Which word, when and why?
January 20th, 2008
Weird words
December 30th, 2007I was thinking about how written and verbal communication grows and changes and just how many thousands and thousands of words there are in the English language. We would all love to build our vocabulary to the extent of perfect knowledge but I doubt anyone ever has. Still for many, the quest for understanding goes on and whilst pottering through some word sites on the internet I found a great site which is well worth a recommendation. The site is www.worldwidewords.org. There is a section in this website dedicated to weird words. Probably these are words are not for everyday use but I found it great fun reading about them and their origins. As an example, following is the information on “petrichor”
“The smell of rain on dry ground. More specifically, it’s the pleasant smell that often accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather in certain regions. Didn’t you always want a word for it? It was named by two Australian researchers in an article in Nature in 1964, who discovered that the smell is an oily essence that comes from rocks or soil that are often (but not always) clay-based. The oil is a complicated set of at least fifty different compounds, rather like a perfume. It turned out that the oils are given off by vegetation during dry spells and are adsorbed on to the surface of rocks and soil particles, to be released into the air again by the next rains. I can’t find any record of anybody having tried to bottle and sell it, but can’t help thinking it would be a hot item (my agent’s fee will be the usual modest 10%). The word comes from Greek petros, a stone, plus ichor, from the Greek word for the fluid that flows like blood in the veins of the gods. So the word means something like “essence of rock”. Alas, it is rarely encountered.”
The site also has articles, questions and answers, reviews, topical words, turns of phrase and much more. For anyone interested in English it is a great resource. The site has been put up by Michael Quinion. Thank you Michael for all the word work and interesting items!
Avoidance is always the best treatment for allergies regardless of which allergens are the triggers. Allergy treatment. Interestingly enough, the most effective, least expensive, and simplest options are not always followed. Many people choose medications or vaccinations instead, despite their drawbacks. Fortunately, there are lots of simple methods, both old and new, to help with avoidance. Remember, putting into practice any of these measures can only be helpful in managing your allergies.
The good news is that you really don’t have to strip your house down to the bare bones to make it allergy proof. Thorough and regular cleaning generally makes a huge difference in keeping your house as mold and dust free as possible. Patients with asthma or allergic rhinitis that are due to dust mites, molds, or other indoor allergens can feel better by taking these simple measures:
* Keep the home cool (between 68 and 72 degrees F);
* Maintain a low humidity (between 40 and 50%); and
* Make certain there is good ventilation.
When patients get started with the process of “allergy- proofing” their homes, one of two things usually happens.
They either do nothing or “overdo it.” Some patients become so overwhelmed with all the different methods of allergy- proofing that they simply do nothing. That’s always a disappointing outcome, especially when the process is so straightforward and inexpensive. Just focusing on the basics of a routine and thorough cleaning and temperature and humidity reduction can lead to fewer asthma symptoms and a vastly improved quality of life.
Archaic words
December 30th, 2007Zounds! What a flibberty gibbert ye be! Belike nary a soul will believe aught ye say. I rede ye to cease forthwith.
That was fun!! I don’t know if the whole sentence is completely within the era for some of the words but if we time traveled back several hundred years this may be how the general population would be speaking. Just goes to show what a living thing language is. The translation for these words is : Zounds (a mild oath); flibberty gibbert (one who propagates flights of fancy, conjecture, gossip, etc. in the public domain); belike (most likely); nary (not a one); rede (to counsel or advise) and forthwith (immediately).
Just out of interest I thought I would look up the origins of flibberty gibbert. Today you still hear people use this expression, generally to mean flighty or silly. The origin is quite interesting:
“Flibbertigibbet means ‘fly by the gibbet’ - the scaffold where the bodies of executed criminals were left to rot. No doubt these attracted crows and other carrion feeders. Presumably the inferred meaning is “flighty” and possibly in a more sinister sense than its current meaning.”
All this just shows us what a fabulous thing our English vocabulary is. Thousands of words leave our mouths every day, sometimes hastily, sometimes thoughtfully but mostly in simple conversation. Where would we be without this wonderful form of communication? Thinking about it makes me want to discover many more words and improve my vocabulary as best I can. Daunting, but possible I am sure.
Adjectives being used as nouns
December 30th, 2007I have been absent from the Blog for a couple of weeks. My excuse is a holiday in New Zealand and a walk in the wild.
This last sentence gives me a lead into this blog. “A walk into the wild”. You will understand the gist of that sentence but for those who are pedantic, “Wild” what? Terrain? Hills? If I had written “wilderness” then it would have made more sense, but more and more you see people dropping the noun and simply using the adjective as the noun.
I encountered two examples of this on my way to the airport. The two rail stations for the airport are “International” and “Domestic”, not “International Terminal” and “Domestic Terminal”.
So, I have done a little research to come up with a few more examples. (See www.bartleby.com)
See if you have used any of the following in your conversation lately. If you collect something instead of saying “collectible objects” do you abbreviate to “collectibles”. Maybe you say the sick, instead of sick persons, or the homeless instead of “homeless persons”. How about “quarterlies” instead of “quarterly journals”
There are many more and if you can think of any I would love to hear about them.
Retronyms
December 30th, 2007I was driving my brother and his wife to the airport the other day when the subject of ‘words’ came up in the conversation. I suppose it is not a usual or general conversation topic for a lot of people, but in our family we all seem to be fascinated with words.
My sister in law asked me if I had ever heard of ‘retronyms’. “No”, I replied. She explained that a retronym is an old word that has been added to for a modern context. ‘Airport’ was one example she gave. ‘Port’ has been around for centuries but planes haven’t, so add air to port and you have airport, a retronym. “Look it up”, she said. So I did.
Retronym: Greek: retro = backwards, + nym/onuma = name
My investigations revealed that retronym is a neogolism. I looked neologism up on Wikipedia:
“A neologism is a word, term, or phrase which has been recently created (”coined”) — often to apply to new concepts, to synthesize pre-existing concepts, or to make older terminology sound more contemporary. Neologisms are especially useful in identifying inventions, new phenomena, or old ideas which have taken on a new cultural context. The term “e-mail”, as used today, is an example of a neologism.”
So then, a retronym is created, or coined because the original word needs to be changed in some way to show a new development. So then I tried to think of a few for myself. Some of the retronyms I thought of are: mobile phone, snail mail, free-range chicken, organic food, desk top computer, tap water, digital watch, etc. It is all very interesting and keeps us thinking. Perhaps if you read this you would like to add to the list.
Right word, wrong word
December 13th, 2007The English language is so complex. When at school we learn grammar and correct usage and if we apply ourselves at that time then it stays with us for life. The right word comes to mind at the right time without us even thinking about it. This is because through all that practice when at school the brain has formed lifelong pathways for that information.
Unfortunately, some people do not take the time and interest or do not have the opportunity to apply themselves to the English language when they are young. The negative aspect of this is that when an adult, wrong word usage will mark you out as uneducated, even if you are not.
I was in the Doctor’s surgery the other day when the receptionist said to one of her colleagues: “Have we got any thick sticky tape?” She, of course, meant wide sticky tape. Thick and thin, wide and narrow, when you look at the words, the differences are obvious but that receptionist did not know those differences. My first thought about her was “she is not very bright”. Seems unfair, but that is what I thought.
There are numerous examples of tricky usage:
to “affect” a person or thing, to “effect” or bring about;
“look” with your eyes, “appear” meaning outward appearance of something (appears healthy not looks healthy);
people are “healthy”, food is “healthful” (a bit pedantic that one);
“uninterested” if bored or with no interest, “disinterested” if of a neutral opinion on something;
and “lay” meaning to put something down or lay an egg and “lie” meaning to tell an untruth or lie down.
There are no doubt many more. I would be interested in any you can think of. Our language is so involved and so full of wonderful words. Wouldn’t it be great to be totally in command of your language skills and have an excellent vocabulary? Well I suppose it is something for us all to work towards.
Hello world!
November 23rd, 2005