Showing posts with label english. Show all posts
Showing posts with label english. Show all posts

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Current Reading List and Just Read List- Science Fiction, Fantasy, History and Words

I tend to let my list of favorite authors pile up books for a while and then get them all in mass clump and then read them voraciously. At this rate I will fill up the new library far too soon. I have a plan to show how there are some similar themes in the science fiction I am reading lately. Multiple/Parallel worlds being the most important. For now just the lists:

Retiring...
...off of the just read and reading list to the side.

And adding:
Reading to come will be:
Perhaps I will get around to reviews as I read them. Apersual of the lists shows the science fiction you would expect, some fantasy though some of both of these are young adult novels. History and words from Sarah Vowell and Bill Bryson.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Scripps Spelling Bee words I will try to use in everyday speech

I only caught the end of the Spelling Bee last week or so, I must not watch enough ABC shows to be warned that it is coming because I miss most of it every year. There were several words I want to continue using in regular conversation.

In Round 13

hyphaeresis - omission of sound, syllable or letter from word. "The word o'er in the middle of a word is an example of hyphaeresis." Now I have a fancier name than contraction for when the church hymn omit syllables such as in o'er and heav'n. I sing both syllables anyway. By the way, contraction is a shortening of a word, syllable, or word group by omission of internal letters, is it the same thing?

Kulturkampf - culture wars, or culture struggle. Wikipedia says it refers to German policies in relation to secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted from 1871 to 1878 by the Chancellor of the German Empire, Otto von Bismarck. I think I will use it out of its original context for any culture struggle. German words always sound great in English usage.


In Round 14

Introuvable - impossible to find. Such as the definitions for some of these words. French words always sound great in English usage as well.

(needless to say, Blogger spellcheck is not familiar with these words)
(Dr. Bill Long watched the whole thing and has commentary, essays and definitions for many of the words here I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII)