National Umlaut Day Goes Largely Unnoticed

National Umlaut Day came and went today with very little fanfare, and with hardly any increased awareness of the importance of the umlaut to human communication.

Lülü von Schünënfrëügüël, chairwoman of the Inernational Association for the Promotion of the Umlaut, claimed that poor media coverage and general American apathy to the plight of the umlaut was to blame for this year's lackluster turnouts at umlaut festivals and umlaut parades nationwide. "Wë müst rëspëct thë ümläüt, ör ït wïll dïsäppëär," Dr. von Schünënfrëügüël said.

In Mexico, however, the concurrently-held Dia del Tilde was a smashing success, according to event organizers. Some festival-goers became so excited that they even began flipping exclamation points and question marks upside down and placing them at the beginnings of exclamatory and interrogative sentences, respectively, for greater emphasis.

"¡Wöw, thöse Mëxïcäns süre knöw höw tö trëät ä lëxïcäl äppëndägë!" von Schünënfrëügüël enthused. "Ï'll bë brïngïng thïs üp ät nëxt yëär's cönfërëncë, thät's för sürë."