May I Have A Word With You?

I love words. That's why I'm an English teacher. I have stressed vocabulary learning in every class I've taught. "The limits of my language are the limits of my world" was one of my favorite axioms I employed in my classes. I emphasized the importance of using words in context rather than memorizing the definitions. I also taught that some words are to be spoken while others, such as the words "facetious" and "penurious," are more commonly found as written words. I remember too encountering words repeatedly without being able to determine their exact meaning, such as the word "ubiquitous." I saw that word everywhere. What a surprise to learn that was what it meant -- everywhere. Some words are difficult to remember, such as the word "funicular," which I first heard when I was in Norway and rode a funicular up the side of a mountain. I have trouble remembering the word for artistic sculpting with plants such as is done at Disney: "topiary." That word always escapes me. Then there are the words that I abuse by overuse, such as "really." I think the abuse of "really" is southern, and I certainly have availed myself of it to the extreme. I have even had to "de-really" my journal. My brother's favorite repeat word is "again," which he uses to show contrast. Language is magical, and I love it. I REALLY do.