What Did You Say?

Words are colloquial. That is, what you call something and often how you pronounce it, is related to geography....y'all. 

Last week, I was having a chat with my, somewhat older neighbor, Morris. We were standing in my front yard discussing the weather, when he said something that I, at first thought, was a foreign language. I did a quick check of my hearing aids, and began to listen a little more carefully. He was talking about the soon to be blooming floral border, between our homes. OMGolly, the man had said "pe  OHHHH nees". I hadn't heard that pronunciation, since I left Southeast Kansas, almost 60 years ago. 

Now, I knew my neighbor had been farm reared, in rural Kansas, and that got me thinking. So, I did some Facebook Research.....very scientific, of course. Throwing out the question, to my Facebook friends, I asked how the word was pronounced. Here is what I found:

If you grew up, more than 50 years ago, in rural Missouri or Kansas, you probably heard the word pronounced, "pe OHHHH nee". Now, since many of us have migrated to large metropolitan areas, we most always hear and say, PEE oh nee. It's classier and the preferred botanical vocalization.

I heard from several relatives, who grew up in California. Their preferred pronunciation is with the emphasis on the the first or last syllable. Folks emanating from the North and East, use that same pronunciation.  My childhood friends, whose parents had been from places, other than Kansas and Missouri, or who had traveled extensively, use PEE-oh-nee, also. 

But, my grandma and her contemporaries said "pe OHHHH nies", and they grew some awesome ones. They came in single (resembled poppies) and big fat double ones (like giant carnations). They were mostly pink, but there were red and white bushes, too. Putting them on family graves, for Decoration Day, was a family tradition. And, no matter what you call or called them, they are still pretty special.

Good and All-powerful Lord. Thank you for the awesome experience of the changing seasons. We are blessed.