Gotta Luv It

It has been said the English language is one of the hardest to learn.  There are so many words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings.  These words are called homophones and here are a few of them; bear bare, know no, right write, flower flour, sense cents, dear deer and the most confusing of all, at least in text messages, there, their, they're.

Then there are the homonyms that have the same spelling but can have completely different meanings.  Here are a few examples; bat, bank, change, book and bolt.  

Next, we can throw in a little bit of French and this really tosses a wrench into the cogs.  There are words such as valet, filet, bouquet, crochet and buffet that all end in the sound of a long A.  The one exception in that list would be buffet, this happens when it is preceded by the first name of Jimmie.  Jimmie Buffet.  In this case the 'et' at the end of the word is pronounced  like the following; inlet, owlet, and bracelet.  It can be very confusing.

Sisters Lela and Blanche came for a visit.  It had been well over a year since we had seen each other and we had lots of catching up to do.  One thing that these two love to do is shop.  They also know I do not.  I waited patiently as I watched them peruse the racks in the Macy's store at the local mall.  They have the uncanny ability to finger every piece of clothing in the store, try on endless outfits in the dressing rooms and never purchase a single item.  This time, they surprised me and both emerged carrying a small bag.  From there, Lela decided she needed a rest and Blanche wanted to take me to another store....Bed Bath & Beyond.

I do not shop.  If I need something, I just go get it, usually at the big box store that has underwear at the entrance door and frozen pizza at the exit.  Surely I had been in a BB&B before, but it had been a long while.  This one is just across the street from our abode, but I had never ventured through its doors.  When I did, it was sensory overload.  This store has definitely put the emphasis on the Beyond.  

Blanche and I began scanning the shelves of gadgetry and whatnots.  As we approached the clearance shelves, full of linens and bedding, I  picked up an item and made my fatal faux pas.  As Blanche approached, she asked what I was holding and I answered, "It's a duvet."  (dove-it).  With a grin, she corrected me with the proper pronunciation of "do-vAy" and things went south from there.

I told her I would go home and tell the hubby, in my best red neck voice, "Looky here honey, I bought us a duvet!" 

When we returned to the apartment and told Lela of our antics, she chimed in with "Don't let your neighbor covet your duvet!"  It began to sound somewhat like an infomercial with phrases such as, "get your duvet, you're gonna love it"  and "if they make fun of your duvet, tell em' to shove it!"  We even called another family member to share our humor and the first thing they said was, "well, you've duvet again."

No doubt, the English language has its twists and turns.  It will be a long time before they forget the duvet, maybe never,  but I shall just rise above it.