[Blog] Playing With Words

Playing With Words

MARCH 14, 2021 PROMPT

In your entry, make a list of your favorite words to say.
Then describe why they are your favorites and include a pronunciation guide for your readers. Brownie points if you can use your words in a sentence.

 

Playing With Words

 

       Did I mention about English being the third language I speak? Oh yes I did. Our country has more than 170 dialects spoken by people living in different islands and regions. We are composed of more than seven thousand islands and islets so no wonder we have these plethora of dialects and vernaculars. We can only understand each other through our national language which is Tagalog, and oftentimes the foreign language which is English (British or American) since we studied this from kindergarten until college.

         Although I studied English for almost the entirety of my schooling years, I can't seem to perfect or master this language. I often flabbergast every time I hear someone from my country who speaks English with so much eloquence. In here, being able to speak English fluently is a skill and a great addition to one's resume. If one is fluent at this, then this counts to his probability and possibility of getting hired. It even adds to one's prestige, escalate one's social status and builds up one's reputation. Perhaps these are but a few of the reasons why English is given much priority here.

         So much for that, I have a wide list of favorite words that I often used when conversing with my colleagues. I actually used some of them above. I remember on my high school years, my classmates and I used to play the dictionary game during our spare time. In this game, a player or the word seeker will choose a word from a dictionary and verbally provides the meaning, the part of speech that word belongs to, the etymology, and the sentence usage with its synonym. The number of syllables, number of characters, and the beginning and ending letters are the clues available. Participants will say what that word is and whoever gets the correct answer first will gain a point and becomes the new word seeker. Scores are tallied at the end of the day or week and the winner gets a prize. It's a game with so much fun while building the players' vocabulary in the process.

         Oh and by the way, have you had encountered those times when you think of creating your own word or words? It was one of my favorite past time before. Here are few words I made:

         Literepho
Part of Speech: noun
Type and Origin: a contraction of the words literature and phobia
Definition: A person who has an extreme feeling of fright when it comes to writing.
Sentence usage: "Gyle shivered when the professor told them to get their paper and a pen. He is a literepho."

         mimistify
Part of Speech: verb
Type and Origin: a contraction of the words mimic and mystify
Definition: Perplex at someone's refine skill in mimicking
Sentence usage: Gervic found himself mimistified at how good he copied Olive's mannerism.

         ridicellent
Part of Speech: adjective
Type and Origin: a contraction of the words ridiculous and excellence
Definition: Best at mocking or bullying someone.
Sentence usage: Rey was called to the principal's office after showing his mean and ridicellent behavior.

         These are just a few of my word creations. Do you have one in mind? Please comment it below. I have something for the one I like most. Going out from all my craziness, here are my favorite dictionary words:

[Definitions and examples courtesy from Google]

plethora

pleth·o·ra
/ˈpleTHərə/
Learn to pronounce
noun
noun: plethora; plural noun: plethoras
    
    a large or excessive amount of (something).
    "a plethora of committees and subcommittees"

flabbergast

flab·ber·gast
/ˈflabərˌɡast/
Learn to pronounce
verb informal
verb: flabbergast; 3rd person present: flabbergasts; past tense: flabbergasted; past participle: flabbergasted; gerund or present participle: flabbergasting

    surprise (someone) greatly; astonish.
    "news that activists could be fined for protesting against the policy will flabbergast most people"

 

flibbertigibbet

flib·ber·ti·gib·bet
/ˈflibərdēˌjibət/
Learn to pronounce
noun
noun: flibbertigibbet; plural noun: flibbertigibbets

    a frivolous, flighty, or excessively talkative person.

 

flamboyance

flam·boy·ance
/flamˈboiəns/
Learn to pronounce
noun
noun: flamboyance; plural noun: flamboyances

    the tendency to attract attention because of one's exuberance, confidence, and stylishness.
    "he had a reputation for flair and flamboyance"
        the quality of being bright, colorful, and very noticeable.
        "the stunning tones give the show a lot of visual flamboyance"

 

ebullience

e·bul·lience
/iˈbo͝olyəns,iˈbəlyəns/
Learn to pronounce
noun
noun: ebullience

    the quality of being cheerful and full of energy; exuberance.
    "the ebullience of happy children"

 

ignoble

ig·no·ble
/iɡˈnōbəl/
Learn to pronounce
adjective
adjective: ignoble; comparative adjective: ignobler; superlative adjective: ignoblest

    not honorable in character or purpose.
    "ignoble feelings of intense jealousy"

 

eloquence

el·o·quence
/ˈeləkwəns/
Learn to pronounce
noun
noun: eloquence

    fluent or persuasive speaking or writing.
    "a preacher of great power and eloquence"

 

ephemeral

e·phem·er·al
/əˈfem(ə)rəl/
Learn to pronounce
adjective
adjective: ephemeral

    lasting for a very short time.
    "fashions are ephemeral"

 

poignant

poign·ant
/ˈpoin(y)ənt/
Learn to pronounce
adjective
adjective: poignant

    evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.
    "a poignant reminder of the passing of time"

preposterous

pre·pos·ter·ous
/prəˈpäst(ə)rəs/
Learn to pronounce
adjective
adjective: preposterous

    contrary to reason or common sense; utterly absurd or ridiculous.
    "a preposterous suggestion"

         and a lot more... I don't wish to create a pocket version of dictionary here. LOL.

         That's pretty much all for today. Thank you for reading. Cheers!