So my dad has started saying "hurricken" (accent on the first syllable) when he means hurricane.
The funny part is that I don't remember him saying that word that way at all ... through my entire life. Well, except maybe when he'd refer to that small town in southern Utah that insists you pronouce Hurricane incorrectly. Despite living a life in many states and situations, he has seen fit to change his speech patterns to fit the demographic in which he now falls: the aged male Utahn. And he's done it with other words too, I think. He's started pronouncing the days of the week with a long E sound at the end. Sundee, Mondee, etc. Also he says Q-West instead of Qwest and Ambercrombie and Finch instead of Over-priced Clothes for Tools.
I guess my dad is a senior citizen now but I didn't know it was a requirement to modify your speech patterns to belong to their club. I'm beginning to think it is ... like they've forced him to change how he speaks just so he can get his handicap parking sticker and big blue blocker sunglasses: "You will speak this way if you want to be one of us, Gary. It's that or we take away your library privileges."
