This post is inspired by one that PJ posted recently . . . Thanks, PJ! :D
What words do you like? And what words (especially made-up words) drive you crazy?
I really really like the word windowsill. Especially if you say it a little exaggeratedly. Start high and then drop down every syllable: WIN-Dow-sill . . . Love it. :D
And “pickle relish.” I love the staccato sound of it: pic-kle-rel-ish. ::::hums happily::::
On the flip side, have you ever said a word so many times in a row that it loses all meaning and suddenly becomes nothing more than an odd conglomeration (I like that word, too) of sounds? And suddenly you realize how odd your own language sounds. Ooorrrrrrrrrr . . . maybe it’s just me. :P I used to do that all the time when I was little, although mostly I did it in my room Otherwise somewhere around the 30th repetition of the word my mother would start hollering, “If I hear you say “hamburger” ONE MORE TIME . . . !!!” LOL
On the other hand, there are words and mispronunciations that make me CRAZY. “Heighth” is a prime example. “What is your heighth?” WTF??? There is NO SUCH WORD AS HEIGHTH, PEOPLE!! It’s HEIGHT! No “H” at the end! Hard “T!” Everybody say it together, now . . . HeighT!! Like “heighT and weighT” – they go together, just like the “TH” words: “lengTH and widTH.” There is generally no mixing of the two. You just don’t usually hear, “height and width,” unless someone (who thinks they’re funny) is being incredibly rude. Likewise, you don’t hear “length and weight,” unless you’re talking about a newborn.
HEIGHT, PEOPLE!!! HEIGHT!!!! EMBRACE THE “T!” THE “T” IS YOUR FRIEND!!!!
::::deep breath:::: Excuse me while I clamber down off my soapbox now. I feel much better.
As an aside, I also like the word “clamber.” “Traipse” is another good one, often used by my mom when I was late coming home: “Where did you go traipsing off to?” And let’s not forget “conglomeration,” listed above.
Pardon me now, while I go traipsing off to do some work . . .
8 comments:
LMAO Heighth.
The one I love to hate is-irregardless.
Grrrrr!
lol
regardless people,regardless ;p
I've always been pretty partial to "sashay" and it's fun to come up with excuses to use it. I like pronouncing "chaise" like "shez" and "promenade" with a short a.
I'm so affectatious! Oh there's a good one.
Ooh, how about french benefits? Do you have those at your job? FRINGE benefits, thank you very much.
I like tiptoe as well.
ms.l - Geez, "irregardless!" How about "deja vu all over again?" Sometimes it's ironic, but when it's not . . .ARGH!
Dagny - Oo, I like "sashay." That'd be a hard one to slip into regular coversation, though. My cousin uses "amble" all the time, though. Hee. :)
And for affectation, don't forget to pronounce foyer like "fo-yay!" (Actually, my mom's a stickler for correct pronunciation; I think I was in my teens before I realized most people DIDN'T say "fo-yay!" Ha!)
PJ - But you have to admit, "French benefits" sounds more fun! Kind of dirty, actually! LOL (Maybe that's what you're getting if you're sleeping with the boss! LOL)
"Tiptoe" is a REALLY good one. I like that one a lot. :D
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