Nouns

“Lagniappe”

Apostrophes, Foreign Languages, Nouns, Outsider's Perspective, Plurals, Possessives

This post is not about a problem, explanation, and solution.

Instead, it’s about an interesting word whose use is designated as Chiefly Southern Louisiana and Southeast Texas.

I first saw this word when I moved to Houston, Texas. It was on the sign of a popular restaurant and was written with an apostrophe and ‘s’ as “Lagniappe’s”.

I don’t know whether this apostrophe-‘s’ form on the sign was meant to be a possessive or was supposed to be a plural noun but was a blunder by a sign maker who is part of the crowd of sign makers who insert apostrophes where they don’t belong.

Leaving aside the possessive-apostrophe/plural issue and focusing on the singular noun, a “lagniappe” is something that is added to a purchase as a gift by a merchant, to say “Thank you!” for doing business with the merchant.

A commercial, mass-marketing version of a “lagniappe” could be a cosmetics bag given with a purchase of Lancôme perfume. However, the noun “lagniappe” is traditionally reserved for what an individual merchant adds, such as a small bag of fertilizer when the customer buys several flower bulbs.

The noun originally was “yapa” — Quechuan for that which is added.

Spanish speakers in Mexico turned this into “la ñapa”.

I don’t know where the French speakers from Louisiana first heard “la ñapa” and converted it into the French spelling — “lagniappe” — for the same pronunciation.

But I imagine that the greater Houston area could have been that location, given its mingling of people from Mexico and people from New Orleans and other French-speaking parts of southern Louisiana.

So there you have it: an American English word tied to Houston at the intersection of Spanish and French speakers.

“Capital” vs. “Capitol”

Common English Blunders, Nouns, Versus

I often see these two words interchanged.

Problem:
The nouns “capital” and “capitol” are not synonyms.

Explanation:
The noun “capital” is from the Latin word “caput” and means head of a column or pillar.

The noun “capitol” is from the highest hill in Rome: Capitoline Hill.

The similarity between these two nouns is completely coincidental, according to some linguists.

Solution:
Use the noun “capital” to refer to a city that is an official seat of government or to refer to the wealth of an individual, group, or business. Use the noun “capitol” to refer to a building, or complex of buildings, occupied by a legislature. (Use “Capitol” to refer to the architectural structure in Washington, DC, where the United States Congress meets.)

“Altercation”

Common English Blunders, Nouns

I often see or hear this noun misused.

Problem:
Many do not know that “altercation” has a very specific meaning.

Explanation:
The noun “altercation” means an angry, oral dispute.

Unfortunately, many will use “altercation” when referring to physical disputes.

This is a misuse of the noun.

I suppose that those who use “altercation” to refer to physical arguments want to seem more educated.

Unfortunately, this misuse reveals their ignorance about the noun’s meaning.

Solution:
Use “altercation” when referring to an oral dispute; do not use “altercation” when referring to anything physical.