Editor,

May, Me, My, Mow, Moo, Mew!

Jon, you really struck a (musical) chord when mentioning the diphthong at the bottom of your Oct. 24 column . As a choral conductor/vocal coach/professional opera singer I’ve been teaching the proper usage of the two types of diphthongs (which half to stress when singing) for decades, and had to laugh when, recalling asking one new student if she knew what a diphthong was, she said, “Something you wear at the beach?”

Your own surname, Mays, is a prime example. How many people do not realize there are two distinct vowel sounds in it. Hello? And thanks for your excellent column on cursive. This dinosaur still handwrites letters!

Ken Malucelli

Half Moon Bay

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