I Like Big Words and I Cannot Lie



JOYsister Heather here! My oldest daughter, Miranda is our guest blogger for today. Miranda was an early reader and often devoured a thousand pages (or more!) a week during her elementary and middle school years. She read so much and with such great comprehension that she would make these words her own and use them correctly in her writing, but sometimes they did not have occasion to make it into her spoken communication as a child. Fast forward a few years and there are now times that we have to laugh at Miranda's expense. It is a good thing that she is a good sport about it!

Salutations. I often mispronounce words. Not common ones, but words used less frequently in our vernacular. This habit usually yields humorous results, but I’m often obliged to explain why. And the answer is that I usually learned the word through a book before ever having heard it used in conversation. Since I can remember, books have been a staple in my house. My favorite place to go was the library, and I had an in with the librarians. One of my favorite pastimes growing up to this day is being read to. This was a daily occurrence in our home. Everything from Harry Potter to historical fiction was on the table. Books occupied every available space in the house, including the bathroom. My punishment was to have my reading privileges taken away.

The love of books is not merely a hobby for me. It’s a lifestyle, one that I learned in my home growing up and that I intend to replicate with my own future family. In the meantime though, I’ll continue in my quest to learn the correct pronunciation of all of the words.
Arrivederci, JOYsister Miranda


Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 18, 2018 at 4:48 PM

    I have had the same thing happen to me with pronunciations, Miranda. ;)
    Also, I sometimes know the meanings of words that other people don’t . . . from having read the word and gathered the meaning from the context. Just the other day, another mom was talking about her child’s spelling list and was struggling to pronounce “cacophony” and wondering what in the world it meant. “A toddler in the cupboard of pots and pans creates a cacophony in the kitchen!” I told her. :)
    Words are wonderful. And so are books.

    ReplyDelete

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