Latin--as in ancient Rome's language--is still the root of many English words, including the names of some of our months--
"September" means the 7th month
"October" means the 8th month
"November" means the 9th month
"December" means the 10th month
If that seems wrong, it is, and it isn't. Pay attention.
That is really what those words mean. But the Romans stuck 2 months in front of them (July and August--named after Roman Caesars), without changing the names of the numbered months. So now the 7th month is actually the 9th month, the 8th is the 10th, the 9th is the 11th, and the 10th is the 12th. Trick or treat!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
reinsurance, renewing insurance
When your insurance policy expires, and you contact the insurance agent to pay for another year, you have renewed your insurance policy. The new policy is a renewal of the old one.
Reinsurance means something completely different. You may have encountered this term if you have read all of the "fine print" on the back of your insurance policy. Reinsurance is what an insurance company does when it farms out some of its insurance. Another insurance company--a reinsurance company--is actually assuming the risk, or some of the risk, of insuring you. The relationship of the initial insurance company and the reinsurer is strictly financial--you will still deal only with the insurance company whose name is on your policy.
Reinsurance means something completely different. You may have encountered this term if you have read all of the "fine print" on the back of your insurance policy. Reinsurance is what an insurance company does when it farms out some of its insurance. Another insurance company--a reinsurance company--is actually assuming the risk, or some of the risk, of insuring you. The relationship of the initial insurance company and the reinsurer is strictly financial--you will still deal only with the insurance company whose name is on your policy.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
twenty-five cent words
The expression "a twenty-five cent word" means a very long word. It's not simply a description, but a bit of bygone reality. Very long words cost twenty-five cents to send, in the days of telegrams. Other words could be sent at the rate of ten cents per word. If someone tried to save money by substituting one very long word for three or four short ones, the telegraph company charged extra--twenty-five cents per extra-long word. I don't know exactly how long a word had to be to cost twenty-five cents to send.
In some ways telegraph messages were a lot like modern "texting". Any word not strictly necessary was left out--because the sender was paying by the word, not because typing was hard on a tiny keyboard. This is still called "telegraphic speech"--using only the few words necessary to get a message across.
In some ways telegraph messages were a lot like modern "texting". Any word not strictly necessary was left out--because the sender was paying by the word, not because typing was hard on a tiny keyboard. This is still called "telegraphic speech"--using only the few words necessary to get a message across.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
bad, badly
To smell bad means to stink.
To small badly means to mistake garbage for roses--or roses for garbage.
Bad is an adjective--it modifies a noun (thing or idea).
Badly is an adverb--it modifies a verb (an action of some kind, even a mental action, like thinking ).
To feel bad means to be sick or to hurt. Saying it this way means the person is what feels the bad feeling.
To feel badly means to grab a cactus when you meant to grope for a towel. Ouch. Here you have a person doing a bad job of feeling.
To small badly means to mistake garbage for roses--or roses for garbage.
Bad is an adjective--it modifies a noun (thing or idea).
Badly is an adverb--it modifies a verb (an action of some kind, even a mental action, like thinking ).
To feel bad means to be sick or to hurt. Saying it this way means the person is what feels the bad feeling.
To feel badly means to grab a cactus when you meant to grope for a towel. Ouch. Here you have a person doing a bad job of feeling.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
dead letters, dead languages, a morgue for articles
A dead letter is a letter or some other piece of mail that the post office has been unable to deliver. It may be missing an address, and have no return address. The address may be illegible ( impossible to read ). This mail sits in what the post office calls the "dead letter office". The post office keeps it there for a while before discarding it. So put your return address on any mail you send. If the post office can't deliver a piece of mail, and it has a return address, they bring it back to the person who sent it.
A "dead language" is a language that no one speaks. Like Latin or ancient Egyptian, it exists only in old books and museums. There are a few people who can read some of these languages. They became interested enough to study them, and can read the old books or tablets written in "dead languages". No one really knows what these languages sounded like, because no one alive can speak them.
A newspaper "morgue" is a file room where a newspaper keeps copies of articles it has published in the past. If you wrote to the newspaper and told them what you were looking for, they would find it and send you a copy. Sometimes they charged for copying and mailing, but that's all. Now some newspaper archives are available online, and the custom of newspaper "morgues" is dying.
A "dead language" is a language that no one speaks. Like Latin or ancient Egyptian, it exists only in old books and museums. There are a few people who can read some of these languages. They became interested enough to study them, and can read the old books or tablets written in "dead languages". No one really knows what these languages sounded like, because no one alive can speak them.
A newspaper "morgue" is a file room where a newspaper keeps copies of articles it has published in the past. If you wrote to the newspaper and told them what you were looking for, they would find it and send you a copy. Sometimes they charged for copying and mailing, but that's all. Now some newspaper archives are available online, and the custom of newspaper "morgues" is dying.
Monday, October 24, 2011
acronyms
An acronym is a word made of the first letter of each word in a phrase--a longer name or title, for instance. "MADD" stands for "Mothers Against Drunk Drivers", for example. When the initials (the first, or "initial" letters ) of the phrase make a word, or something that can be pronounced as a word, that is an acronym. When the initials do not make a word that we recognize, we usually just say each letter, as in "USA".
"AIDS" is an acronym for "acquired immune deficiency syndrome."
"PTSD" doesn't spell a word, or what can be pronounced as a word, so we just say each letter--P--T--S--D--when we see it written down. It stands for "post-traumatic stress disorder".
"PIN" is an acronym for "personal identification number". It is read just like the word, "pin".
"ATM" stands for "automatic teller machine", but we have to say each letter---A--T--M.
"AIDS" is an acronym for "acquired immune deficiency syndrome."
"PTSD" doesn't spell a word, or what can be pronounced as a word, so we just say each letter--P--T--S--D--when we see it written down. It stands for "post-traumatic stress disorder".
"PIN" is an acronym for "personal identification number". It is read just like the word, "pin".
"ATM" stands for "automatic teller machine", but we have to say each letter---A--T--M.
Friday, October 21, 2011
anthropomorphism and personification
Anthropomorphism and personification are two very long words some people (you know who you are) love to bandy about, sometimes in the wrong way.
For the record--anthropomorphism is all the talking animals you have ever seen in a cartoon, or in a children's book--or anyplace else. Making animals talk as if they were people, or dressing them in clothes and having them go to school, drive a car, or perform a human job of some kind--all of this is anthropomorphism--to make them into people.
Personification means to make an idea, particularly an abstract (can't touch it, or put a "shape" on it) concept, into a person. One example of personification is the Statue of Liberty. Another is the image of justice as a blindfolded woman with a balance scale and a sword. That is what we think justice would look like if it were a person. The concept of personification also applies to a depiction of the same kind of abstract concept in words--as in a poem or myth.
For the record--anthropomorphism is all the talking animals you have ever seen in a cartoon, or in a children's book--or anyplace else. Making animals talk as if they were people, or dressing them in clothes and having them go to school, drive a car, or perform a human job of some kind--all of this is anthropomorphism--to make them into people.
Personification means to make an idea, particularly an abstract (can't touch it, or put a "shape" on it) concept, into a person. One example of personification is the Statue of Liberty. Another is the image of justice as a blindfolded woman with a balance scale and a sword. That is what we think justice would look like if it were a person. The concept of personification also applies to a depiction of the same kind of abstract concept in words--as in a poem or myth.
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