Gotta Catch the Mall

[steepholm]

This weekend I found myself in Toys-R-Us at the local out-of-town mall for the first time in a few years, and it seemed to me that the savage division of its aisles into Pink and Blue that was such a feature not long ago is now far less noticeable, which I see as a shuffling step in the right direction. The name of the shop has lost none of its power to irritate, however.

Also, and by the way, a quick shout-out for Pokemon, which are still much in evidence. Pokemon is the only franchise I can think of that was loved equally by all my children at various times. Like Lego in the old days it was designed to appeal to every gender, but unlike Lego it's maintained that universality to this day. Battlers, collectors, ecologists, kawaii-ists, gamers and nerds are all catered for within the roomy fabric of its world.

By the way - and this I suppose is especially for UK people - do you pronounce "mall" to rhyme with

a) the road the queen takes on the way to Buck House
b) something that's done to you by an angry lion
c) something else?

I find I can't settle to any pronunciation.

Comments

[tree_and_leaf]

b), pretty consistently.

[tree_and_leaf]

Although, on further reflection, I only use 'mall' when talking about America (or to Americans). Otherwise I say 'shopping centre'.

[steepholm]

Ah, good point. I think I would too, left to my own devices. The trouble is, this one is actually called 'The Mall'.

[legionseagle]

What she said. (b) but in my local habitation "The Arndale - ugh!"

[kalypso]

With tree_and_leaf and legionseagle, in all respects.

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, I've come across those. I think I still tend to call them 'the shopping centre', as there's rarely the risk of ambiguity...

Though I do call the Arndale the Arndale (with or without the 'ugh'!)

[legionseagle]

After the bomb, there were rumours of the locals scrabbling through the ruins planting traces of high alumina cement and blue asbestos, hoping to avert the catastrophe of its being rebuilt.

[steepholm]

Oh, how I hope that was true!

[tree_and_leaf]

If it was, it was, alas, ineffective. Though I think the rebuild is somewhat less ghastly than its previous incarnation, at least inside (mind, you, I can only have been in there once or twice before the bomb).

I can't find a bloody thing in there, though.

[cxcvi]

I think the closest I can answer is that it's the same vowel sound as "cow".

[cxcvi]

...no... it's the first syllable in "California", but with extra ending.

[lilliburlero]

I suffer a similar unsettledness. It doesn't help that you can't get much of a steer from listening to Americans, as the vowel always seems to fall somewhere between a) and b) but varies quite widely according to accent.