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I was looking for the word to describe what one misses by relying on written words instead of hearing them spoken. Without the melody, rhythm, rate, and emphases, one can completely misinterpret the intended meaning. You might imagine sarcasm or emotion when none was intended or you might miss it when it is intended. And this problem is accentuated by texting because even the use of italics and punctuation is usually missing. Bolding and exclamation marks are so overused that they convey little these days.
So what is the word for these vocalized touches that enable us to fully understand the speaker's words? Prosody. Although I had heard the word in connection to the reading of poetry, I was unaware of its application to everyday speech. (People who have experience with sufferers of autism or Parkinson's may be familiar with the word because people with those diseases often have absence of prosody in their speech.) I am trying to rely a bit less on texting and emailing so that prosody can play its all-important role. I finally forced myself to sit down and go through the 19 propositions on my voting ballot so that I can go when early voting opens for Texans on October 21. What a task! The problem is that there are too many discrete issues lumped together in each proposition. I agree with some elements and others, oppose. There must be a better word for this than mish-mash, I thought. Then the word arose from deep memory: farragoes. So I looked it up to see if it is apropros.
Originally, it was used to describe mixed fodder, and gradually became "a confused mixture". Yes, this word does nicely here. Another problem with some of the propositions is that they overprescribe. Yes, I agree city council members should get a raise; no, I don't agree that their wages should double all at once. Yes I agree that getting measures onto ballots should be a bit easier, but no, I don't want it so easy that I face many times the number of propositions each voting time. Voters face enough farragoes as it is! Here's a pithy thought for you:
"Be careful. When a democracy is sick, fascism comes to its bedside, but it is not to inquire about its health." ~ Albert Camus A midden is a refuse heap or dunghill. I look at the alarming, sad, and just plain awful images of Ukraine and the Middle East and try to think of what it would be like to lose my home in a bombing, assuming I lived through it. I just can't really imagine it, and I guess I'm grateful I can't. But my heart is often heavy when I think of those poor souls. How much torture and angst those people (and the animals) suffer and for what? It is about power, money and control—the everlasting sources of war and fighting.
I love pithy quotations that distill a thought about life, how we should do or perceive things, or inject humor into our perspectives. Here is one I plucked from a book I started (but never actually read more than half of) entitled Invitation to a Banquet by Fuchsia Dunlop. She wrote the quote when characterizing herself, but I think it can be applied to anyone when phrased the following way: Immersion in another culture, will turn you into a seasoned diplomat, a cultural relativist,
a fence-sitter, and dedicated withholder of judgment. —Fuchsia Dunlop Yes, I love words! Sometimes it is hard for me to learn a new one because there are not enough occasions to use it in everyday contexts. But I am going to look for ways to use tyro, which means "novice; one who's not attained proficiency or expertise".
I have fallen in love several times in my 75 years, but I am a tyro every time someone new captures my heart. Unsure of my emotional footing, afraid to assume my ardor is requited, and teetering on giddiness, I tiptoe into the relationship. |
Bailey BlogI'm an author, mostly of fiction these days. And I love to paint abstracts. But this blog is about anything. Like many people, I use the Internet space just to reach out. Categories
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