{"id":6760,"date":"2022-08-08T23:40:33","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/?p=6760"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:40:33","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:40:33","slug":"writing-english-and-jumping-to-some-new-conclusions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/writing-english-and-jumping-to-some-new-conclusions\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing English: And Jumping to Some New Conclusions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPlay with words \u2026 is one of the most beloved practices of human beings the world over and throughout recorded time.\u201d –Walter Redfern, Puns, <\/em>Basil Blackwell Press, 1988<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anyone who ventures to horse around with the English language is bound to get carried away. For words \u2013 like horses \u2013 are full of wild energy and have a mind and magic all their own. Ride the language long enough \u2013 especially off the beaten path \u2013 and you\u2019re sure to get transported to a surreal whirled<\/strong> in which words speak for themselves and tell us who we think we are.<\/p>\n

Actually, we live in this world of back-talking words all the time. It\u2019s just that we\u2019re really not all H<\/sup><\/strong>Ear and so rarely pay A<\/sup><\/strong>Tension to the secondary commentary bubbling up from the running stream of verbal burble that goes babbling through our minds and pouring out in every conversation.<\/p>\n

If we did give our words a fair hearing \u2013 perhaps because we were a-frayed<\/strong> we might one day have to eat the very words we spoke ingest<\/strong> when we disgust<\/strong> a tasteless subject \u2013 we\u2019d probably chews<\/strong> them a lot more carefully providing that we had the wherewithal.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, not much is required to acquire such a skill. Although it takes an unadult<\/strong>erated child or accomplished animal communicator to let us know what our horses are saying about us \u00ad\u2013 behind our backs and while we\u2019re on their backs \u2013 anyone can become a WordWhisp<\/strong>erer who eaves drops on the unheard words that echo through our double talk.<\/p>\n

All it takes is a penchant for whimsy and a childlike inner sense<\/strong> that words can cast spells<\/strong> and that W<\/sup><\/strong>rites <\/strong>may set off lasting Re<\/sup>Percussions<\/strong> beyond our spoken in<\/sup><\/strong>tensions<\/strong>. Only then do we discover that hidden in plain view \u2013 in the sonograms created by some words\u2019 reVERB<\/strong>erations \u2013 are images of how our culture envisages reality, which may vary very greatly from what we usually believe.<\/p>\n

Animal Husbandry<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, though we think of our abstract language as what distinguishes us from the other creatures, we frequently use vocabulary that lynx<\/strong> us back to our animal origins.<\/p>\n

Consider that at various times women have been referred to as chicks<\/strong>, foxes<\/strong>, bitches<\/strong> and nags<\/strong> \u2013 who like to yak<\/strong> a lot; while men have been described as wolves<\/strong>, cats<\/strong>, beasts<\/strong>, and rats<\/strong> \u2013 who buffalo<\/strong> and badger <\/strong>women for a little tail<\/strong>, carp<\/strong> about their imperfections, then jump the fence like a dirty dog<\/strong> to take a gander<\/strong> at the bird<\/strong> next door.<\/p>\n

Still, well beyond this realm of obvious borrowings are words that reSound with our real view of the world \u2013 even without our conscious consent.<\/p>\n

For instance, why wouldn\u2019t a man have a Peter Pan complex if his only alternative is to become groan-up<\/strong> and a dolt<\/strong>? Who doesn\u2019t feel some apprehension at the prospect of becoming committed <\/strong>for life? And isn\u2019t it natural to shy away from the wedding ring<\/strong> when its primary purpose is to stop our circulation? Yet, since the effects of careless love are soon to become a parent<\/strong>, what are we to do?<\/p>\n

All of us need to feel kneaded<\/strong> and loved. But there\u2019s a wide spread intimacy-phobia among us that\u2019s reflected in that very word \u2013 in-to-me-see<\/strong> \u2013 as well as other words related to relationships.<\/p>\n

Behold the OUCH in T<\/sup>OUCH<\/strong> and the potential for being hurt if we get too C<\/sup>LOSE<\/strong> and then LOSE our connection to the object of our affections (and projections). When we suffer such reversals of EROS<\/strong> we get SORE<\/strong>. So, it\u2019s little wonder that no sooner do some couples UNITE<\/strong> then their lover\u2019s K<\/sub>NOT<\/strong> begins to UNTIE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A Few Rules for Verbal Engagement<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Anagrams and puns are highly popular forms of wordplay. Anagrams consist of different words formed by rearranging the same letters \u2013 as when MARITAL<\/strong> turns MARTIAL<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Puns \u2013 also known as homonyms, homophones, homographs as well as other more elegant and obscure terms \u2013 are words that share the same sound but not the same meaning and not necessarily the same letters, as for instance when DUEL<\/strong> finds itself inextricably locked into DUAL<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Then, there are the heteronyms, those words that look identical but harbor different sounds and meanings \u2013 as exemplified by CLOSE<\/strong>. When used as a verb, CLOSE means to shut, lock, seal or secure. But when used as an adjective, it describes us as physically proximate or emotionally intimate.<\/p>\n

Ironically, one must feel secure in order to open up, get C<\/sub>LOSE <\/strong>with a L<\/sub>OVER <\/strong>and then face the risk of loss through our willingness to love. Given how fraught with emotional tension this venture can be, it\u2019s little wonder that OPEN<\/strong> has the option of scrambling into NOPE<\/strong> with hardly a M<\/sup>omen<\/strong>T<\/sup>\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n

The Urge to Merge<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

This series of paradoxical pairs reminds us that opposites attract but may also attack. So, though we all enter this world of duality through a union of opposites \u2013 and everyone emerges from the Universal W<\/sup>h\u25cfle \u2013 there is still the animal urge to feel SUPER-I-O<\/sub>R<\/strong> to others. And many are taut<\/strong> by their culture to harbor an aversion<\/strong> to a version<\/strong> of reality that appears to oppose their own.<\/p>\n

This is the cause of the common coldness that grippe<\/strong>s humanity in DisPAIR<\/strong>. It is also what can cause a romantic honeymoon to turn into the lunacy of wedded blitz.\u00a0 It is thus essential to keep in mind that even when we differ and suffer, we are all a part<\/strong> of all that is and can never be apart<\/strong> from the rest of Creation \u2013 including the very words we use to speak about our lives.<\/p>\n

Words are a mirror of our minds. And English makes it clear that if we want to heal we must RePAIR<\/strong> all the opposing forces within and between us.<\/p>\n

The word oppo<\/strong>site demonstrates how this can be done; for it begins with two consecutive letters of the alphabet that then repeat in opposite order. What better illustration of partnership is there than that?<\/p>\n

We find a similar message when we look more closely at the word immunity: imm<\/sub>unity<\/strong>. All forms of conflict diminish in size and frequency when we live in a state of forgiveness and atonement \u2013 also spelled AT-ONE-ment.<\/p>\n

So, how did our words get to be so reflective and instructive? And why have we ignored their wisdom for so long \u2013 especially when it comes to marriage and horses?<\/p>\n

Does Everything Happen by Chants?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Words \u2013 like horses \u2013 are an ancient means of conveyance. They, too, have a tale and leave a trail that tells us where they\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n

Etymologists are word trackers who trace the history of a word\u2019s origins, migrations and permutations over time into different forms, meanings and languages.<\/p>\n

But what of all those random words that \u2013 like so many people \u2013 seem magnetically drawn across continents and cultures to share a common vibrational resonance and residence even though they may lack any common historical precedence?\u00a0 Does this occur simply by chants \u2013 or is there a deeper, unnamed force at work here?<\/p>\n

I call such linguistic synchronicities the \u2018Homonym fun<\/strong>omonym\u2019 \u2013 while others call them meaningless coincidence. Some say there\u2019s \u2018no such thing as a coincidence.\u2019 But since apparently unrelated people, horses, words, and events are constantly co-inciding with each other unexpectedly \u2013 and often with miraculous results \u2013 I am prone to say that there are actually innumerable coincidences few of which are lacking in significance. Perhaps there is a mysterious co-inside-dance<\/em><\/strong> occurring all the time in our linguistic echo-chamber.<\/p>\n

Though A Noise Annoys Aloud\u2019s Allowed<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Early cultures encouraged wordplay as a means to promote literacy and language mastery. In our own culture, however, wordplay like this is basically considered foolish fun that belongs to the realm of humor and advertising.<\/p>\n

For many centuries, Westerners have further dismissed puns as the lowest form of wit. Thus today, even those unfamiliar with this old bias are still likely to say, \u2018pardon my pun\u2019 when indulging in one. Their listeners typically respond on cue with a groan of condescension \u2013 regardless the pleasure they took in the fun.<\/p>\n

Our ancient predecessors had no such qualms about words whose sounds convey multiple meanings and whose letters make sense in different arrangements. Early Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek and Roman scholars were highly attuned to the philosophic, scientific and even divine implications they perceived in homonyms and anagrams.<\/p>\n

The word a<\/strong>nagram<\/strong>, itself, transposes into Ars Magna, the \u2018Great Art\u2019 in Latin.\u00a0 And indeed, the ancients were alert to the possibility that re-ordering the symbols in words could reveal esoteric messages and valuable prophecy.<\/p>\n

Two of the greatest writers in the English language \u2013 William Shakespeare and James Joyce \u2013 frequently employed double entendres to communicate simultaneously on many levels at once through a single word or phrase. So, what is it with us that we still dismiss most wordplay as nonsensical and thus remain oblivious to the insights available inside SEM<\/sup>ANTIC REVELATIONS<\/sup><\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Since words emerge at the convergence of culture and consciousness, we can actually learn a lot about ourselves \u2013 and even encounter our own deeper wisdom \u2013 if we simply look more closely at the surface of our words, let their resonant cymbals ring bells in our minds, and become less dismissive of co-incidence when we find strange verbal bedfellows wedded through their sounds.<\/p>\n

Words to the Wise<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The nearly unpronounceable word \u2018onomatopoeia,\u2019 which means \u2018name-making\u2019 in Greek, is a term we use for words that sound like what they\u2019re meant to represent \u2013 as in tingle and clank, fizzle and pop, crash and bang.<\/p>\n

I know of no comparable term for self-defining words that depict their own meaning through their spelling.\u00a0 For the moment, I\u2019ll call them pictonyms.<\/p>\n

Only a few pictonyms have been widely noticed thus far. There is dis-ease<\/strong> that reveals stress as a cause of illness. There\u2019s also the recognition that History<\/strong> really is His Story<\/strong> \u2013\u2013 the victor\u2019s telling of the tale rather than a factual account of events. And many people have noticed that live<\/strong> turns evil<\/strong> when we get it backwords.<\/em> Given all these linguistic synchronicities, it seems fair to conclude that language is not merely grammatical but holo-grammatical as well. For it is rife with such punning and anagramatical echoes and reflections that we mostly over<\/sup>look or under<\/sub>hear.<\/p>\n

When we do give our words a closer inspection, we find the whole purpose of life on Earth spelled out in two primary English pictonyms that bring us back full circle to marriage and horses.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard that it\u2019s love that makes the \"\" whorled<\/strong> go round and it certainly can leave us spinning and buzzing. So, it\u2019s not surprising that when we turn LOVE<\/strong>, itself, completely around we get the primary letters for the word EVOL<\/strong>ve.<\/p>\n

Love is, indeed, the evolutionary force that brings opposites together to create new life. Thus, the words LOVE<\/strong> and EVOL<\/strong>ve, when woven together, intertwine like the strands of DNA to depict the whole basis for life.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

DNA, too, has meaning in reverse. Turn it around and it becomes AND \u2013 the ultimate connector and expander.<\/p>\n

The English language offers further evidence that love is the basis and purpose for life on EARTH.\u00a0 When we move the final letter in our planet\u2019s name from the end to the beginning, we turn the EARTH into a HEART. And if we keep the H at both ends of the word, we come up with H<\/sup>EARTH<\/sup><\/strong> \u2013 which represents the comforts of h<\/sup>om<\/strong>e<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to conclude from all of this that the purpose of Life on Earth is not to get ahead of everybody else in the human RACE<\/em><\/strong> but to get a heart full of Love to share with each other. For like marriage and horses, L<\/sup>if<\/strong>E<\/sup>\u2019s an UN<\/sup>STABLE<\/strong> GAMBOL<\/strong>. And only LOVE has the horsepower to keep us in the race.<\/p>\n

Please Note<\/u><\/strong>: This Essay is the final section in Horsing Around: The Inside Word on Marriage and Horses. <\/em>Only a few copies are available of this coffee table picture book, and they sell for $100 plus postage to wherever in the world you are!<\/p>\n

https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/horsing-around\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cPlay with words \u2026 is one of the most beloved practices of human beings the world over and throughout recorded time.\u201d –Walter Redfern, Puns, Basil Blackwell Press, 1988 Anyone who…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6760"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6760"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6765,"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6760\/revisions\/6765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordmagicglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}