Quinoa is a Quirky Word by Sharon Heagy

 

Quinoa is a nourishing grain from South America. One which the Incas nicknamed ‘chisiya mama’ – the mother of all grains. Quinoa (Keen-wah) is also a quirky word. Many folks have had trouble pronouncing it and spelling it, especially as this grain crept into the North American diet, on its way to becoming a staple for many.

The origin of the word comes from the Andean language of Quenchua. In the native language the word was kinuwa – pronounced keen-u-wah. As it became Anglicised the ‘u’ sound disappeared and led to the current pronunciation. Rather than adopt that spelling and language, someone thought it would be more clever to use the Spanish word quinoa instead. After all, English isn’t hard enough to learn.

As a phonetics era child, I wondered what quinn-oh-ah was when I first read it on a menu. Some knowledgeable soul took pity on me and pointed out that it was not quin-oh-ah but keen-wah. My face screwed up and I thought really? That’s weird. But I had learned a new word. I remembered a trick one of my grade schoolteachers taught us about spelling tough words and tucked away quin-oh-ah so I wouldn’t forget how to write it down.  She taught us how to spell Egypt by saying Egg-y-put. This fact is still in my overstuffed brain file of things I should delete to give my hard drive more space.  I still call Egypt Egg-y-put. Sigh.

Quinoa is a word that is tough to pronounce, just like some of the names in the Old Testament. Those names we start reading in a passage and kind of mumble over the endings. Many a person has suddenly become panic-stricken when they are asked to read a section of the Bible out loud. As they skim the names, letters swirling before their eyes, they mutter to themselves, ‘Oh, no! Why me?’  Names like Ashkenaz, Hazarmaveth and Ammishaddai don’t roll off the English tongue without a second look. It might have been the same in the New Testament if the names were in Hebrew. For instance, Matthew would be Matityahu, and John would be Yohannan.

Difficult names and words are to be avoided when we are writing for others. Nothing is more frustrating for some readers than having to stop continually and look up the pronunciation or the definition of words. Believe it or not, not everyone who reads has an absolute love of words. I know, I know, the horror! The sacrilege! But if we are writing to connect and inspire, to relay a message or tell a story, we need clarity and simplicity. A plot with as many twists and turns as the Assiniboine River still needs to flow and make sense, leading the reader forward.

Remember the thesaurus is your friend. In its pages we can find many substitutes for difficult words that will make a sentence go from ‘ugh’ to ‘ahh.’

Try reading your work aloud. When we do this it’s easier to find the hiccups and change the wording.

Most importantly, ask the Lord for guidance. Our God of order, clarity and detail will give you a word or phrase if you wait on Him. He can transform your words, the seed you sow, into ‘the mother of all grains.’ And when He brings showers of living water to your words, nothing will stop them from growing into a nourishing piece to encourage the soul and spirit of your readers.