Monday, April 27, 2009

Coup de grace



Terrible job by ESPN, here. Why did it take so long to cue a replay of Ellsbury handing the Yankees their heads? Where was a shot of him evading the tag? Where were the cameras when he came out of the dugout, and bowed to the crowd? And did you catch the announcer proclaiming @1:12 that the fans were "still [inexcusable pause] excited" just as the crowd noise had noticeably decreased? Awful. The most exciting play in sports, and ESPN goes amature hour.

Note below: The French pronounce "coup de grace" with the final "s". Most Americans do not. This is one of several examples of what Wikipedia calls hyperforeignism, or the unsuccessful attempt to apply the reading rules of a foreign language to a loan word. It is also additional proof (as if more were needed) that languages are forever evolving. And what is true for language, is true for any human endeavor, ritual included.

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