Gasconade

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Dr. Goodword
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Gasconade

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun May 25, 2014 9:50 pm

• gasconade •

Pronunciation: gæs-kê-naydHear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: An instance of extravagant boasting or bravado, bluster; a great exaggeration of the facts.

Notes: Today's Good Word was derived from gascon "a braggart", a commonization of Gascon "someone from Gascony". This word bred two nouns, gasconade "an instance of bravado" and gasconism "tendency to boast or exaggerate".

In Play: Texans have a reputation for gasconism: "Ask a Texan like Hugh Jeego about Texas and you can expect a gasconade about people mistaking Texas cucumbers for watermelons and mosquitoes for ugly humming birds." Grandparents are known for their gasconades about their grandchildren: "Don't ask Ida Claire about her grandchildren unless you're prepared for a gasconade that that could go on for hours."

Word History: Today's Good Word is a commonization of Gascon, a native of Gascony, a region in south-west France. The Gascons had a reputation for greatly exaggerating the quality and quantity of things Gasconian, much like the reputation of Texans in the US. The Romans called this area Vasconia or Wasconia, which suggests it may come from a Basque root eusk- "Basque". Now, since French had no [w] sound, it would have been replaced by the nearest sound in French, GU [gw], in borrowed words. That is how ward became guard when French borrowed the word from English. (Then English borrowed it back with a different meaning.) Ultimately, the U [w] stopped being pronounced in words beginning in GU. (It would not be a gasconade to say today's Good Word was another excellent one suggested by Gene Dubois, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude.)
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Slava
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Re: Gasconade

Postby Slava » Mon May 26, 2014 8:06 am

Interestingly, to me at least, is that with the -ayd pronunciation at the end, I feel a strong impulse to put the stress at the beginning of the word, i.e. gas-con-ayd. With a more French pronunciation, gas-con-ahd, the accent comes naturally at the end.

The same goes for the second noun. Put an "e" at the end and, voila, it is French. Without it, I feel it is pronounced with the stress on the "gas".

Or am I speeding? :)
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LukeJavan8
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Re: Gasconade

Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon May 26, 2014 11:50 am

sounds reasonable to me, as you have said. That's
more like I'd pronounce the word.
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Re: Gasconade

Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon May 26, 2014 2:11 pm

In South Louisiana is a town with the beautiful name of Ville Platte - that is until you hear it pronounced! Rather than veel plaht, the vowels are short - vill plat. Ugh!
pl

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Re: Gasconade

Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon May 26, 2014 8:36 pm

Like the town near Santa Barbara where the terrible
shootings occurred, Isla Vista. I've heard at least 4
different pronunciations of it today alone.
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Slava
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Re: Gasconade

Postby Slava » Mon May 26, 2014 8:49 pm

I just did a crossword puzzle with the clue "The state everyone else mispronounces," or something along those lines. The answer? Oregon.

On an unrelated note, I recently found out that there is a place called Hot Coffee, Mississippi. At least that one's easy to say, but what are the people called? Hot Caffeinated Mississippians? And if they move, are they Decaffeinated? :shock:
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Re: Gasconade

Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon May 26, 2014 10:13 pm

Iowa has a town and i-80 exit
called "What Cheer".
I won't pretend to figure out what
the citizenry calls itself.
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Re: Gasconade

Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon May 26, 2014 10:24 pm

Cheerios, no doubt.
But may come from the Brit expression "what cher"?
pl

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Re: Gasconade

Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon May 26, 2014 11:25 pm

All the years I traveled thru that town,
I never thought of that: good one.
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