Tag: words


  • metaphors

    Is language merely a metaphor? Metaphors describe an experience of which we do not already have words for by comparing it to another experience. And the words we have for an experience are only words, they are not the experience in and of themselves. The words can shape the experience, (or how we think of…

    Continue reading


  • value

    I do not like the word value. Mostly because of its connotations. “Value menu” is one. (which just feels like such a weird name for the cheap part of the menu.) But also because people in leadership positions saying they want to add “value” to people’s lives as a way of guising the real goal…

    Continue reading


  • nebulochaotic

    I spent 3 minutes looking up whether nebulochaotic was a real word. The verdict? I don’t know. I read it in a book, which makes me think it is real. But it is not in a dictionary. So not real? But other people have mentioned it. So, real? I guess words become real when we…

    Continue reading


  • adopt a word

    In high school a friend and I “adopted a word.” There was a website where you would receive a random (and not commonly used) word to integrate into your lexicon so that the word would not go out of use. (words that wane in popularity are dropped from the dictionary) I forget what the word…

    Continue reading


  • 2 words

    I originally started this with this sentence: “2 words that I experienced before I knew the word.” And then I realized that that is how all words are– experience predates our knowledge of language. But that does not undercut the joy with which naming experiences brings me. So, the 2 words. petrichor: the smell associated…

    Continue reading


  • point of view

    I used to think that if I said something just right, or if I wrote something just clearly enough then people would be able to see things through a different point of view. Now, I think this is only true if the other person is willing. If someone doesn’t want to understand your life and…

    Continue reading


  • language

    After spending long days in rehearsals where only Italian is spoken, I’m learning that a lot of things can be communicated without words. Rather, I do not understand the words that the conductor is saying, but I do understand what she wants. It seems kind of amazing that we built this whole system to communicate,…

    Continue reading


  • signifiers

    Sometimes it is tricky to recognize my critical/harsh inner voice, but I’ve recognized a few words that act to signal that I may be have tainted the scenario with unhelpful emotions. Critical signifiers: even. ex.: Am I even learning anything? always. ex. He always does this. never. ex. They never listen. Recognizing and then rephrasing…

    Continue reading


  • does that make sense?

    “Does that make sense?” A question that I ask my students frequently. But I forget that most people are non-confrontational. And for them to say, “no, that does not make sense,” may suggest two things. First, that I did not explain the material in a way that they understood, which theoretically one/I could take offense…

    Continue reading


  • empower vs. liberate

    To liberate is to set someone free from a circumstance, while to empower is to give someone the authority to act. To empower, in the case of popular feminism, assumes that the only liberation a woman needs is the liberation from her own self-limiting beliefs. Empowerment says that if a woman simply has more confidence…

    Continue reading