Tuesday, July 7, 2009

La Bianca TomaNto Paste

Somebody’s selling tasty tomatoes on TV with a cool calypso chant. Imagine my prize surprise, when I really listened to the blurb lyrics. I took it for gleeful granted that Ghana had ‘imagoed’ from the invented “N” in “maNtches” (that’s [a box of] “matches”) and “tomaNtoes” (well, you know what it is). But there it was in the delightful ditty: La Bianca TomaNto Paste.

I was granting genius to the songwriter-salesman for nosing the notional “N” into “TomaNto” to mimic the other “N” in “BiaNca”, but I reversed my reverence when a vellum-voice, at the end, said “Tomato” without the nagging “N”. So what happened? Somebody's mealy-mouthed about a mistake they didn't want to spend money editing. Or?

23 comments:

  1. lol which one bi ur own massa(master)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, Charlie, you gimme black eye, Naa.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just like the intrusive 'r', the nagging N is almost everywhere. I have heard Akosombo being pronounced 'AkoNsombo' by newscasters on several occasions that I have now come to accept it as the norm.

    ReplyDelete
  4. hahha....most likely a mistake nd dint want to eit..dats a wierd word tho...tomaNto...lol

    ReplyDelete
  5. lol...the words people make up.
    Sorry O! I havent been around. U know me. Ill try to comment on the other ones as soon as I can.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, Nana Fredua, but I am told (on some authority) that the pronunciation with the "N" is the real one, and that wihout the "N" is what gained currency with colonisation. Funny huh?

    ReplyDelete
  7. That may well be it, Gee. So it was more a case of economy of funds and not economy of grammar...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes, Ada. I know you would comment if you could. This word "TomaNto" was quite prevalent some time ago especially among people with little or no schooling.

    ReplyDelete
  9. what do you think about "bending your mouth", "shining your eyes" and "hearing smells" ? Do they say that in Ghana too? Lol

    ReplyDelete
  10. Absolutely side-splitting. And (except for "bending your mouth") I have heard the others on Gh.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So, since you are Ghanaian you must have developed those abilities ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I developed many "Ghanaian" abilities, yes! I have unlearned some of them, and I am still in the process of unlearning others. There are very many good "Ghanaian" abilities, though, I must add. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ha ha ha. TomaNtoes. Perhaps the voice over person didn't get the memo?

    ReplyDelete
  14. So, Raine, you buy the mistake story, huh?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Honestly, I have no idea. lol

    ReplyDelete
  16. LOL, Nana Yaw, honestly you are too hard on our people(s)! To be frank, I have been wondering about this Toma(N)toes business for years but honestly missed it in the La Bianca ad. I was too distracted by the delightful scenario with the two men appear to compete to prepare the most mouth-watering dish for their eagerly awaiting spouses/companions..

    ReplyDelete
  17. Watch it again, maybe, tonight, Abena. And, yes, you may be right about my being hard...but I do not intend to be. It's just great fodder for creative writing. My second sight could not let it pass.

    ReplyDelete
  18. C'mon Nana Yaw, you know I love it!!!! Bring us some more!! As for watching TV, I hardly do any of that these days...in fact I barely know what is happening in our fair nation. Is it true Obama is coming?? Heheheh!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you very kindly, my friend, Abena. :) I will bring more. Funny, that about Obama. Get the news oo

    ReplyDelete
  20. Pretty late for this discussion.
    "TomaNtoes".Hahaha! I have to confess that my own granny and her mates were adherents of that classic Ghanaian 'genre' of the language.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Never too late is Posekyere. Ghanaian 'genre' is a very 'fresh' phrase. :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I think what peeves me the most, is the response to any grammatical correction or pronunciation correction attempted. "But you understood what I was saying, so why are you doing too known?"

    ReplyDelete
  23. Soooooooooo true, Flossy. Thanks for commenting. Will check out your blog in no time :)

    ReplyDelete

After writing your comment, please select the Name/URL box below, and write your name in the box, before submitting your comment.