Category: words

Monday Messages…

Wiwohka1 Comment

Shhhhhhh… we’re about to enter the silent letter section of the library. There’s a number of hidden letters out there, just hoping to be found. I know this because I’ve been searching them out.

Why would be the first operative question!

When it comes to sneaky letters hiding in plain sight, I’ve been wracking my brain trying to understand the reasoning for this odd addition to the English language. If you wanted to be hidden, fine, but then why keep peeking out of words that didn’t need you there, in the first place?

Here we come Mr. McGoogle, so make us proud…

Silent letters are letters in English words that are written but not pronounced, appearing in roughly 60% of English words. They exist due to historical pronunciation changes, etymology, or to differentiate homophones. Common silent letters include b (climb), k (knee), w (write), h (hour), and t (listen), occurring at the beginning, middle, or end of words.

Wow!

Ok Mr. McGoogle, you didn’t have to do us that proud, really!

Oddly, I didn’t actually know that these silent letter words made up 60% of all English words. It’s rather embarrassing, if you think about it. Here we are, thinking we are so smart, but we still use silent letters like a salt shaker. Now my brain hurts.

So, if these letters aren’t needed, I wanted to know what the purpose was for adding them, so long ago.

Come on… let’s ask!

AI Overview

Silent letters exist primarily because English spelling was standardized before pronunciation changed, and because of efforts to reflect words’ original Latin, Greek, or French roots. They help distinguish homophones (e.g., knights vs. nights), indicate long vowels (e.g., rate vs. rat), and remain as remnants of older, fully pronounced words. 

Key reasons for silent letters: Etymology & History: Many letters were originally pronounced. For example, knee was pronounced with a hard ‘k’ in Old English, a practice that disappeared over time, but the spelling remained.

  • Renaisance Spelling Changes: Scholars often added letters to words to make them look more like their Latin or Greek origins, such as adding a ‘b’ to debt and doubt to match the Latin debitum and dubitare.
  • French Influence: Following the Norman Conquest, French scribes altered English spelling, which brought in silent letters.
  • Homophones: Silent letters help differentiate words that sound the same, such as “in” and “inn,” or “so” and “sew”.
  • Print Standardization: Early printing presses froze spellings, which meant older, non-phonetic spellings were locked in even as pronunciation continued to evolve. 

These seemingly useless letters often provide clues to the history and meaning of a word, even if they no longer correspond to a sound in modern English. 

Well, I guess if you want to give such a smart answer, Mr. McGoogle, fine! But you could have led with this explanation, in the first place. Maybe it’s my fault, as I should have asked this question first.

So, I’m going to give this rule a free ride, due to the answer given.

I can’t really argue with logic like this, so we’ll accept it as a valid answer to my queries, just this once. I don’t even have a snappy retort, or witty statement that might undermine such reasonings.

However, I will say that we already knew about Homophones from last week, so there’s that!

Hang on! I’m on the homophone…

Wiwohka2 Comments

Guess what I get to do this morning?

While Wiwohka has to go to one of her appointments, she’s given me my first actual job to complete in her absence. I’m doin WordPress this morning… ALL by myself!

The Daily Prompt wasn’t so bad, since I was able to pull from the archives, but I discovered something in the process of digging up an old answer. Wiwohka wrote something odd in her answer that sent me searching for some wordsy explanations. This ant has questions!

Did you notice the part where she used whether and weather in the same sentence?

While Wiwohka made it seem funny when she wrote it down, I didn’t get the joke. What was so funny about how she wrote that sentence? I needed some answers, because I have begun seeing this strange phenomenon quite often, while reading. What gives?

There are a great many words in the English language that have gathered a nefarious shadow word, which follows the regular word around but isn’t the same, at all! I find this very unfair to us young readers, wouldn’t you agree?

Out of necessity, and a good deal of curiosity, I posed my question to Mr. McGoogle…

“What are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings?”

The response was a rather wordy one… Literally!

AI Overview

Words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings are called

homophones (or heterographs). Common examples include to/too/two, there/their/they’re, pair/pear, see/sea, and hour/our. These words sound identical in speech but have distinct meanings, which can create confusion in writing. 

Here are common homophones categorized for clarity:

Commonly Confused Homophones

  • There (place), Their (possession), They’re (contraction of “they are”).
  • To (preposition), Too (also/excessively), Two (number).
  • Your (possession), You’re (contraction of “you are”).
  • Its (possession), It’s (contraction of “it is”).
  • Whose (possession), Who’s (contraction of “who is”). 

Everyday Object/Action Homophones

Action/Concept Homophones

I don’t really have any problem understanding the difference in the words that are similar in sound but not in spelling. These, I can easily understand to be different from each other by their unique spellings. But what about the words that remain almost identical in spelling, but only one or two letters change? Why did they have to make things so difficult?

It’s a good thing that our brains are capable of detecting even the most minute differences in how a word is pronounced, or spelled, for that matter!

Before you start thinking that I was done… I’m not, just so you know.

They didn’t stop at Homophones, no no. They went a step further into the art of confusion by adding another additional type/category for these words. Yes indeed, they did!

Mr. McGoogle calls them Homographs and Homonyms. Oh yay! Really?!

Check out these little rabbit holes in the English language…

Homographs: Spelled the same, but different meanings/sounds (e.g., bark of a tree vs. bark of a dog).

Homonyms: Words that are both homophones and homographs (e.g., *bat

These are dark days in the kingdom of words, my friends. Dark days, indeed…

Eyes before ease…

Wiwohka1 Comment

… except after seas?

No, that’s not right. I believe the English language rule states that it’s i before e, except after c’s. What I’d like to know is why? If they both sound the same, why on earth are we throwing in a complicated if and or but with these words. Didn’t anybody ever hear of the adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” ? I’ve heard of it!

Before I get myself in an unnecessary bother, maybe we should first ask Mr. McGoogle to try and work out the problem.

Question #1 should be to establish what the actual rule states. No one should go on here say about a thing, but should instead seek the facts. Let’s do this…

According to the AI Overview,

In the English language, a common mnemonic spelling rule is: “I before E, except after C“. 

However, the full, more accurate rhyme often includes: “…or when sounded as ‘ay’ as in neighbor or weigh”. 

Key Details Regarding the Rule: “Cie” Words: Sometimes ie follows a c anyway, such as in science, glacier, ancient, and sufficient.

The “C” Exception: When the i and e combination follows a c, the order is usually ei (e.g., receive, ceiling, deceive, conceit).

The “Ay” Exception: When the ei combination makes a long “a” sound (like “ay”), e comes before i (e.g., neighbor, weigh, vein, sleigh).

Other Exceptions: There are many words that break this rule, such as weird, seize, leisure, protein, and foreign.

So, ok, I can agree with this ruling as long as it can be clearly determined by the pronunciation of the word. That part makes sense, but what screws everything up is the fact that there are so many varying accents from differing nationalities. What then? Unless one is prepared to pull up a voice modulator every single time one of these words come up, the margin for error is incredibly wide… in my humble antsy opinion.

I suppose if we only had a handful of words that utilized this particular linguistic merry-go-round, it wouldn’t cause me such aggravation. But guess what? The English language is smothered in the ie, ei, except after c, or ay rule. Not just that but we get to also separate words like weird, seize, leisure, protein, and foreign, as these words break all the rules. What’s an ant to do, here?

Well, figure things out is what I need to do, if I’m to make a top-notch journalist! If children can learn it, then so too can an ant… this ant, to be exact!

Monday Messages…

Wiwohka7 Comments

You know that feeling you get when stepping off of a moving object? That feeling of unsteadiness, while your brain tries to stop things from moving, so that you can stand upright. Or, maybe you’ve played that crazy game, where you spin yourself around and then try to run a sack race, or something of that nature.

Some folks feel dizzy, while others may feel a bit queasy. I have decided to label this feeling as being discombobulated. I am striving to become a Word Smith, you know.

While it is a rather big word, sometimes those other words just don’t do justice to the depth and meaning of what you’re experiencing. Being that I am quite small, and I also feel both dizzy and queasy on this ride, little words just don’t feel as fitting as discombobulated. Why is that?

Well, let’s ask at Mr. McGoogle about our word of the week…

AI Overview

Discombobulated is an informal American English adjective meaning completely confused, frustrated, upset, or disorganized. It describes a state of being thrown off-kilter, bewildered, or severely disoriented. The term originated in the early 19th century as a playful, nonsensical variant of words like “discompose”. 

Key details about “discombobulated”:

  • Pronunciation: Dis-com-bob-u-lay-ted (stress on “bob”).
  • Synonyms: Disconcerted, muddled, flustered, perturbed, befuddled, agitate.
  • Usage Examples: “I felt totally discombobulated after the long flight”; “The speaker was discombobulated by the hecklers”.
  • Context: It is often used to describe a, mental state of confusion or a situation that is in disarray.

I suppose that one wouldn’t use this word as a descriptor, if they actually enjoyed being spun around in circles, clinging to anything that might keep them from being catapulted off the ride. Ummmmm…. duh! I’m an ant! If I get tossed off the ride, things get pretty painful, if you know what I mean. The only successful flight I’ve ever taken was on that floating Dandelion, remember?

My next thought, or question, if you will, is to wonder what-if about those times where the ride doesn’t make you feel queasy. What do we call those times where the dizziness and tummy flip-flops bring forth excitement, happiness, and joy? Let’s ask…

AI Overview

Discombobulated means to be confused, frustrated, or upset. It describes a state of being unsettled, scattered, or not fully coherent. Its opposites include terms that signify being calm, organized, and focused, such as composed, organized, calm, clearheaded, or collected. 

Top Antonyms (Opposites):

  • Composed/Calm/Collected: Remaining steady and unruffled.
  • Organized/Systematic: Having things in order, as opposed to scattered.
  • Clearheaded/Focused: Able to think clearly.
  • Oriented: Knowing where you are and what is happening.
  • Level-headed: Being in control and rational. 

Note: While “combobulate” is sometimes used humorously, it is not considered a formal, standard English word.

Well, that’s rude!

The English language has rules, exceptions, and uses for making valid counter words for things like Famous, and Infamous, remember?! And now they say that combobulate can’t be used as an actual counter word… rubish!

I, Lilly, the flying journalist, shall now dub our positive counter word to be Probobulated!

Wiwohka Overview

Probobulated – means to be happily surrendered, freely un-frustrated, and miles away from agitated. The word signifies composure, organization, calmness, clear-headedness, and/or being collected. It describes a state of being moldable, softened, and full of faith. It’s opposites include terms that signify confusion, frustration, or being upset.

I wonder how hard it would be to convince Merriam-Webster to accept my new word? Perhaps if a few of you suggested it, as well as myself, we might just enact some future changes for the betterment of all mankind.

Why not?

It could happen, you know. We just need to science it out, first.

(2024) When Will We Learn?

Wiwohka1 Comment

Daily writing prompt
If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?
View all responses

Words can be weapons, same as guns!

When will we learn that words, just like guns, can be use for both good and evil alike?

You can remove all weapons from the hands of a man, but if his heart is still filled with wickedness, he will find a different weapon to replace the one taken!

If you’ve unsuccessfully changed the heart of a man, it won’t matter what words, weapons, or any other tools you give or remove from him… the heart is what determines how the tool is used!

Last I checked, only God can change the heart of a man. So, there simply aren’t any words worth removing, in my humble opinion. There are, however, a couple nefarious characters I’d like to permanently ban, but that’s not what the prompt was asking. We must stick to the prompt, right?!

Here, have a cookie, but you might want to pick off the cartridges first…

Monday Messages…

WiwohkaLeave a comment

What’s the deal with the whole i before e except after c, song and dance? And, am I the only one who thinks that there’s not a big difference in the word’s pronunciation and meaning if you flippy the little letters around?

So, why did they make that rule, then? I’m going to find out!

Simply because a rule doesn’t make sense doesn’t mean that it’s wrong. Although I think it’s a rather silly rule of the English language, rather than something that makes any real sense, maybe we should just ask Google…

According to the ai generator,

“I before e, except after c, or when sounding like ‘a’ as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh'” is a popular English spelling mnemonic: use IE (like believe, thief) unless the letters follow a C, where you use EI (receive, ceiling), or when they sound like a long ‘A’ (neighbor, weigh). It’s a useful guideline but has exceptions, so memorizing tricky words like weird, seize, and height is also key.

How it works

  • IE: In most words with a long ‘e’ sound, ‘i’ comes before ‘e’ (e.g., believe, piece, thief).
  • CEI: After the letter ‘c’, the order reverses to ‘ei’ (e.g., receive, ceiling, deceit).
  • EIA: When the sound is like the ‘a’ in neighbor, use ‘ei’ (e.g., neighbor, weigh, vein).

Common exceptions (memorize these!)

  • weird, seize, leisure, height, science, glacier, caffeine, protein.

Why it’s not a perfect rule

  • English spelling is inconsistent due to influences from other languages, so this is a guideline, not a strict law.

Nope! I still think it’s more of a confusion than any help! Can’t we just keep things simple?

All this early morning research made me hungry. It’s off to share some oatmeal with Wiwohka. She makes it the best! Oh, don’t think I forgot about you, too…

Oatmeal cookies, of course!