Language

[Gilhelmi]

Tony S: S***
Capt. America: Language

I love the movie version of Captain America but I am off topic.

English is my "first" (and only) language. But I had to be taught English, not like how most of you learned it as children. No, the word 'normal' is in my dictionary, but only as a theoretical concept.

I took special classes until I was in the third grade. None of you have heard my voice, but I have a thick accent. An accent that is not native to where I grew up, and that no one in my family has, but no I am off topic.

Another thread mentioned the difference between "Fair and Equal", and this got me thinking about myself.

I will take my time looking for words, even when there is a word that most people would use, I do not like that word because it is not Precise to what I am thinking. What is the point of having two different words if they mean the same thing? example Kill=/=Murder, Kill: has a reason to end life, Murder: no just reason to end life. Drives me crazy, Bible does not say "Thou shall not kill". The word "kill" in Hebrew, clearly translates to "Murder", because later (in the same book of the Bible) says "it is not a sin to kill a thief who enters your home at night" (paraphrase, my Bible program is not opening). Kill v. Murder is not the topic here, but you start to see that these type of conversations come up in my mind when looking for the correct words.

Other times I just plain forget the word. I see the concept in my mind yet the word escapes me. Drives me crazy at work, makes me look like I have not learned the concept when in reality, I forgot the word related to said concept. Now try explaining that one to your boss. Heck, even I have a hard time believing myself, fortunately I completely trust myself.

So when are we going to develop Telepathic communication? (I have prayed this seriously) Lord God in heaven, hear this prayer that I know is not in vain, if it be your will please give me the ability to transmit and receive thoughts. In Christ's name Amen.

[Andara Bledin]

Other times I just plain forget the word. I see the concept in my mind yet the word escapes me. Drives me crazy at work, makes me look like I have not learned the concept when in reality, I forgot the word related to said concept. Now try explaining that one to your boss.

That one's easy to explain; everybody has this happen to them.

Some people have it happen more often, some people suffer injuries that make it happen a lot. But everybody suffers from being unable to bring for the word you need in a given situation at times, no matter how otherwise together they may be.

That said, if it's a significant problem or it gets worse over time, you should probably see a neurologist, as those are both symptoms common with issues such as tumors or brain degeneration.

My hubby had an episode where a blood vessel in his brain sprung a leak and pumped a puddle of blood inside his brain, putting pressure on a few different areas, with the most significant affects being distinct visual hallucinations and a high degree of aphasia. Not only could he not read (he could identify the letters and knew that they were in the right patterns to form words, but he couldn't actually identify the words that they formed), but he suffered from verbal aphasia as well.

Thankfully the issue cleared up on its own, but they never did figure out what caused it, and even a year later he still has issues with some word associations as the area that held the connections in his memory was damaged, so he's having to rebuild those associations bit by bit.

If it's something that's constant and unchanging, then it's likely just a wiring issue in the brain that makes such connections harder to form and thus makes bringing up the appropriate words much more difficult. Stress will, as always, exacerbate the problem, which is why so often when we stop trying to remember the word, it becomes clear what it was all along.

[TheHuckster]

My hubby had an episode where a blood vessel in his brain sprung a leak and pumped a puddle of blood inside his brain, putting pressure on a few different areas, with the most significant affects being distinct visual hallucinations and a high degree of aphasia. Not only could he not read (he could identify the letters and knew that they were in the right patterns to form words, but he couldn't actually identify the words that they formed), but he suffered from verbal aphasia as well.

A long time ago (1990s) I read an article about this. Doctors have attributed these sorts of conditions as something along the lines of "transient strokes" whose symptoms appear and disappear, and is due to temporary blood loss or clots in the brain. It's something that happened to my mother and grandmother once in their lives (IIRC it lasted less than a day, possibly even an hour or so), and it was quite scary. I'm not sure if studies have changed since then to attribute this condition to something else, but seeing that strokes are pretty common in my family, it is at least plausible. I should note, though, that if you (general you) ever find yourself or someone else in a situation like that, don't assume it will go away on its own. Strokes are things you don't dawdle about. Seek medical attention immediately.

The thing about language, at least in every day vernacular, word choice isn't critical. If you say "kill" to mean "murder" or "show" to mean "movie" the people you're conversing with probably don't even notice it, and if they do, it's no big deal. The subtle differences are more formalities than anything else. If you're writing an essay or a formal letter, then word choice is more important, but in conversation it's nothing I'd get too stressed out about.

[cewfa]

As I get closer to 30, I notice that have trouble with words sometimes and I don't have the memory I used to have. I also notice that sometimes my reflexes are a fraction of a second slower than what they were, even last year.

Is it all right if I pray for you Gilhelmi?

[HYHYBT]

One reason, or at least use, for words with identical or close-enough meanings in English is avoiding repetition.

[Gilhelmi]

No, sadly, I have always had remembering technical terms and names of people/places. (in basic training, I forgot my first name since I had not seen or heard it in three months. only lasted a couple minutes though and I was not alone in forgetting that )

I suspect it is more to do with my "unique" way of processing information. I am just better at learning the concepts, theories, and practical applications of information. I just do not learn their names well.

As the brilliant Sheldon Cooper said

I am not crazy, my mother had me tested.

I may be one of the few people who can say that truthfully as well.

[Gilhelmi]

Is it all right if I pray for you Gilhelmi?

Yes it is, thank you for the prayers.

[Andara Bledin]

No, sadly, I have always had remembering technical terms and names of people/places. (in basic training, I forgot my first name since I had not seen or heard it in three months. only lasted a couple minutes though and I was not alone in forgetting that )

I have a downright terrible time with names. If I don't know someone with the same name already or it isn't particularly memorable, I have to create a mnemonic to make it stick.

Like we had one guy working here named Brett. Couldn't remember his name for months until I associated that Brett ends in T and that the person in question was quite tall, so the Tall Guy was BretT.

In point of fact, it took that mnemonic to remember his name just to write out this comment.

In other news, mnemonics are awesome.

[Tama]

Same here. I have a hard time remembering people that I don't see very often or who are nondescript and plain.

So if I meet you and you have purple hair, I'll remember you as That Chick With Purple Hair. If you're wearing a Captain Ginyu cosplay the first time we meet, I'll probably end up calling you Captain, or remember you as That Guy That Dressed Up Like Captain Ginyu. I never knew his name, but I saw an asian guy once with a black and red striped sweater and fuzzy yoshi green pants, and I STILL remember him!

I think it offends some people, that I can't remember their names, but if I see them enough over time I will remember. It just takes time.

[Hyena Dandy]

I've seen my landlord/housemate's girlfriend at least once a week for a year or so. And yet, I still refer to her as "Blondie." If pressed, I can usually come up with "Lisa" for the name, but it takes effort.