Long-Awaited Logophile Lists

(CC) Gaetan Lee, www.flickr.com/photos/gaetanlee/

In Write to Discover Yourself, Ruth Vaughn tells about a character named Julia Redfern in a children’s book called A Room Made of Windows. Julia keeps a “Book of Strangenesses” in which she makes lists. Her lists include Beautiful Words (Mediterranean, quiver, undulating, lapis lazuli, Empyrean) and Most Detestable Words (rutabaga, larva, mucus, okra).Ruth Vaughn recommends list-keeping as an excellent exercise (and resource) for writers. A list of Strong Verbs, for example, is handy. To illustrate, she picked up a short-story at random and recorded verbs (echoed, trembled, slammed, hesitated, smashed, roared, reverberated, boomed, and twisted).She suggested taking it another step and recording phrases that inspire. From that same short story, she found, “It brought the silent, motionless silhouettes to life” and “Here and there through the smoke, creeping warily under the shadows of tottering walls, emerged occasional men and women.”In the spirit of Ruth’s recommended list-making and writers loving words, I had a lot of fun assembling a master list of the words you proposed after I posted the Logophile List(s).Words were suggested in the comments, e-mailed to me and a few came through Facebook when I linked to the original logophiles post. Several more come from the text and comments of Musings of a Mommy Bee’s “Word Fun” post. Apparently great minds post alike.Here, my friends, are the results:Words that are fun to say(be sure to read out loud)

• discombobulate
• garbanzo beans
• guacamole
• gregarious
• genuflexing/genuflecting
• asinine
• sequoia
• Iroquois
• yurt
• pip
• hypothalamus
• snaffle
• awkward (because it actually is awkward to say and type)
• pollywog
• sunset
• buff
• squelch
• click
• clack
• zip
• hiss
• toot
• slither
• puff
• blip
• moosh
• splat
• buzz
• woosh
• plop
• fizzle
• zing
• sniff
• slurp
• patter
• splash
• thick
• moist
• cushion
• lackadaisical
• periwinkle
• bulbous
• grunt
• percolate
• dread
• infuriate
• ingratiate
• bouffant
• gallant
• bemoaned
• personage
• flip
• bubble
• mukluk
• blubber
• waffle
• akimbo
• macadamia
• giggle
• beluga
• aspic
• filch
• gazebo
• vivid
• meticulous
• colloquial
• insipid

Words fun when said with a British accent

• bugger
• gutted
• proper

Words that are beautiful to say

• diaphanous
• effervescent/effervescence
• gossamer
• mellifluous
• scintillate
• feathery
• exquisite
• miraculous
• magnificent
• reflective

Words that carry rich meaning

• hallelujah
• prudent

Words that some of us are never quite sure we use correctly

• effect and affect
• inclement and clement
• facetious
• enormity and magnitude

Favorite French Words for English-Speakers

• pamplemousse
• probablement
• pantoufles
• éblouissant
• nuages
• brouillard

Favorite English Words for French-Speakers

• cantaloupe
• jeopardy
• momentum

Words that are Gross to Say (even if they aren’t gross in meaning)

• amoebic ooze
• pus

Words with distinct regional pronunciations

• sore (so-uhr)
• park (pahk–in Boston)
• about (a-boot–in Canada)
• “I love it” (“Ah luuuuuv eee-ut”)

Be inspired—love your language!And if you add words in the comments, I’ll update the lists.My sister-in-law reminded me of the silly song from Flight of the Conchords, “Foux De Fa Fa,” that has a little fun with the vocabulary, phrases and interactions one finds on a typical French language learning CD. Listen for “pamplemousse.”[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUVagbFcSUU]This is a six-minute video of French singer Francis Cabrel performing “C’est écrit” live in concert back in the ’80s. My sister-in-law gave me a copy of his CD. This song may be the reason I love the words “brouillard” and “nuages.”[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otqFvrGXP7g]And finally, because I’ve gotten a little carried away on YouTube, here’s a logophile muppet video for your kids titled appropriately, “I Love Words.” Abby Cadabby never met a word she didn’t like and tries out a new word every day. A pretty good message for our young ‘uns, setting them up for a lifetime of loving words (brace yourself, moms–her voice is similar to Elmo’s):p.s. She, too, throws a couple of favorite French words into the mix.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxxJU1y3QGA]Speaking of words. . .visit again tomorrow for an update on the status of my book.