July 30th, 2014
ho·mo·phone: \ˈhä-mÉ™-ËŒfÅn, ˈhÅ-\ noun : a word that is pronounced like another word but is different in meaning, origin, or spelling.
Like bear/bear or their/they’re/there.
“Homophone” doesn’t mean what Clarke Woodger, owner of a Provo-based English language learning center, thinks it means:
But when the social-media specialist for a private Provo-based English language learning center wrote a blog explaining homophones, he was let go for creating the perception that the school promoted a gay agenda.
Tim Torkildson says after he wrote the blog on the website of his employer, Nomen Global Language Center, his boss and Nomen owner Clarke Woodger, called him into his office and told him he was fired.
As Torkildson tells it, Woodger said he could not trust him and that the blog about homophones was the last straw.
“Now our school is going to be associated with homosexuality,” Woodger complained, according to Torkildson, who posted the exchange on his Facebook page.
Wooder, speaking of his English as a Second Language students, told the Salt Lake Tribune’s Paul Rolly, “…People at this level of English … may see the ‘homo’ side and think it has something to do with gay sex. Makes cents to me.
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Marshall
July 30th, 2014
Whether to laugh, groan, or cry, one hardly knows. ;p
Ryan
July 30th, 2014
I just can’t believe this is true. This has all the trappings of an Onion-type satirical “news” story.
Julia Soler
July 31st, 2014
Hope Woodger doesn’t feed his children homogenized milk
Victor
July 31st, 2014
I agree with Ryan. This seems too stupid to be true – like someone planted it just to create a stir. The sad part is that, given our opponents’ combined general stupidity and penchant for histrionics, this seems completely plausible. If we all lived in the same universe there would be no contest. But this sort of thing doesn’t faze anybody on the other side of the Looking Glass.
Stephen
July 31st, 2014
Remember the ‘niggardly’ incident.
But really? You pronounce ‘cents’ to rhyme with ‘sense’?
Richard Rush
July 31st, 2014
They are so sophomoric. . . Oh, wait, they will discover that “sophomoric” is a Trojan horse, and it will be banned, as well. . . because everyone knows you must remain vigilant for homos looking for ways to sneak their agenda in under the radar.
Nathaniel
July 31st, 2014
I look forward to ADF defending Torkildson for being erroneously fired for expressing his beliefs about marriage.
Oh, right, they only defend your right to express your beliefs if you agree with their beliefs.
Also, isn’t the word “homophone” older than the word “homosexual”? This seems like the perfect opportunity to educate students about word origins and the meanings of various suffixes and prefixes. Instead, it is turned into a sordid story of stupidity and firings. So sad.
enough already
July 31st, 2014
It gets harder and harder for the State of Utah to pretend that animus is not at the basis of their anti-gay policies.
This one may have no direct legal effect on anything, but it sure doesn’t help their PR efforts.
cowboy
July 31st, 2014
You should read Paul Rolly’s column about the Common Core curriculum and its link to “The Gay Agenda”.
He puts those Provo people in their place.
Joseph Singer
July 31st, 2014
Oh please. Everyone knows what a homophone is. It’s a phone whose owner is a homosexual!
Regan DuCasse
August 4th, 2014
I just listened to the man who was fired in a radio interview.
There has been no apology, no acknowledgement of the mistake.
Nothing in the works to reinstate him.
Have you all noticed, that if someone is fired for being gay, or they’ve expressed themselves in SUPPORT of gay people, THEIR firing is permanent?
But some of the cases we’ve heard of, where someone’s competence, or review of their work AROUND gay people got them fired or suspended, THEY were reinstated after all.
The man at the center of this liguistics kerfuffle, said he’s applying for food stamps.
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