Viva voce – Wordplay Wednesday™ 04/04/18

Share it With the World! 

Tired of the already old cliché “OMG! It’s gone viral!” Try something new with a pinch of class …

VIVA VOCE (viʹvɘ vō’sē) – by word of mouth, orally.  [ WW #158]

For instance, if you’re reading this and enjoy my weekly forays into our incredibly complex, tangled words of mangled wisdom, first, thank you! And then … please tell your friends! Yes, this is a shameless ploy asking you to share Wordplay Wednesday viva voce!

Think of your friends’ new-found respect for you, to know that you actually engage in daily (okay, at least weekly) learning adventures! Although viva voce is Medieval Latin in origin, the term is still in the dictionary. Together, we can elevate the English vocabulary to a level it hasn’t seen in centuries.

Languages are beautiful, and learning knows no prejudices or boundaries. It isn’t fattening or just a fascinating folly. Expanding your mind is a no-cost simple joy. Do you feel that way too? Share your comments below.

Word Challenge: VIVA VOCE. Smile, as you learn a new word and fit viva voce into your week of pleasurable, shared writings.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

'Til next time ... Cheers to a wonderful "wordful" week … 

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books (of three) in her Blast from Your Past series, available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon, … The Psychedelic Seventies!

E-N-D

 

100th Wordplay Wednesday™ February 22, 2017 – Monoglot

100 is Great but 1 is Enough 

These days it isn’t merely beneficial, it’s nearly a necessity to speak more than one language. Silly me … I quit French in high school, oh so many years ago, to pick up another business class.

My crystal ball failed to show me how much languages would soon be such a gigantic asset in business. Story of my life. I can, however, still converse in Pig Latin; though I could use a little brush-up course. 😏

For Wordplay Wednesday’s 100^th anniversary week, I chose an appropriate example. Note that even the dictionary seems to deride in tone, those who are not language-ambidextrous*; and only the lonely are a …

MONOGLOT (mänʹō glät’) adj.– speaking or writing only one language; n. a monoglot person. [WW #100.] 

While I have not opted to learn a second language, lexicology can often seem foreign. I refuse, however, to feel inferior for preferring to work toward mastering English. This monoglot holds her English head high, albeit a little crooked, in her word eccentricities.  

It should count that I often pick up on other languages through fun phrases and less crass sounding cuss words. Besides—why would I want to confuse myself with another set of grammarrules I don’t agree with? Being a monoglot has its advantages.

If I were to learn another language at this late date, I’d choose Gaelic. Why? It’s that of my heritage, plus it isn’t as prevalent as others, thus needs a little preservation boost. (And I’d like to know what those pesky Leprechauns are saying about me!)

Seriously though. If you have a hankering to visit another country, or think your business exploits may benefit with at least a conversational skill in an alternate language, or you simply love to learn—you are never too young or too old.

L'apprentissage est l'essence de la vie … Learning is the essence of life.

Cheers to our 100^th Wordplay Wednesday!

Word Challenge: MONOGLOT. Enjoy mastering your language with pride and proficiency as you fit monoglot into your week of meaningful writings.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle)

'Til next time ... enjoy a wonderful "wordful" week …

 

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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*For those who have not read my column before, yes, I know I use words out of context and play with their meanings. Hence, the title “Wordplay.” If you can’t have fun in your own language, how can you appreciate another?

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Wordplay Wednesday™ July 8, 2015 – CARK: Worry not

Worry not lexicographers … it’s all in how you say it!

Do you wonder why certain words lose popular favor and fall into the “Archaic” category?

Language is mutable and transient by decades, fads, cultures, and eras. Sigh. Nothing ever stays the same. So, what’s changed in your vocabulary?

You're not thinking fourth dimensionally!

Is today’s language making you long for a back to the future trip? There’s a word for that …

Ah, don’t CARK your pretty little head about it … yep, this week’s word is rarely used. Even dear ol’ Webster calls it archaic.

CARK (kärk) – (archaic; vt., vi.) to worry or be worried; n. distress; anxiety. [Worry not!]

Why do archaic words continue to hang out in current dictionaries, taking up space? Good question – Mr. Webster, are you reading this?

For obvious reasons, Noah Webster is one of my heroes. Not only was he the epitome of lexicographers, but he was considered a fringe Founding Father of the United States. (Appropriate for one of this month’s Wordplay Wednesday entries, right?)

A teacher following the American Revolution, Webster abhorred how outdated the school system had become. Children still read primers from England, with books’ text “… often pledging their allegiance to King George. Webster believed that Americans should learn from American books, so in 1783, he wrote his own textbook: A Grammatical Institute of the English Language.” Do you know it by its nickname? ...