Fun With Words

I remember George Carlin’s infamous routine, “Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV.” At the time, these words (c’mon, you know what they are) were off limits in broadcasting; if someone slipped, there was a time delay so the network could bleep the word out. Carlin, a true comedy pioneer, did a hilarious riff on these forbidden words. In these current, anything goes times, that bit seems really antiquated. ”Dirty” words have so invaded the vernacular that we don’t bat an eye, much less blush, when we encounter them in the media. Not sure how I feel about that, except to say that as a writer, I find using obscenities frequently is lazy, boring writing. Why overuse an expletive when there’s a whole world of fabulous words out there waiting to be chosen? 

During the past few years, I’ve become a collector of unusual, even arcane words, in English and other languages as well (German in particular). Used appropriately, they can really spice up an essay, or even a conversation. At the least, they’re fun to learn about. I’ve come to realize:

There are words for feelings you just can’t explain. Ever been struck by the sudden understanding that every stranger you see on the street has an inner life as complicated as yours? That’s called “sonder.” Been trapped at a noisy party where everybody talks but no one seems to listen? That’s “anecdoche.” I myself often experience altschmerz (bring sick and tired of the same old issues I’ve always had). Next time I see my therapist and he asks me why I haven’t made an appointment lately, I’ll say, “Doctor, it’s just altschmerz!” See if he knows what I’m talking about, him and his fancy degrees! 

There are words that used to be part of the English language centuries ago, but are no longer in use. My faves in this department are “uhtceare” and “expergefactor.” When you are lying awake before dawn and worrying, that’s uhtceare. When something wakes you up, it’s an expergefactor. So, “I was uhtcearing until 4 AM, when I finally fell asleep. At 6 AM the alarm went off—drat that expergefactor, anyway!”

Children are losing wonderful words to describe nature, because nature is not as important to them as technology. A few years ago, Evan gave me “The Lost Words.” With poetry and beautiful drawings, the book depicts words like bramble, adder, kingfisher and fern. It was inspired by the news that the Oxford Junior Dictionary has dropped 40 words like these because children were no longer using them, and that added in their place were words they DID use—blog, attachment, voicemail—all involving the virtual world. 

Pardon me for a moment while I descend from my soapbox☺ 

In closing, I just hope we will avail ourselves of the plethora of fabulous words out there, and maybe also stop cussing so darned much. How will our great-grandchildren use language someday? I don’t know, and it makes me feel some ellipsism* for sure. Agreed?

*Ellipsism: a sadness that you’ll never know how history will turn out

Peter and Aiden contemplate the future