9/20/02
This time I want to discuss my ideas about elements of our language.
Have you ever thought about the words-
we say without really knowing their meaning? What is wysiwig, and how do you pronounce it? What exactly is a pixel? How about å-la-Carte and al-fresco? Do you know which is flotsam and which is jetsam? These types of words are all around us but go virtually unquestioned by children and adults alike.
Looking but not seeing-
reminds me of the time when I bought a new car and suddenly noticed just how many others like it were on the road. I soon realized that the others had been there all along, but they just had not caught my attention. They had no relevancy for me before I made my purchase.
Dispelling Obscurity-
too often we gloss over what is readily apparent! We look at a building but do not discern its parts, and we will not unless we learn the language of buildings. If we have never heard of dentils or pilasters, these parts will remain obscure. This sort of oblivion is easy to dispel, however, with just a bit of training especially if we set a goal to educate others and ourselves to the art of seeing. We need awakened eyes.
Free samples are available
Check out Word Web Vocabulary at www.wordwebvocabulary.com or call toll free - 866-WordWeb. Ask about our assessment tools and deep discounts for classroom sets.
Please contact me with your questions or comments: emiller@seepub.com
-Elinor
