I, Cheé•wa•wa

Granted, “chihuahua” is a difficult word of many of us to decode. Excuse me for not reading Inca! Or Aztec, or Mayan, or whatever. So it’s not too surprising that advertisements for Beverly Hills Chihuahua offer a phonetic spelling—“cheé-wow-wä,” to be precise—along with two pictures of the damn critters. But why do they put an umlaut over the “a” in the last syllable? Do they think that people who can’t read “chihuahua” know, or care, what an umlaut is? Do they think that anyone who can’t read “chihuahua” won’t know that “cheé-wow-wa” is a phonetic spelling of “chihuahua” without the umlaut? Or are they just fucking showing off? This entry is for all of us who don’t care that much about who Obama has chosen as his new chief of staff.*

A funnier version of this bit appeared in my blog, Literature R Us.

Afterwords
The official BHC site, which I’m not going to link to, offers this warning: “Owning a pet is a major responsibility. Dogs require daily care and constant attention. Before bringing a dog into your family, research the specific breed to make sure it is suitable for your particular situation. Learn about and be willing to undertake the serious responsibilities of dog care. Always consider adoption from a reputable shelter or rescue program.” So if you thought you were going to pick up a cute little doggie and stuff him in your purse (yeah, you know who you are), forget it.

*Oh, and who pronounces the middle syllable of “chihauhau” “wow”? Fucking Paris Hilton?