Bill shouldn’t chide his daughter for her proper phonetic rendering of “Clemson” — it is properly pronounced /climp-son/, as any alumnus would tell you. The vocalized invisible “p” is heard in other instances as well, such as the Revolutionary S.C. general, Thomas Sumter (/sump-ter/, as it is actually spelled in other parts of the country) and the popular Syrian pet rodent /hamp-ster/.
Just don’t add a syllable, as in /clee-emp-son/.
You can almost hear a vocalized invisible “t” in the name of the town of Benson, N.C., as well. The Smithfield Herald, last week, reported that an error in billing software installed by the town a few years ago resulted in an extra zero being added to an industrial customer’s water bill. (Categorize this as a “sink” cost rather than “sunk”)
As a result, the town finds itself liable for refunding 90% of the plant’s water bill for the last two years. The most recent (incorrect) monthly bill totalled $25,000, so you can do the math; folks involved said no one noticed the overcharge because plant management had changed and the bills were consistent from month to month. Ouch.
Chad, is this an example of a bad Local Innovation — faulty software — or good — eventually they found it?
