I love words! I know, who doesn’t but I really get into it. I think my favorite book ever is probably the dictionary. Ok, now-a-days it’s Google but you get my drift. I was listening to a radio broadcast recently and they were interviewing a guy who did this spiritual-ish walk-a-bout and didn’t speak to a soul for a year. His only companion was a Webster dictionary and I thought...I can see that. I love to look up new words, or the correct pronunciation of a word, even origins. Ok, I know I am a writer, but synonyms are a turn on. Perhaps I missed my calling. I am a self-appointed etymologist. (Don’t know the word? Google, baby!)
I even love the word “word,” especially in other languages. Palabra (Spanish), mot (French), slovo (Russian), neno (Swahili). If I had to do it all over again, I would also be a polyglot. I find most languages romantic and tongue challenging. Some, not so pleasing to the ear but still fascinating. Scottish Gaelic seems the most difficult to learn and what about German? It’s amazing how long a word can be with mostly consonants and only mean auto insurance. (kraftfahrzeug haftpflichtversicherung ) that. Sheesh, buy a vowel Germany! Having said that, English wins the longest word contest with pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. You may thank the medical world for that one. Or, a needy scientist with over-compensation issues.
Some words just make you happy like, well...happy. Or bubbles, yellow, sunny, whimsical, fairies, flowers, balloons, chirp. For my husband it would be martini.
Words such as lugubrious and sackbut are fun to say and mean nothing like they sound. (Overly mournful and a brass musical instrument from the Renaissance era, respectively.) Lugubrious sounds like a nose secretion while sackbut seems a state my posterior might be headed toward.
Of course, there are some words that I don’t care to say only because they don’t roll out smoothly. Incongruous is not on my fun word list yet I can easily spit out the term incongruity. Saying the former makes me feel dim witted and clumsy so I avoid with a good ol’ fashioned synonym.
And expletives? Don’t get me started! I mean, who doesn’t love a good swear word now and again. By the time any of my kids reached the age of five all you had to do was ask them what my favorite swear word was and four our of four would have given the correct answer.
I may have a mouth like a sailor but for some odd reason you will never catch me saying fart, gas, or booger. Saying these tend to make me feel self-conscience and icky. My sister in law once chastised saying, “Please, you have a mouth that would make a marine blush, but you can’t say fart?” I had no “words” for that.
Here’s a question, why is it some cuss words are related to pleasure? You know the one’s I am referring to. I mean come on, who doesn’t love to do that? Or the one you take each morning (hopefully), it makes us feel better. Doesn’t make sense. If something is that upsetting, shouldn’t we be saying something we all despise? Like, traffic off, you child proof capper, or son of a crab grass.
Sure, there’s the semi hurtful female dog or fatherless child moniker but not note worthy as we also call each other these while getting our rear ends handed to us at Pictionary. I am not a fan of the “C” word but hey, where would you all be without a world of our C’s? Some of you out there may not have a love for looking up and finding new words like I do but let me just say this; If/when the proverbial really hits the fan and you are no longer able to Google, due to loss of all electronics, you are going to wish you had Mr. Webster on hand, and his siblings the encyclopedias. ; )
P.S. I hope for all our sake’s that doesn’t happen. Can you imagine a world without emojis?? That would be (insert the poop with eyeballs)!