You say that, but one Boomer parent and one Boomer in-law literally can’t say words if it’s not something they don’t know and feel like saying.

Parent says a lot of stuff wrong. Just, like wrong from the start. No (diagnosed) learning disability, no reason. He has only once pronounced “Nintendo” with the first N, after maybe 30 minutes of coaching. Otherwise, always “Intendo” for no reason at all. He has a couple dozen words like this. That’s it, not even that many.

I forget the word the in law was saying wrong, but we broke it down. It went like this:

IL: Pazelstroke, the Russian thing.

Me: Do you mean Perestroika?

IL: That’s what I said.

Me: say it again.

IL: Pazelstroke

Me: No, it’s Perestroika

IL: Yeah. Pazelstroke.

Me: Say pair

IL: pair

Me: uh

IL: uh

Me: stro

IL: stro

Me: ika

IL: ika

Me: now put each sound together

IL, struggling to think it through: Paz-el-stro-ke!

After writing all this out, I remember, it was Greek for “thank you,” efharisto. She was saying “ear-easto.”