{"id":2856,"date":"2011-07-12T17:17:53","date_gmt":"2011-07-12T21:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/?p=2856"},"modified":"2011-07-12T17:17:53","modified_gmt":"2011-07-12T21:17:53","slug":"i-could-think-of-things-i-never-thunk-before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/2011\/07\/12\/i-could-think-of-things-i-never-thunk-before\/","title":{"rendered":"I Could Think of Things I Never Thunk Before"},"content":{"rendered":"

Great job on your homework<\/a>, kids! Ready for your lesson?!<\/p>\n

[My source here is Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry<\/em>\u00a0(Perrine and Arp), a book which was recommended to me by the lovely, talented, and intelligent Cat and has been most helpful in my studies.]<\/p>\n

OK, so you know about onomatopoeia—words that sound like their meaning, such as plop<\/em>\u00a0or hiss<\/em>. But have you ever heard of…I’m so excited. I LOVE WORMS. WORMS, ROXANNE.<\/strong>*<\/em><\/p>\n

I mean, words.<\/p>\n

Have you ever heard of phonetic intensives<\/strong>? I HADN’T EITHER.<\/p>\n

These words are not onomatopoetic, and yet their sound, “by a process as yet obscure, to some degree connects with their meaning.”<\/p>\n

For example, an initial fl-<\/em>\u00a0often introduces words meaning moving light. You all gave me flicker<\/em>\u00a0and flamboyant<\/em>. Others: flame<\/em>, flare<\/em>, flash.<\/em><\/p>\n

Right?<\/p>\n

Now it doesn’t always work, as evidenced by flatulent<\/em>\u00a0(thank you, Michelle). But still. It often indicates a relationship.<\/p>\n

Here are more associations:<\/p>\n