Sorry, can't let this one go.
Mr. Willys has the right to pronounce his name any way he pleases. Hell,
he can pronounce it "Smith" if he wants.
But he does now own the name; just ask the Xerox, Kleenex or Band-Aid
corporations. These items have all become American icons, as has the
jeep. The proper noun (a name) has become a common noun (a thing). OK,
xerox has also become a verb.
There is no one "right" for everyone else to pronounce Willys. Just
because some of say it differently does not mean that half of us are
wrong. Conformity is not a virtue. If we were all conformists, why would
we love old military vehicles?
Incidentally, a similar debate continues over the name Louis Armstrong.
Most folks say "Louie", but people who knew him say that he pronounced
it "Lewis". Another American icon. Another moot point.
Thank Buddha no one has to hear me try to sing, but....
You say "tomato", I say "tomahto", let's call the whole thing off.
;^)
Pete Davis
pandr@cybertours.com
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Jan 05 2000 - 22:42:08 PST