"COMMUNICATING" should not be pronounced as "COME-IN-'ick'-ATE-ing" -- a
Dear Fellow Earthlings,
I do not like communicating with form mail -- including social media. The only communication formats I respond to are phone, regular mail, or face-to-face visits (be they live or via such means as "Skype"). Unlike so many other people, I am not impressed -- much less mesmerized -- by any sort of media, be they state-run propaganda, large-scale television networks, cleverly crafted individualized "messaging", or anything else. Even the word "communicating" fails to meet minimal requirements for one-on-one exchanges. Most people are so busy multi-tasking and living under the delusions that they are interfacing perfectly with others that they fail to grasp the significance of doing the following after they have received information and prior to sending out their responses:
1. The recipient of information should process it as kee keeps in mind the possibility that much of it could be inaccurate or even completely untrue.
2. Kee must evaluate the significance of the information and consider repercussions that may follow as people respond to it.
3. Finally, kee must consider WHO has proffered the message and its contents to kerm -- and then design kerm response accordingly.
How fitting it is that so many non-native speakers of English with whom I speak mispronounce the word "communicate", often making it sound like "come in 'ick' ate". The dreams that I would like to see come true are that the non-nativelike, concocted pronunciation [come in 'ick' ate] should disappear from usage, that the very important word "communicate" should be pronounced correctly, and -- as a new lexical item, one referring to a "true linking of minds and souls", that the word "COMETRUE-NICATE" should be added to the lexicon of English.
I hereby take the liberty of creating the first sentence ever, using the word cometrue-nicate:
"By cometrue-nicating, the two Koreas will move away from a relationship of bitterness, belligerence, and distrust into one of peace, amiability, and respect.
Steve Walker
Earthsaver and Jingles Creator
© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.