I admit it – I’m a word nerd; derived from the Latin Dictum Nerdica. I’m also a Grammar Geek (ok, ok Grammaticus Geekicus). I think I was the only kid in 7th grade typing English that liked to diagram sentences. My typing sucked but I could spot an appositive a mile away.
Credit: http://www.someecards.com
I’m fond of adjectives, adverbs, nouns, verbs, gerunds, prepositions etc. (Please be advised: I don’t quite trust the subjunctive case, however). Our lexicon is rich with variety – we have so much freedom to express ourselves using layers of meaning, double entendre, metaphor, subtle shades of description; we have synonyms abound to choose from; we have slang – we have it all. Yet we also have this:
I don’t understand why we have to have so many words to describe something- why can’t we just have the one and be done?
Why do you have to use such big words? Do you think you’re better than me?
I want to rip my hair from my head and run screaming at these sentiments. Why would anyone want to relegate themselves to a limited vocabulary? Who wants to live with the choice of plusgood or plusungood*? I do not. I need words – I love words. I love to collect them, pore over them, roll them around in my mind until I find the precise word to express exactly how I’m feeling or the message I want to convey. And I often misuse words, at times to my chagrin, but there’s a lesson to be learned in that as well. It takes a little courage to use a new word. We are all of us vulnerable when trying out a new skill – and like many things, it takes practice before we feel truly confident.
Interesting words ~
Photo Credit: http://djmorel.com/2010/06/09/a-caboodle-of-fancy-words-from-the-new-york-times/
I also love sharing words – I want you to find delight in a new word. I don’t want to obfuscate with words – I want to open up a window to something new. But you might think “I don’t know that word – it intimidates me”. Words do not intimidate; they just are – they may be new and unfamiliar but you always have the ability to rectify the situation from ‘the unknown’ to ‘the known’. A dictionary is a beautiful reference tool.
And never be afraid to inquire about the meaning of word. It does not imply ignorance – it shows a willingness to expand one’s mind and absorb something new. It means someone is listening to what is being said and desires to learn the meaning. It expands one’s world as well. My son is never shy about asking the meaning of an unfamiliar word – he never feels intimidated by ‘big’ words – it is that child-like wonder and curiosity that allows his mind to grow and take in new experiences. Adults need that too. I firmly believe that the more we are willing to explore knowledge unknown to us the more we are open to new ideas. If I choose to limit myself to 4 adjectives, for example – my world is that much narrower and my mind that much more closed to anything that is not covered by those 4 adjectives. I may not be willing to accept something unknown or different because I have made myself believe that ‘not knowing’ is equated to admitting ‘ignorance’ or I’ve convinced myself that the other person thinks they are superior to me. This is just not so -
I’m not denying that people use language to obscure meaning – however, many people take wonderful things and use them for a nasty purpose – but we shouldn’t blame words when clearly the bloviating idiot uttering them is at fault. I sincerely hope that when I use language in a playful manner that people are not thinking that I’m showing off or trying to make them feel dull – I’m just writing that which tickles my fancy. I’m a huge fan of an awkward turn of phrase and arcane words.
Where am I going with all this? I don’t know – I just wanted to talk about words and how much I love them and how I think about them…Expressing these random thoughts makes me less fratchy (It’s ok – you can look it up, I had to as well – I hope you like it…it’s become a favorite of mine).
If you’re interested – this is one of my favorite daily emails: A Word a Day; if not – that’s ok too.
Do you, per chance, have a favorite word?
________________________________________________________________
*1984 ~ George Orwell….haven’t read it? It’s a good read –
After reading you blog and your readers’ remarks . . . I bet in conversations “you use your tongue prettier than a twenty dollar whore” from Blazing Saddles. Love the blog. I too love to diagram.
HA HA!! I do use my tongue prettier than a $20 whore!
We are forming quite a club of sentence diagrammers!
I can certainly relate to this, at least in the English speaking world. It’s a funny thing, I have found that in the Finnish language people are much more open to variety and frequently borrow new words from other languages.
You Finnish are way cooler obviously!!!!
It’s such an attractive quality in a man. The ability to hold a conversation via text or email and spell words correctly.
Hee hee… All these men reading your comments are doing : note to self – women like things spppeeeeld goodly…
But it is true…I recoil from badly spelt texts!
I don’t even text – I’m a phone luddite
Correct. That is one of the points my wife has pointed out many times. I’m a fortunate man.
That you are ~
<—–Grammar Nazi.
Hee hee…. there are worse things in the world
I have a list of people I would like you to convince of that fact. I certainly agree with you. ‘Learning’ seems to be something that stops for many at the age of 18.
Never – it is lifelong…
Absolutely so.
That reminds me of the Old Days (pre-1940 or so), when people used to coorespond – often over long distances, by a curious method: they’d write with pen and ink (those newly arrived on the planet may wish to investigate those) on sheets of of paper. Then they’d put the paper in a “envelope” (which they addressed to to recipient), and within a week or so, it would arrive at its intended destination, where the process would repeat.
One shining example of the process was shown in Ken Burns’ “Civil War” documentary, where he read letters from the Civil War.
Ha! I still write some letters and my 9 year old has pen pal – so hopefully the tradition revives b/c it’s quite thrilling to get a letter in the mail!
My wife of ten years and I met on the internet and corresponded for the entire year before meeting, while living on opposite coasts of the US, entirely through chat and E-Mail. It was quite refreshing to be able to depend on a form of communication I had never used previously.
Concerning the text and e-mail format mentioned above, we both avoid text ‘speek (sic)’ completely. No sense in abbreviating a six word sentence when it is so short to begin with.
‘depend *upon.’
Sorry – we don’t allow for mistakes – that will cost you a fingernail…
Whose?
Hee hee…
I like to spellllllll everything out…except b/c and thru – I’ll shorten those…
I spell everything completely, but I write, so I use concise verbiage in order to allow more complete thought transfer with fewer words. (‘Like my correct usage of ‘fewer?’) The current Colgate Toothpaste television ad guarantees ‘less germs.’ I guess they aren’t small enough as they are.
hee hee.. just need slightly less rather than fewer….
‘Less’ would be smaller. ‘Fewer’ is reduced amounts of full units, at least Mrs. Kainbur in first grade told me that is so, so I went with it.
1984 is one of my favourite books and doubleunplusgood is one of my favourite words from the book. Great post!
I also just realised that I wrote doubleunplusgood instead of doubleplusungood.. shame.
Hee hee…I didn’t even notice! BRAIN DEAD AM I!
Thanks – I love The Eurythmyics song – Plusgood Doubleplusgood as well!
Reblogged this on Salma Asks.
Why do you not trust the subjunctive? The subjunctive and I are tight! If the subjunctive were a person, we would get married. It’s my love for the subjunctive that makes me cringe when I hear Nickelback sing, “If today was your last day,” or Justin Bieber croon, “If I was your boyfriend.”
I was just being silly – I remember reading a Daily Prompt about the Subjunctive and it struck my fancy ~ I’m not really against it!
Oh, good! Now all is well with the world :’)
Hee hee…. I will say nothing about the transitive & intransitive verbs…
Also, lexicon is one of my favorite words.
It’s a keeper!
As a writer, a love of language is a wonderful thing. Sadly, too few writers today recognize that important skill.
I think it shall not die – might morph a bit – but word will always be loved!!
Um…WORDS – not WORD… sorry!
What a wonderful post! Thank you for it. I, too, am a lover of words. The history of the English language is such an interest topic: the merging of multiple languages to build one language that is both easy and difficult, the rules and then the exceptions, the structures and the deviations of such structures brought about by writers who often knew how to use language, but chose to use it in a new way. Language is mystifying and rewarding. How can anyone not love the excitement of learning a new word? That’s what I wonder.
What an awesome comment – it would be a fabbo post! I love language history especially how other languages influence English!! Thanks for reading and commenting –
Reblogged this on surindersingh2012's Blog and commented:
Recommend for reading
borborygmi: the sound your stomach makes when you’re hungry.
I love this post! Like you, I also love words. 
What a GREAT word!! Thank you for reading, word lover – it’s always good to meet new word people!
What a passion for words; it is so grand! Can I say that?
You can & you did!!!
I love this post! I just started using my white board at work to write a new, interesting word each week, and my office-mates are eating it up (except, well, maybe not my boss who wants us to use those boards to write down when we are in meetings. . . ). Congrats on getting freshly pressed and keep up the good work.
That’s the best use for a whiteboard that I’ve EVER heard! At my job, we used to put funny Public TV program titles on it – but I might have to start putting a word-a-day on ours. Thanks for the excellent idea!
Thank you – and I shall endeavor to try!
Oh and I think my favorite word is lamenter. I noticed you used it in a more recent post and I use that a lot – but I don’t know of anyone else that does…
Now two ‘lamenter’ users – and my Chrome dictionary is telling me it’s not a word – but we both know it’s WRONG!
And I LOVE your sheep gravatar ~
Then I will stick with grand! But someone once told me it was old English. What do you think – any possibility? We have to save the word!
lamenter just might be! I would not surprise me! I’d have to look it up…one source says 1520 – which would be more Middle English, I believe – but I could be wrong…which is not surprising.
Yes!
This is the first WordPress post about which I have become sincerely PUMPED.
Awwwwww – thank you – I’m touched!!!
Loving and learning all the time, I love the vagaries of meaning in the English language, I’m for rich and diverse all the way.
Jim
Excellent way to look at ‘riches’ – thank you for reading!
Hooray!! This was wonderful. While I can’t confess to loving the grammatical side of things as much as you do, and must also confess to being a rather atrocious speller, I am a word lover as well. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to find beauty on the page, within and among words. 2 things for you: one is the Finnish word for what we call a ‘grammar nazi’, which is Pilkunnussija (how fantastic is that??) and also, have you read the Jasper Fforde Thursday Next series of books? The emphasis on word play is wonderful. Congratulations!
Thank you for the book tip! I always love finding a new author.
Ha – Pilkunnussija – that is a great word – does it rhyme with any English words so I might have inkling of the pronunciation?
Someone recently wrote an article explaining that grammar and spelling were not actually connected! Phew – but I am not a great spppeeelller ….my only saving grace is knowing I’ve mispellllleeede the word!
I admire this post!
I just finished reading 1984 and is my favorite so far… there really is something about learning new words. by the way, your favorite word now, “fratchy”? I pronounced it, and I can totally say that it’s tickling! hihi.
hee hee – isn’t it though?
Congrats on reading “1984″ – I love, love, love that book!!
Oh I do love this post. Thank goodness that it was freshly pressed, and congratulations for that, otherwise I wouldn’t have found it. I am British. I love to look at the difference in meanings between American and British English. My husband is French. We get out entomologies to find out if a word’s origin is French or English and then discuss how we use them differently. Our daughter thinks we are the most boring people on the planet.
I love learning new French words. My most recent was saperlipoppette. Isn’t that a great word? I love the sound of it. It is the equivalent of ‘gosh’. I tried using it but was laughed at as it is no longer used very much – shame.
Oh that’s excellent – I LOVE entomology too – my most favorite (and challenging) class in grad school what “The History of the English Language” – I think your daughter would let me join the ‘most boring people on the planet’ club!
I love learning new languages as well – see if you can stick in saperlipoppette again – maybe start a trend.
Thanks for the encouragement. You are most welcome to our club
I did a course on the History of English with the Open University – loved it.
I will try to resurrect ‘saperlipoppette’. If you meet anyone French use it to help me out.
I’m going to use it right now on a French Canadian!
You know a great word? CONGRATULATIONS!
Aw — *blushes*….you Canadians are so nice ~
Surely you’ve heard; Modern Society has ALWAYS been at war with intellectually-satisfying turns of phrase. I frequently wonder at not being raided during meetings of the Sesquipedalian Union.
If we ignore Modern Society- will they just leave us alone??? That’s a great word, BTW….Sesquipedalian
I like “effervescence”, a lot…
Mich auch (if I remember my Deutsch correctly)
Based on words, yes, based on grammar, no
… We say “Ich auch” as a short “I like that too”… I actually don’t get why English uses “me” there, doesn’t make sense to I 
I was thinking was “me too” (mich auch) – but it’s been over 20 yrs since I sat in a German class!
I have often been possessed of a large vocabulary, so I understand well your meaning. It is a relief to find others with such an affinity for the English language, though I must admit to a bit of hypocrisy in this regard. I find much use in using all forms of language to the extent that they prove communicable. In such a case, it could be said that I do not actually speak “English” at all, but only, “Language”. Well, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I shall come again.
I shall be most overjoyed at your visiting again – I loved your comment and you style of writing ~
Why in the world would someone limit themselves?! One of the reasons I love the English language are the possibilities. I don’t necessarily have to repeat myself when I explain something… Even though it’s not my first language and I don’t speak (or type) it even close to perfectly, I still love the language. It’s better than Norwegian that’s for sure.
)
(Also, when it comes to Norwegian I am like you, although I used to call myself a “grammar nazi”. Horrible, isn’t it?!
Ha ha – I try not to be too much of a grammar nazi b/c I know it would mean that I’d screw up in a major way and be completely HORRIFIED!
I would love to speak a multitude of languages – including Norwegian!
There are just as many options (called synonyms) in Norwegian as it is in English.
Yes, I placed a passive aggressive emoticon there.
Mahahhahaha
I feel you! My favorite word is “moist”.
Which is IRONIC b/c it’s one of the most ‘hated’ words from what I’ve been reading – and I can’t figure out why – it’s a great word! I like ‘moisty’ myself
I know! I personally blame the TV show “Dead Like Me” for that one.
Hee hee …. all words should be loved by someone!!
Absolutely. I wonder if anyone loves the word “hoochie”…
I do!!
My favorite word is “crepuscular.” It sounds like something to visit the dermatologist for.
That’s so funny – that’s the time of day that I feel most unsettled – and then I go the dematologist
We have words that mean the same thing because some words/sentences just don’t sounds as pretty. It’s like a man walking up woman and saying, “Your beauty is like falling leaf, gently kissing the calm water of an autumn pond” verses, “You’re hot”.
…makes me want to defenestrate some people, you know? (That’s my favorite word, by the way. The meaning is epic.)
I love a good favorite word! We need variety!!!
Reblogged this on kataclyzmic and commented:
Bit of a word nerd myself. It’s nice to see another person that enjoys the English language so much.
I’ve heard that the most beautiful (as in mellifluous) sounding pair of words is “liquid pavement”. Any others? Then there are words that don’t sound like they mean, as my Aunt Miasma once said.
Then there are opposite-sounding words that really arren’t, as in “It was a pretty ugly house, a little big for its foundation”.
Liquid pavement, eh? I’ll have to think about that –
I love a good oxymoron too.
As a chemistry student, none of my friends can understand my “unnatural” love of words; strange really, because there’s some crackers in the textbook: eluent, effervescent, nucleophilic, zwitterion, racemic, isomerism, chirality etc etc.
Science and English – together? Hee hee…it’s good to break out of the stereotype, right???
I like to think I’m crumbling social barriers, but really I’m just a bit indesicive…
Go with that … it works… doubleplusgood!
Elizabethan English is fun, too.
Oh yeah!
Fabulous post! It’s great to discover so many fellow language-lovers here on WordPress.
I’m far too fickle to have just one favourite word. This week I’m in love with the words calamitous and fallacious.
Excellent – luckily we can love MANY words!
Thank you
I was just reading through some of the Fressly Pressed posts, and I always end up clicking on the older ones, when I saw yours.
I’m a foreigner, so my grammar is not always correct, but I still cringe at what some people do with the English language (with every language, actually, but that would make for a longer comment!). Whenever I see spelling mistakes or really bad grammar, so bad even I notice it, I always feel the need to point it out, not to make the person feel shame, but to help them learn. I would like others to do the same for me… However, many people just laugh and say “who cares?” or “it doesn’t matter” and at that times, I feel like I want to hit them with a dictionary on the face…. It does matter, it not only is part of our heritage, but it enriches our culture. As mentioned in the book, the less words we have, the less we are able to express more complex thoughts, until we are unable to express anything other than basic needs and feelings.
Anyway, to answer your question, my favourite words nowadays is mamihlapinatapai, which is a Yaghan word, from the Ushuaia area in Argentina, which means “the look shared between two people, when they both want something they wish the other would offer, but that they’re not willing to suggest it”, more or less… It’s one of the hardest words to translate!
Beautiful post (and sorry for the long comment!)
What a beautiful word ~ an no apologies for the long comment – it’s very good reading and most interesting. I snorted at your wanting to hit someone in the face with a dictionary…I’m going to have to try that some time…maybe with an Oxford English Dictionary, as it’s quite heavy. Thank you for reading and your very astute observations about language.
Marz: For a foreigner, your command of our difficult and illogical language is exemplary. I infer that you’ve spent some time in the UK: “favourite”.
My only comment: “… the less words we have…” should be “fewer”. The other “less” is correct. “Fewer” means “a smaller number”; “less” means a smaller quantity.
One of our sages once said, “If you learn proper English, who are you going to speak it to?” (Of course, he really meant to say, “to whom are you going to speak it?”.)
And it is somewhat fascinating to see marz post in December…
An old proverb says “the Greeks have a word for it”. Apparently, the Yaghan of Tierra del Fuego do as well.
Thank you both for your comments!!
You should definitely try the dictionary, at least in your mind, it does make you feel better!
I have indeed been in the UK (London) for quite some time now (seven years!) and I’m probably staying for a while still… But yes, I write grey, favourite, colour… Although I still have trouble with words like “realize” and “realise”
Thanks for pointing out I used “less” wrong… I always use this one, and never think about “fewer” but I definitely need to start using it now.
I can see the “who” and “whom” mistake quite often… Most of the times, however, as I’m not entirely sure, I simply decide to not say anything and look it up in a dictionary!
Can I ask, however, why “And it is somewhat fascinating to see marz post in December…”?
Januar, Februar, März, …. (sorry about the umlaut – we see so few of them…) I hope to see you here more often.
Ah, it makes sense now! I thought it was something along those lines, but could only think of March or Marzo (in Spanish) so I wasn’t entirely sure… One day I’ll explain the whole story of this user -and nick- name…
Merry Christmas everyone (or Happy Holidays, etc)!!!
Same back attcha! Happy EVERYTHING!
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Great read, Denise. Bloviating is my new favorite word.
Spanks! I love bloviating too…
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Prodigious post my dear. I loved every word of it.
Felicitations in regards to your induction to the Blogroll of the one who shall not be named, aka Le’Eric.
Be well,
Kina
Gosh durn, thank ye ~ Ah Le ’Eric…amongst the most prestigious of the prestigious!
Thanks!
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I don’t just like this post; I love this post. I love words too. Words, words, words, gimme more. Throw them at me, make me your word bitch. I love how seemingly random words come together to create poetry, novels and fantabulous blog posts such as this one.
Keep your words coming… I’m off to look up fratchy
Hee hee – thank you! I’m amazed that weeks later, people are still seeing this post!
I love how 26 letters become THIS! and THAT! and THOSE THINGS OVER THERE! Thanks for reading ~
Who needs 26 letters when you get epistles such as “TTFN L8R.” Shakespeare must be so proud.
Word ~
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I subscribed to the “Word A Day” newsletter; how fun! When I was in Grade 7, I won a beautiful new hard-cover dictionary. I have it with me still now, some thirty odd years later. My favorite word is tranquility. I like when words actually sound like their meaning – what’s the word for that again?
Onomatopoeia ~ also a GREAT word. That is so lovely that you still have the dictionary. I have a book from my 1st grade teacher – I treasure it! I am also a major fan or all reference books. Thanks for reading.
I hope you love AWAD.
I’m very, very cross with you because your post is extremely absorbing, as are all the pithy and witty comments, and, perhaps ironically, you’re preventing me, albeit temporarily, from getting on with my grammar fascism and punctuation pedantry (AKA writing my multimedia autoBLOGography ‘My Unplanned Obsolescence’ – I just published Chapter 9 on here: do please read, look and listen).
Felicitations,
Thom
PS I invented the ‘word’ autoBLOGography.
PPS ‘While’ or whilst’ – any rules?
PPPS Advise that you start with Chapter 1 by going here: http://thomtopham.wordpress.com/about
Felicitations right back attcha. Thank you – it’s not often that I make people cross with absorbing writing…I’ll take it! And whilst I don’t have any particular rules for ‘while’ and ‘whilst’ – I tend to prefer ‘whilst’ as it goes along with my particular writing style (if you can call it that).
I love a good ‘invented’ word – autoBLOGgraphy is very clever. I salute you – KUDOS!
Thank you for the links – I look forward to reading your work.
Muchas grassy ass! Yes, I agree, ‘whilst’ is somehow more lyrical. Oh – and ‘oxymornon’ is one of my fave words.
It’s a keeper for sure ~
So get back to me on that you bitch (joking)!
I shall, I shall – it’s bookmarked!
Merci buckets!
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