I read with interest the Nov. 7 article by Dennis Lythgoe regarding Claudia Lauper and Richard Bushman.
It struck me as odd, however, to read that "Richard . . . spent his formative years in Portland" whereas Claudia was "born and raised in California."When I was a lad, my dear mother, herself a schoolteacher, often reminded me that I was being reared. Indeed, she was often heard to say that "we raise cattle and rear children."
In fairness to Mr. Lythgoe, I did find that the American Heritage Dictionary gives slight reference to his usage of "raise" as the eighth choice.
And to think that I have spent most of my adult life under the impression that Utahns had invented the pronunciation of words ending in "ing" as "een."
Examples are runneen, jumpeen, care-een (caring) and more. I wonder if any of these good folks refer to table tennis as "peen-pon."
Admittedly, these are minor examples of questionable (if not bad) usage. Still, as one who loves the sound and sight of the English language as one of the Earth's genuine treasures, I cannot help but lament the "dumbing down" of our general populace, however gradual it may be.
Stanley J. Cloward
Salt Lake City