Does anyone else in the world keep a list of specific words that they really like? I think I may be unique (read: weird) in this regard, but certain words just feel very right when I say them. This is why sometimes when you are around me, if I have need of an exclamation or can't think of a proper response, I may just say a completely unrelated word.
The list as it stands today: ocean, recumbent, monkey, draconian, pineapple, dwarven (which isn't technically a word, but whatever), tethered, clever, hijinks, and specious (and its near false-cognate species).
I can find no common thread amongst the words, except for the tendency for the "hard K" sound to show up somewhere within.
The sad thing about this is that I usually keep the list on hand to make sure that I don't overuse the words too much in writing or conversation, because they usually stand out to a large degree. I find nothing in the universe more socially awkward than when someone says "Wow, you really use _______ a lot, don't you?" It stabs directly into the heart of my fear of being a dilettante language poseur. After that I feel like at any moment they might demand my preferred-patron library card and rip it to a thousand pieces in front of my face.
Luckily the current list has a lot of nouns in it, which means I have less to worry about. It's hard to jam a noun into everyday conversation, with the glaring exception of "Monkey," which is my universal exclamation that takes the place of a normal person's "Dammit." Which is always an awkward phrase to get past, in any situation, believe you me.
Eh, but I can't worry about all this too much. It's all a part of the rich tapestry that is my psyche. Mmm, tapestry. I like the sound of that word too. It's going on the list, by God.
No comments:
Post a Comment