23 MARCH 1991, Page 30

Silken dalliance

Sir: I have no doubt that Roger Shaw (Letters, 16 March) speaks Spanish fluent- ly; but is it not he, and not Edith Gross- man, who has boobed? In his assertion that the Spanish word must have been cerda and not ceda who reveals a trait common in those who speak Spanish but are not great readers of the language.

The Spanish word for silk is not ceda but seda. In South America, and Andalusia where Roger Shaw lives, the 'c' is pro- nounced like the voiceless 's' as in 'same' — a phenomenon known as seseo. Hence Roger Shaw's confusion.

In any case, for Simon Bolivar to clean his teeth with a silk brush conjures up a much more attractive picture than a com- mon-or-garden bristle brush.

R. T. Woolston

8 Old Lane, Lowestoft, Suffolk