Guest Post -- Shanan the Book Addict's Pet Words

Today, Shanan the Book Addict pays a visit to talk about some of her favorite words -- and they are doozies! If you'd like to write a guest post about your pet words, email me!

For the Love of Words

My grandmother was a huge reader and a huge lover of words. I remember one day she taught me a word that has stayed with me ever since. I try to use it every chance I get (which is not very often). It is probably my favorite word in part because it is fun to say. The word is sesquipedalian ([ses-kwi-pi-dey-lee-uhn, -deyl-yuhn])--the big word for people who love big words. It is positively poetic.

Another word that I love the sound of is serendipity ([ser-uhn-dip-i-tee])--an aptitude for making desirable discovery by accident. How can you not love a word with an alliteration in the definition? Oh wait there is another word I love – alliteration ([uh-lit-uh-rey-shuhn]). The word itself sounds okay – but the commencement of two or more words of a word group with the same letter is a lot of fun. It allows me to say Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers which always gives me a reason to smile.

BAM! Head in hand – I almost forgot another of my favorite words, onomatopoeia ([on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‐mah-tuh‐]) or a word for words formed by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent. I remember learning this word in school and having them show clips of the old Batman shows where they put words like BOOM! across the screen during the fight scenes.

My teachers also liked to teach with puzzles (or maybe they just knew I liked learning with puzzles?). Whatever the reason, some of my favorite puzzles involve creating palindromes ([pal-in-drohm]) or words, lines, verse, etc. that can be read the same forward and backwards. Madam, I'm Adam or Poor Dan is in a droop or if I want to be boring the word level (which ironically is the one I always remember first).

I remember winning a contest in one of my grade school classes to find and list the most oxymorons ([ok-si-mawr-on, -mohr-on]) or a figure of speech where two or more words come together to form an apparent contradiction for effect. Since I love seafood (and live in the desert so I do not get to eat it enough), my first example was always Jumbo Shrimp.

So I hope you enjoyed the trip through some of my favorite words. I hope they make you smile too.

Shanan's Site http://www.thebookaddict.net
Shanan's Blogs: The Book Addict and Yogimommy Writes It Down