Earthlore Magazine

EARTH LORE Magazine- a weekly Blog of True tales of the WEST and its Earth Science. Local earth happenings are shown, with photos, how the Blue Planet reacts to MAN's desecrations and FIGHTS BACK (on its own terms, and its own time schedule).

Weekly Renditions are made by the following Contributors:

Penny Scholten, geologist and outdoorswoman;
Dr. Chris Oravec, English at heart;
Harold L. Overton- earth critic and scientist; and
Col. Glenn Wasson, a Robert Service devotee’

English Subtleties (not Sub-Titles!)
A Turkish friend recited to me that even though she had a PhD in English, she still could not easily distinguish between the sounds Leather, Leader, Ladder, Let Ηer, and Lather. Those of us associating with the Ideas behind the sounds have no difficulty, but this illustrates the chore of getting Meaning from sound (with special difficulty for homonyms and synonyms). The following limerick emphasizes the closeness and subtleties in similar sounds in the English language which widely diverge in meaning.

My Rain, Maurine, lies Mainly on the Moraine

Although I was hardly a marine
Raising Merinos was no Mean
Task, for an uninitiated Teen.

I would promptly rise at Dawn
Performing duties, any Moron’d
Smilingly have a daily Go-On.

Wiping off the fresh Meringue,
Barely hearing the Daily Harangue,
Merry-No! while I watched the Gang.

I would longingly gawk Marina,
Keeping my thoughts on the Antenna
For the Lead in my Radio-Galena.

I have progressed from Merry-No
Earning my ring from the U of O,
To studies of the ol’elevated Colorado.

The Plateau, with its high Moraines-
Stoutly above the Western plains-
Is now the object of all my Brains.

Scarcely the same as ol’ Grey Mare, eh-NO?
Gladly the Cross-Eyed Bear- OH!
To forfeit the theme for this Spanish Merino.

You can see the trend for “some Mo’rain”
Is easily corrupted- causing Pain
For any (late) Verbalizer- on the wane.

Harold L. Overton