something should sound, articulating that sound is a challenge.

@enriquericos and at conversational speed it can be tricky. A Mexican guy I worked with in Toronto said when I spoke Spanish it was like I was reciting poetry...lol (because I was trying to carefully pronounce, I guess)

@cohanf but that's a really nice thing to say. I would be proud.

@enriquericos I doubt it would be true if I were speaking longer-- we mostly spoke in English, but if I wanted to say some particular thing I probably rehearsed it in my head first so it came out sounding....odd...lol

@cohanf I guess it sounds... deliberate is the word?

I personally like it when a non native sounds like that, it shows care and respect for the language :)

@enriquericos yes deliberate would be accurate. I think it's a good stage to go through at the very least-- learn how to actually form the words before you learn how to as they say in French: mange les mots- eat the words..lol
(unrelatedly, just glanced up at that tv on which Youtube is playing quiet classical music, sometimes with nature scenes- and the screen was filled with Castilleja flowers, same colour as the one I showed..)

@cohanf mange les mots, I like that.

And 👍 for the Castillehas.