I have a dream where society will replace guns with dictionaries.
Anu Garg (born April 5, 1967) is an American author, speaker, and columnist. He is the founder of Wordsmith.org, an online community of wordlovers. He writes about language, words and their origins.
A large vocabulary is like an artist having a big palette of colors. We don't have to use all the colors in a single painting, but it helps to be able to find just the right shade when we need it.
On English's propensity to borrow words from other languages, quoted in Chelminski, Rudolph (1 December 2000), "WARNING: Log-o-phil-ia is Addictive", Smithsonian
There are exotic species of words jumping out inviting me to play. I weave them into a theme, a garland of words.
Chelminski, Rudolph (1 December 2000), "WARNING: Log-o-phil-ia is Addictive", Smithsonian
Browsing the OED is the idea of a perfect day for me.
Susan G. Hauser (26 September 2001), "A Word a Day -- Say, 'Gasconade' -- Keeps Boredom at Bay", The Wall Street Journal
A large vocabulary is like an artist having a big palette of colors. We don't have to use all the colors in a single painting, but it helps to be able to find just the right shade when we need it.
The best way to enrich vocabulary is organically, by coming across words in their natural habitat, taking the time to learn about them, their histories, and making lifelong friends with them.
Like a human being, each word has a story. To understand a word, we need to learn where it was born, what paths it took to reach where it is today and how it has changed along the way.
[T]hat's how a language grows. Old words die - or take on a new life. New words appear. Language wordstock is replenished, refreshed, and the language remains vibrant and serviceable, ready to describe new concepts, ideas, and objects. Many language purists object to this way of growth. But we have to remember that just as yesterday's liberal is often tomorrow's conservative, in many cases, what was considered slang in the past, eventually acquires respectability.
As quoted in Dickson, Paul (2014), Authorisms: Words Wrought by Writers
For as long as I can recall, I enjoyed reading. I literally read books from cover to cover. Then I started wondering where words come from. Who made them up? Who said that that opening in a wall was to be called a window? Then I discovered that each word comes with a biography. These words have fascinating stories to tell, if only we take the time to listen. For example, the word window comes from Old Norse in which it meant wind's eye. How much more poetic can you get?
If you speak English, you speak at least a part of more than a hundred languages.
If you speak English, you speak at least a part of more than a hundred languages.
As quoted in Arditti, Avi (15 November 2005), VOA News
Overall, the universe's apostrophe store stays in balance. It seems our linguistic world was intelligently designed -- for every gratuitous apostrophe there's an instance where it's omitted.
Like a human being, each word has a story. To understand a word, we need to learn where it was born, what paths it took to reach where it is today and how it has changed along the way.
People travel. Words travel. People settle in new lands and so do words. Did I hear someone say they wanted to make walls, close off people from one another? Here’s to more travel, more mixing, more migration, more import and export, and more sweetness in our lives!People travel. Words travel. People settle in new lands and so do words. Did I hear someone say they wanted to make walls, close off people from one another? Here’s to more travel, more mixing, more migration, more import and export, and more sweetness in our lives![2]
_-_Google_Art_Project_-_edited.jpg)
