A Few Of My Favorite Things

The richness of our language has long held a fascination for me. Partly, I'm attracted to voices that have a certain tone or timbre. Shelby Foote, the late author of the 3-volume compendium of the Civil War, had such a voice. I was exposed to him, like so many others, by his frequent appearance as a story-teller in Ken Burns' documentary of that conflict. I said at the time that I could listen to Mr. Foote read a grocery list and find it engrossing. Another such talent belongs to Carl Kassel, the host of several news programs on NPR over the years. He currently appears on a weekend quiz show, called Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Winners have the honor of having Mr. Kassel record their personal voice mail message, a prize worth pursuing.

At an early age, my father would frequently correct my grammar, syntax and pronunciation. Even though he may have been fascinated by the Okie Twang spoken in the city where I was raised, he was determined that his own children never utter the word "ain't" and that we place emphasis on the appropriate syllable for words such as "insurance" and "cement". When it came time for me to acquaint myself with the rules of grammar, it was a foregone conclusion that I would be hooked.

True, I was that precocious brat who used words that brought head-scratching to the adults around me. As I stumbled into the age of majority, that charming child became an annoying pedant, frequently using words that I felt would either illuminate my own candle power or the relative dimness of those around me. Antipathy is a word that comes to mind. While I do try to be less obnoxious about such things now, I do relish the joys of our language. Some words raise the hair on the back of my neck; others possess a charm all their own. A few of my favorites:

Gerund - I had the good fortune to work with a colleague from Boston whose passions were theater and language. He often recounted his early days as a substitute teacher, whose first assignment was to instruct his students in the proper use of gerunds. Yes, I immediately referred to the gigantic Random House Dictionary to learn the meaning of the term. In case you have forgotten,a gerund is an active noun.

Kerfuffle - I think I heard Senator Franken use this in some hearing a few years ago. It is certainly a better term than dust-up or dispute, although brouhaha has obvious qualities to recommend it.

Infelicitous - Some words hang in the recesses of our brains for decades, only to be dusted off at appropriate occasions. I used this one a few weeks ago in a text message, of all things, to my older daughter, Dr. Princess. Yes, it was felicitously applied.

Conundrum - Why use enigma, problem or poser (a word that has issues of its own) when this one rings so true? It's mere pronunciation brings to mind a corkscrew of thoughts.

Solipsistic - Ah, my favorite! I encountered this nugget in a book I was reading 5 years ago. I immediately looked it up in an online dictionary (that Random House tome long since donated) and stored it away. A short time ago, it was a perfect fit in a note I was writing to my younger daughter, Concrete Jane. Her immediate response: great GRE word! Why, thank you.

Enough for now. Are there any treasured words that you trot out on occasion?