Twitter makes me happy, mostly for it's ability to spread the internet around a little more easily. My lunch time is often spent clicking on links and reading about random things. I recently found this fun site via a fellow tweeter:
http://www.savethewords.org/
From the standpoint of a nerd who loves vocab, and from someone who works in advertising, this site is awesome. It's made by Oxford Dictionary, and represents a campaign to save little-known words from falling out of existence (with the bonus of selling a few dictionaries, no doubt). The site is visually appealing, filled with snarky comments and tounge in cheek use-it-in-a-sentence explantions.
According to the site, "today, 90% of everything we write is communicated by only 7,000 words." How sad is that fact? I can believe it, though. I find myself dumbed down by relying on IM and text to communicate. My work emails are usually coherent, but my personal emails tend to be rambling, sixth-grade-level drivel. I hereby promise to try very diligently to use intelligent vocabulary in my daily conversations, both verbally and in print. However, I make no promises on reducing my use of unnecessary exclamation marks!
The site asks you to adopt a word and promise to use it in conversation. Some prove to be a little more feasible than others...
I chose this one:
Starrify: to decorate with stars (a natural fit, given my penchant for using *s at every opportunity)
Other contenders:
mancation: (a vacation amongst man friends, in the vein of staycation? Nope.) Mutilation.
siagonology: study of jaw-bones (ahh, this will be useful in daily conversation, indeed)
blateration: blabber, chatter (much more fun to say when gossiping)
pamphagous: eating or consuming everything (sounds like a typical day for me)
sinapistic: consisting of mustard (highly relevant to one's lunchtime conversations)
Which word would you adopt??
*Case in point: my spell check rejected every "lost" word above. Even the computers are in on it!*
What an incredible site! I try to shake up my vocab, but truly...it's likely 7,000 words, and I'll admit that lately I've felt uninspired with my own vocab!
ReplyDeleteBut, now that I'm injecting a word that used soley for mustard references, I know it's really going to jazz things up! :)
Blateration? Genius!
I think I'd pick "saggittipotent" (having great ability in archery) since out of all classes (of the few that he signed up for on his first semester of college- way back when), he chose *archery.
ReplyDeleteHence, he is much more saggittipotent in the sport than I.
I love this idea! I really love whipping out the fifty cent words every once in a while, and I am always on the look out for more!
ReplyDeletePS... starrify totally sounds like a made-up word ;)
LB
I totally love this! My coworker gets the word of the day, but this is totally better. I have to share it with her.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link.
Oh man, what a cool site! I have to forward this on to my mother; she is such a 'wordie'. I just made that up. I'm pretty sure that's not an actual word. Maybe I should head to that site quickly to find something more appropriate!
ReplyDelete