I like words. I like the way they sound, I like their subtle shades of meaning, their power, and most particularly, their ancient roots, their origins. For example, I recently became fascinated with the rather routine word 'miscellaneous.' To begin with, it really sounds great. Miscellaneous. I dare you to say it out loud and not smile. Plus, you can just forget its meaning and have fun with it. "Miscellaneous, miss a lot." Then consider its long journey from the Latin 'miscere' (to mix), to its current form. How did miscere become miscellaneous? Whose idea was it to drop the 'ere' and add the 'ellaneous?' And why? Were they drunk? Was it some sort of strange speech impediment that caught on with the general populace? Or more likely, did the French get hold of it and decide to do what they do best - unnecessarily fancy it up? Makes you think, right? And speaking of the paths words take to arrive at their current form, how can anyone not be entranced by the rocky road traveled by the old Germanic word ' f i c k e n ' (to move back and forth)? Was it first used in carpentry? "Grab the other end of this saw and we'll ficken it across this log." Or is it the Teutonic ancestor of 'fickle'? "First you say we should sack Rome, then you say we shouldn't. Boy, you are one ficken barbarian." [**CENSORED**]
1st Aired: 26 April 2012
Solipsism : now there's a good word ;-)
Posted by: Ole Phat Stu | September 23, 2013 at 05:46 AM
Ahem. Ficken is also a word in German for sexual intercourse.
Posted by: Hattie | September 23, 2013 at 03:42 PM
Oh, but I see that you already knew that.
Posted by: Hattie | September 23, 2013 at 03:45 PM
Stu--As Andrew4Handel posted: "The point about solipsism is that the mind is subjective and an individual experience prior to attempts to objectively theorise. We have direct experience of only our own experiences and mind and no direct access to other mines [sic] in humans or other creatures."
Hattie--Well, a foreign language form is so much less offensive. (Truth-to-tell: This was an accidental posting. I thought that I had deleted it a few weeks ago. Obviously, not. I guess I'll grin and bear it instead of taking it down at this late date!) Hopefully, none of my blog friends/family will be so mortified that they cut off all communications.
Posted by: Cop Car | September 24, 2013 at 03:19 PM