AWADmail Issue 192
December 24, 2005
A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day
and Other Interesting Tidbits about Words and Languages
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From: Anu Garg (gargATwordsmith.org)
Subject: Wordlovers' Library Project update
As part of the Wordlovers' Library Project, the book "A Word A Day" is now
on the library shelves in 61 countries so far:
http://wordsmith.org/awad/libraryproject.html
You can send library nominations for the new book "Another Word A Day":
http://wordsmith.org/awad/library-nomination.html
Here is a message from Ruth Ann Harnisch (ruthannATthehf.com) of
The Harnisch Family Foundation who made this project possible:
It is a thrill to know that we are sending the gift of words around
the world. You know that AWAD readers inspired me to give away tens
of thousands of other books, too, most of them through
http://bookcrossing.com. What I love most about my philanthropic work
is partnering with wonderful people to make a positive difference in
the world. You, the BookCrossing staff, and the readers who respond
to these giveaways have been delightful colleagues, and we look forward
to another year of sharing our love of words with the world!
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From: C+J Tondreau (tondreauATsympatico.ca)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--mogigraphia
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/mogigraphia.html
After writing the five-hour medical exam, several potential candidates took
themselves off to the emergency room cradling their "crayon hand" with the
other. "Call the physiotherapist" sang out the triage nurse with a smile on
her face. "We have an outbreak of mogigraphia again!"
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From: Marc S. Williams, MD (marc_williamsATcomcast.net)
Subject: mogigraphia
Mogigraphia (writer's cramp) is a type of focal dystonia. This can affect
many different parts of the body including the vocal cords. It is likely
owing to a problem of control involving the basal ganglia of the brain. In
addition to writers, many musicians have also been affected, including Leon
Fleischer whose performance career was limited for a time to performance of
piano concertos for the left hand alone. These focal dystonias can now be
treated with injections of Botulinum Toxin (BoTox) in the affected muscle
groups to paralyze the overactive muscles. Postural techniques such as the
Alexander Method are also effective in some situations. So, if you are so
afflicted, get thee to a physician.
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From: Dean Urban (durbanAToverlandstorage.com)
Subject: Carpal Tunnel not mogigraphia, Re: A.Word.A.Day--mogigraphia
I came across this article on CNET News.com. If true, we have to find
something else to blame for keyboard mogigraphia. Thanks for such a
splendid word.
Keyboard carpal culprit? Not so, study says
Your wrists may hurt after a long day at the computer, but your ailment
isn't likely to be carpal tunnel syndrome.
Contrary to popular belief, heavy computer use -- up to seven hours a
day -- does not increase the risk that a person will develop carpal tunnel
syndrome, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Harvard Medical
School.
More at http://news.cnet.co.uk/desktops/0,39029662,39194989,00.htm
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From: Bob Simmons (bsimmonsATcompassnet.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--sprachgefuhl
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/sprachgefuhl.html
Here's my contribution from the user's manual of a Korean MP3 player I own:
Hearing by earphone
You can hear Music file of play mode, Voice message of voice recording
mode, or MP3 encoding music file of external input recording mode by
earphone or internal speaker. Without putting earphone, sounds output by
internal speaker.
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From: David Fogg (dmfoggATamnet.co.cr)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--sprachgefuhl
There's an even more delightful German word that describes a person who has
a particularly good feel for (a) language:
Fingerspitzengefühl > fingertip-feeling
Unlike Sprachgefühl, it can also be used to describe one who has a fluent
and supple command of any other complex area of endeavor in which
discrimination, taste and an ear/eye for "le mot juste" (das treffende Wort)
are called for.
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From: Ian Vaino (ivainoATtriant.com)
Subject: Re: sprachgefuhl
Here is a site that illustrates the point nicely, but starting with an
English phrase. It sequentially translates your phrase to five other
languages, and back into English after each one. Whether this still
constitutes a true lack of Sprachgefuhl, I am not certain, but it is still
entertaining.
http://tashian.com/multibabel/
For example, the phrase "A word a day keeps the doldrums away" is translated
to "A word to the day maintains scorings the left."
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From: Roger Brant (ram1ATtelus.net)
Subject: Re: sprachgefuhl
Just so you know -- here in Canada, on our national radio network, CBC,
a pop-culture program called "Definitely Not The Opera" runs a weekly
contest -- "Lost in Translation" -- where they run popular song lyrics
through the Google translator and then back (sometimes involving three
languages) and contestants e-mail in their guesses as to what the original
song was.
From their website: http://cbc.ca/dnto/
We'll scramble up some song lyrics in the Google language frying pan
with Lost In Translation.
----------------------------
From: Michael L. Hall (mike.hallATpobox.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--sprachgefuhl
As the comedian Steve Martin used to say, "Some people have a way with words,
and other people... not have way."
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From: Andrew Gettig (agettig2000ATyahoo.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--sprachgefuhl
Your story of the Portuguese pocket translator made me think of this site,
I hope you get a laugh out of it. There are so many of these curiosities,
that English teachers and other speakers of English are regularly contributing
new material: http://engrish.com
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From: Emily A Reba (ear272ATnyu.edu)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--verso
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/verso.html
In France the word for a piece of paper with writing on both sides is
"recto-verso", which I never understood the meaning of until this email.
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From: Jan Boshoff (idemATmweb.co.za)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--epos
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/epos.html
Epos means exactly the same in Afrikaans. When written with a hyphen (e-pos),
it means e-mail.
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From: Alan H Schulman (aschulmanAToperoni.helsinki.fi)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--curlicue
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/curlicue.html
> [From curly, from curl, from crul (yes, that's how it was spelled
> earlier) + cue, from Old French cue (tail).]
Ah, now I understand how "cruller", the twisted German fried sweetbread,
is related to "curl".
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From: James Taggart (iagotATcomcast.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--curlicue
John Hancock is said to have said that he signed his name so large so
that King George could read it without having to put his glasses on.
----------------------------
From: Peg Kelley (kelleyATfacplus.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--curlicue
The story I was told is that anyone signing the Declaration was taking a
very big risk. The odds were low that the colonies would win the war. And
those who were involved could face serious repercussions when the British
won. Therefore, many signators deliberately made their names difficult to
read. That John Hancock made his so clear and prominent was an act of
courage and a strong political statement.
This may be one of those myths that evolve to exalt the founders of the
nation.
............................................................................
Dictionary: Spell binder. -Joseph F. Morris
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