Well, I did know one

Any pagan worth their salt knows 'widdershins'. But still...I love archaic words (as you can no doubt tell). I must start using these right away. Here in Kentucky, 'swullocking' is especially appropriate, although oddly enough, it's not to bad right now.

19 AMAZING ENGLISH WORDS WE’VE TOTALLY FORGOTTEN ABOUT

How do kids get a great vocabulary? By adults using words around them

(and reading, of course).

How ‘Shrek’ Persuaded Me to Let the Words Fly

“Shrek” inspired me to let the words fly around my children. Nope, I’m not talking about the movie “Shrek”, but about William Steig’s wonderful picture book “Shrek.” And I’m not talking about using curse words around my children, but about using a more sophisticated vocabulary in ordinary conversation.

The vocabulary in “Shrek” is extravagant. It’s so baroque that I did some research to find out why Steig had included phrases like “shady copse,” “churlish knave,” “rosy wens,” and “fusty fens.” Had he picked words at random from a dictionary and challenged himself to work them into his story? Did he have pet underused words that he was determined to bring back into favor? (I myself have waged a losing campaign to popularize “chirk.”)

I love words, especially those which have unfortunately fallen out of favour these days. And I have never understood why we talk down to children who are capable of handling words that have more than five letters or two syllables.

I learned a lot of my vocabulary through reading, as opposed to hearing folks talk. I didn't always get the exact meaning, and a few things I terribly mispronounced the first time I used them. I used to read dictionaries for fun, too. YKWIA insists that I have an idiosyncratic use of words at times despite that. That may be. But the best way for kids to learn is to hear the words used (correctly). And in an era of mangling language online (I read instances of 'my advise' rather than 'my advice' yesterday in comments on a news story, for example, and I'm beginning to wonder if anyone can use 'loose' or 'lose' correctly these days, their misuse is so ubiquitous), it is terribly important to reiterate the importance of words.

Word of the Day

I thought I'd share it--it was quite appropriate for the day:

eleemosynary \ el-uh-MOS-uh-ner-ee \, adjective;
1. Of or for charity; charitable; as, "an eleemosynary institution."
2. Given in charity; having the nature of alms; as, "eleemosynary assistance."
3. Supported by or dependent on charity; as, "the eleemosynary poor."

Well, drat

I got a call today asking if I would like to be my state medical library association's president (it's a two year gig). I explained that I would love to, but I don't own a car and this makes it unlikely that I can get to every meeting, and I rely on others to get to the ones outside of Lexington. Which is a bummer, because I really would like to do it. I was president of one of the groups that later merged into this organisation years ago, and really enjoyed it.

Sigh. I really need to be doing more to save for a car. Of course, starting this month, I'm finally starting to pay on my student loans, so that might be a little more difficult.

On a high note, the chief of staff and another surgeon at the hospital caught me in the hall the other day and really complimented what I do. And I had a site-visit from the state coordinator of the early literacy project I run and they were pleased too. Plus...I had another book review published on Friday. It's in this month's issue of The Journal of Hospital Librarianship and is on a book about operating interlibrary loan services on a shoestring budget.

So career-wise, things are nice, and I've been working a little overtime, but that's ending as of tomorrow. The data entry work is going well (that was where the overtime came in).

As an added bonus, I got rides both to and from work today as one of my co-workers saw me walking to the bus stop this morning and took me over to the hospital, and of course there's the nice woman who has been giving me rides home the last few few weeks.

Tomorrow I'm going over to a friend's house so I need to remember to wear light clothing since I'll be catching the bus. Fortunately the bus stop across from the hospital is a little more visible than the one directly in front of it (no trees).

I've been reading through my news feeds as I had not done so for several days. I found this gem:

http://www.savethewords.org/ is run by the folks at the Oxford English Dictionary. It allows you to 'adopt' words that are considered obsolete so that they can continue to be used and enjoyed. The site wasn't loading as I write this, but that should (hopefully) be a temporary thing. Thanks to LISNews for the link.

Okay, I think I'm going to go do some reading. I still need to finish the New York Times on the Kindle and then I have Charlaine Harris' Grave Secret out from the library and need to read it before the 16th. The Times reminds me, there was a sad but interesting story today:

For Afghan Wives, a Desperate, Fiery Way Out

It is shameful here to admit to troubles at home, and mental illness often goes undiagnosed or untreated. Ms. Zada, the hospital staff said, probably suffered from depression. The choices for Afghan women are extraordinarily restricted: Their family is their fate. There is little chance for education, little choice about whom a woman marries, no choice at all about her role in her own house. Her primary job is to serve her husband’s family. Outside that world, she is an outcast.

“If you run away from home, you may be raped or put in jail and then sent home and then what will happen to you?” asked Rachel Reid, a researcher for Human Rights Watch who tracks violence against women.

Returned runaways are often shot or stabbed in honor killings because the families fear they have spent time unchaperoned with a man. Women and girls are still stoned to death. Those who burn themselves but survive are often relegated to grinding Cinderella existences while their husbands marry other, untainted women.

The women often mistakenly think that immolating themselves will be quick. Instead, it can lead to burns, infections, lingering deaths, or horrible scars. The fact that they feel so desperate that they do this is so sad and terrible.

Haven't done one of these in a while

A Wordle cloud:

Weeding words

Speaking of the English language, the following words are being purged from Britain's Collins English Dictionary as archaic and obsolete to make room for new entries. I figure as long as they're in the OED, they're still official. And as you've no doubt noticed, I have a penchant for archaic words and spellings anyway. :)

Abstergent, Agrestic, Apodeictic, Caducity, Caliginosity, Compossible, Embrangle, Exuviate, Fatidical, Fubsy, Griseous, Malison, Mansuetude, Muliebrity, Niddering, Nitid, Olid, Oppugnant, Periapt, Recrement, Roborant, Skirr. Vaticinate, and Vilipend

For lots of 'obscure' words, try Luciferous Logolepsy, a great site devoted to them.

Reasons a library should be called a library

Change a Word, Change a World (My Word's Worth: a weekly column by Marylaine Block)

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox' take on 'Using Old Words When Writing for Findability'

Okay, got to run now!

I am up ridiculously late

having been over at some friends' home into the wee hours. But I'm having a quick snack before bed, so I'll go ahead and type a few things in.

1) I learnt a new word today. Nosology, the science of classification of diseases. Cool. One should always learn something every day.
2) Spring is definitely here. We've had weather in the 70s and 80s, although tonight it's a little nippy with the wind, but still pleasant. All sorts of things are blooming, and the air is heavy with scents (and allergens). A mustard plant in the back of my building shot up in two days' time, it seemed, and it's blooming already. We had quite a spring storm the other day; it woke me up with lightning in the morning and the creek behind my apartment was swollen, but as far as I know we didn't have any of the problems others did with the line of thunderstorms.
3)I so need to do laundry tomorrow. I found a suit one of my co-workers gave me (her daughter had lost weight and had been my size) that hasn't been worn. Guess what I'll be in tomorrow?

Well, that's it. I'm finished eating; time to go to bed. 'Night.