We stand at one of those crossroads where one may observe the mutation of a word. This time, it's Coachella.
Westerners first called this California desert area the Conchilla Valley, because it contained many "little conch" shells left over from an ancient geological era when the land stood underwater. Mapmakers misspelled the name as Coachella, which was long pronounced Co-a-chella by non-Spanish speakers. In recent years, under the influence of frequent use (because of the popular Coachella Festival) and lazy tongues, a syllable was dropped, making it first Kochella and now Kachella or even K'chella.
If we could travel back in time, we might observe the first ignoramus to call the Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels of the Porciuncula River by the name Loss Anjeliss, as it is still primarily known today. Instead, we have the option, currently availed by the Coachella Festival trademark holders, of lawsuits, which aim to prevent businesses from adopting "chella" into their name.
In tribute, I, Greg Burk, am preparing to sue the African nation of Burkina Faso. I was there first. Ka-ching.
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PHOTO BY FUZZY BEERK.