Words for the Day; please share (page 15)

snowbird

Some members of my family have got the physiques, the eyes, and the coloring that denote our Asian heritage.

Reticent

compound complex

reticent: not prone to reveal oneself readily

My Italian relatives, talkative in the extreme, could never be described as reticent. They'll give their life's story, with all the sordid details, to a total, bewildered stranger.

denotation/connotation

snowbird

A scaly, slithering reptile is the denotation for the word snake; the connotation is a crooked, conniving person.

Shibboleth/sibboleth

HB

Just spent a pleasant half an hour reading this thread.

It appears that no one has yet mentioned the classic poem 'The Chaos' by Gerard Nolst Trenité.

The poem contains about 800 irregularities found in English spelling and pronunciation, and was originally an appendix in the author’s 1920 textbook intended for foreign language students “Drop your foreign accent” .

It's a little long to copy the whole thing here, but you easily can find the full poem on the internet (both written and spoken). Bear in mind there a few different versions around.

I have added the first four verses and the last to give a flavour for anyone who hasn't come across it before:-

Dearest creature in creation

Studying English pronunciation,

I will teach you in my verse

Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse.

I will keep you, Susy, busy,

Make your head with heat grow dizzy;

Tear in eye, your dress you’ll tear;

So shall I! Oh, hear my prayer.

Pray, console your loving poet,

Make my coat look new, dear, sew it!

Just compare heart, hear and heard,

Dies and diet, lord and word.

Sword and sward, retain and Britain,
(Mind the latter, how it's written).
Made has not the sound of bade,
Say-said, pay-paid, laid, but plaid.

………………………..

Finally, which rhymes with tough,

Though, through, bough, cough, dough, or enough?

Hiccough has the sound of sup…

My advice is: GIVE IT UP!

snowbird

BRAVO!!!

Thoroughly enjoyed the reading and audio of it.

Thank you.

compound complex

Thanks, Syl and HB!

Such is the grist for a writing class I conduct.

Gratefully.

What Word Wranglers Wreak

snowbird

Puerile

C T Russell liked that word.

tiki

Bodacious

Vivacious

Crustaceous

snowbird

Inchoate

J F Rutherford liked that word.

__----------------------------------------_

A bodacious, vivacious, crustaceous young woman womed her way into his affections and proceeded to systematically diminish his affinity for kith and kin.

compound complex

Although in its early, inchoate stage, today's bout with catarrh leaves me with rheumy eyes and an ill humor. It's probably puerile behavior on my part, but I'm going to get into a tub of very hot water and play with my rubber ducky.

It'll make me feel better . . .

Words for the Day; please share

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