Pronouncing Ruggles

[LARSSON at VAX1.Mankato.MSUS.EDU]

Juan explains:
"pin-CHON: (spanish) One who likes "pinchar"
 
Pinchar: v. 1. To hurt with a pointed thing
            2. To tease
            3. To annoy
            4. (fam.) Miss, fail to accomplish the expected outcome
            5. (fam.) To stick a knife into
            6. (fam.) To inject drugs
 
I have a friend who, just after finishing GR, said that it was a pity
his name wouldn't be pronounced pin-CHON.  I feel so much better now!"



Some years ago, I gave a conference paper comparing "cinematic" narration
in Dos Passos USA and GR.  There were three people in the audience--two
of them profs. of Spanish/Portuguese (one wearing a fetching beret, I
might add) who had never heard of Pynchon but pronounced it hispanically
and had assumed I was talking about Iberian lit.!

Don Larsson, Mankato State U (MN)