EXERCISE: dasypygal
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writercisesoriginal posting: Wed, 27 Aug 2003 15:51:53 +0900
Some time ago, in college (yes, they did have colleges back then, and I did attend one), one of the English courses I took had a rather simple exercise.
The professor walked through the class, depositing a 3x5 card on each person's desk. We then looked at our word -- all a bit unusual, typically something you were going to have to look up in the dictionary to find out the meaning. Then, of course, we were supposed to write a short story (or at least a scene), using this word in such a way that the meaning would be explained by the context/actions of the story. I.e., you could not simply explain what the word meant, rather you would provide action/scene/etc. that SHOWED what the word meant.
The professor recommended that we always include such a "learning experience" in our work. Not more than one in a piece, but there should be something for the reader to learn, and it should be introduced in this subtle way.
For some reason, today's wordsmith mail reminded me of this. Suppose you wanted to use "dasypygal" in a tale. How would you bring out the pertinent details, and tie this little word into them?
"The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think."
Edwin Schlossberg
Some time ago, in college (yes, they did have colleges back then, and I did attend one), one of the English courses I took had a rather simple exercise.
The professor walked through the class, depositing a 3x5 card on each person's desk. We then looked at our word -- all a bit unusual, typically something you were going to have to look up in the dictionary to find out the meaning. Then, of course, we were supposed to write a short story (or at least a scene), using this word in such a way that the meaning would be explained by the context/actions of the story. I.e., you could not simply explain what the word meant, rather you would provide action/scene/etc. that SHOWED what the word meant.
The professor recommended that we always include such a "learning experience" in our work. Not more than one in a piece, but there should be something for the reader to learn, and it should be introduced in this subtle way.
For some reason, today's wordsmith mail reminded me of this. Suppose you wanted to use "dasypygal" in a tale. How would you bring out the pertinent details, and tie this little word into them?
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2003 00:10:53 -0400
From: Wordsmith <wsmith@wordsmith.org>
To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dasypygal
dasypygal (da-si-PYE-gul) adjective
Having hairy buttocks.
[From Greek dasy- (hairy, dense) + pyge (buttocks).]
A related word is dasymeter, an instrument for measuring the..., no, not that,
rather the density of gases. Another related word is callipygian, having a
beautiful behind.
-Anu
"That way, if they will just turn their caps through 180 degrees, and
the volume of their in-car stereos down a bit, and pull their trousers
up over their dasypygal features, there might be hope, yet."
Revel Barker; Open Eye: Fidel Castro And His Part in the Generation Game;
Independent (London, UK); Sep 5, 2000.
This week's theme: words to describe your opponents, vituperation.
Today's AWAD is made possible by:
Thinking Putty: Try an awesome stress reliever: Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty!
In adult-sized handfuls and amazing colors, http://puttyworld.com
And
Monthly cultural audio magazines for intermediate-to-advanced speakers of
French, German, Italian and Spanish. http://ads.champs-elysees.com/wsmith1
............................................................................
The fetters imposed on liberty at home have ever been forged out of the
weapons provided for defence against real, pretended, or imaginary dangers
from abroad. -James Madison, 4th US president (1751-1836)
Q: Tomorrow is my friend's birthday and I forgot to send her a gift. Help!
A: How about the gift of words?
A Word A Day, subscription: http://wordsmith.org/awad/gift.html
A Word A Day, the book: http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471230324/ws00-20
Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/dasypygal.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/dasypygal.ram
"The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think."
Edwin Schlossberg
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