Word.

I am a dedicated logophile.
If that sounds unfamiliar, please click here.
Words just plain make me happy.

Part of this, I am sure, is rooted in my high school Latin education. (Thank you, Mr. Joe Gilpin. Amo, amas, amat . . . * You're right. I've never forgotten them.) I fell in love with derivatives, and competed at State Forum in Miami.
Believe it or not, this required wearing pseudo-togas and participating in a slave auction. I am not kidding. I think I fetched a quarter.
Good times.

The demise of the English language troubles lots of people. My dad, for instance, has lately been complaining that you cannot "text" someone. Well, of course you can. You can also blog all day long. I have no problem with what I call the verbalization of nouns. I'm pretty sure Dad "phoned" people when he was younger.

My issues are more like these:

Rampant Apostrophitis
Please do not try to entice me to purchase "Rug's".
If you want to name your child D'On'te, that is your business, but I have a hard time understanding why.
It's really annoying when you make its description into it's description, but I'll ignore it and read on anyway. Especially if it is really interesting.

Ecspecially. Expresso.
Nope.

There They're Their
Enough said.

Me
"Joe gave that car to Doodlebug and I."
This makes my brain shriek, "ME ME ME".

My friends are already expecting this one:
It is spelled "y'all". It is a contraction of "you" and "all". It is NOT ya'll. (I have seen this done by an uber-successful Southern author. Shame on him.)
"Y'all" is always plural. If there is a big group, it can be "all y'all."

(All y'all please let me continue for just one more moment. I really am going somewhere with this, and not trying to be your English teacher.)

I have discovered a website that thrills me, and I want you to know about it. Courtesy of Oxford Dictionaries, it is called "Save the Words".
This is soooooo cool.
The words cry out, "Pick me!" as you guide the cursor around the page. When you select one by clicking on it, you are asked to "adopt" that word. In doing so, you solemnly promise to perpetuate your word's life by using it in conversation and correspondence to the best of your ability.
You are then asked to purchase a $25 t-shirt with your "adoptee" on it, but you can ignore that.
I am pretty sure your word will not write you each month and beg for money. Nor will it send you cute pictures of itself.
It will just live on happily in the lexicon of the Queen's English, American English, The Correct Way to Speak, or whatever you want to call it.
I think that is a wonderful thing.
Save the Words


*Your Latin lesson for the day:
amo = I love
amas = you (singular) love
amat = he, she or it loves
amamus = we love
amatis = you (plural) love
amant = they love


Te amamus from Delta.