Just a little taste

Let me start with a little story. It's not much, but it's a recent favorite: My roommate is a high school biology teacher in a special part of Richmond, I refer to it as the ghetto. She has a student there whose name is La-a. That's right. Look at it again, La-a. Say it aloud. Roll it around in your mouth. But however you are saying it right now, I'm sure you are wrong. My poor roommate called her name in class on the first day--"La-ay? Is that how you say it?" This little black girl looked up at her with some serious 'tude and said, "uh, you SAY the DASH...it's La-dash-a." ...that's right. Say it again, the right way this time: Ladasha. Nice.