There are a handful of words that are too often abused and misused by otherwise intelligent people. Because I don’t want to be considered an uppity bitch in every corner of the world, I make a point of not correcting everyone. Yes, I do correct some people, but they love me.
A former president sounded like an idiot every time he referred to “nukuler” weapons. Why? Because there’s no such thing. There are nuclear weapons, and I believe they are quite dangerous. Maybe even more dangerous than idiots.
If something is unique, it is the only one of its kind. It’s like nothing else. Therefore, nothing can be really unique, very unique or truly unique. It’s like being pregnant – a person either is pregnant or is not pregnant. Something is either unique or is not unique.
Realtors help homeowners buy and sell homes. That’s pronounced “reel-ter.” Not “reel-i-ter.”
My father had prostate cancer, which is a disease of the prostate gland. He did not have prostrate cancer, which would be some sort of illness related to lying facedown on the ground.
Finally, the Florida peninsula is not the Florida “pin-in-chula.” Yes, the words “spatula” and “tarantula” have that “chula” sound at the end. Not “peninsula.”
I’ll stop there for today. Talk amongst yourselves.
From Pizza to Politics 
Remember the South has its own set of phonetic rules. This is why phonetic reading is difficult in the southern states. You and chu are the same. This also separates the class (caste) system that has developed in our nation.