Generational Sounds

Every generation has its unique sound. Music is the first thing that comes to mind. Who doesn’t remember the Big Band sounds of the ‘40’s, the beatnik rock and roll era of the ‘50’s, the mellow ‘60’s,  the groovy ‘70’s, or the always popular bitchin’ tunes of the ‘80’s? I’m not sure if you noticed what I did there, but it’s not just the music that represents the sounds of a particular generation. It’s the language, the slang, the terms the popular kids used at school. There’s a distinct sound for every generation.

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PSA – Facebook AI Doesn’t Have A Thesaurus

Facebook uses artificial intelligence to flag certain words and phrases that it deems “inappropriate,” and if you use those words or phrases, you’ll be sent a nastygram and your comment or post will be made invisible to the public. This is common knowledge. People get their comments removed quite frequently and they even find themselves in FB jail for posting certain content. (So much for freedom of speech, but whatever.) But, here’s what you don’t know: Facebook AI does NOT use a thesaurus. And that’s where the fun comes in.

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I Speak On Behalf Of . . .

Being an innkeeper has opened my eyes to a lot of things that I never really noticed before. For instance, quite a few people travel in groups, be they family situations or just long-time friends who like to vacation together. I think that’s neat. I don’t remember my family ever traveling with any other family or friends, other than mom, dad, me and my older brother. I guess on occasion we’d include an aunt or uncle and cousins, but usually it was just the four of us.

But, it’s fairly often that we get couples traveling together through Vicksburg.

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Witchore and Other Southern Words

I’m a word snob; I admit it. But, I have to be. I’m a writer, it comes with the territory. If’n I didn’t talk good nobody’d buy my books. But here in the south, folks, even well educated folks, look at you funny if you speak proper English.

Image courtesy Google Images

Here, people like to run words together. I find it amusing to listen to the locals talk. I know what they’re saying, but it’s ain’t said right. Here, they use words like “witchore,” and “atchu.” I’ve started a mental dictionary because I hear repeated piggybacked words all run together a lot. Here’s a partial list:

Photo courtesy Google Images

Witchore – “What kind of dressing you want witchore salad?”

Tars – “Yesterday I had two flat tars on my car.”

Atchu – “I’m looking atchu.”

Deygohn – “Are the Rickrodes still in California?” “No. Deygohn.”

Andem – “Who’s coming for dinner?” “Patricia andem.”

Ohl – “You put a little ohl on that and it’ll slide easier.”

Gwan – “Gwan down the Frontage road to Wal-Mart.”

Sumpin – “You want sumpin to drink?”

I’m trying my darndest not to laugh at these colloquialisms but sometimes a smile still creeps onto my face. So far I haven’t had to explain myself, but I’m sure one of these days, someone will ask me what I find amusing.

What about you dear readers, what expressions make you smile? What wrong words drive you crazy? The one I find the most annoying is using “axe” for “ask.” Drives. Me. Nuts. Don’t axe me why.

Word of the Day: Bonbonniere

Fun Fact About Me: I secretly enjoy silently making fun of the way people talk. Hey, I’m a self-admitted word snob.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, August 2015. Photos courtesy Google Images

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Sometimes Words Can Win you Stuff

I love words.

Photo courtesy Google Images

My very first blog post was about the Wacky World of Words, wherein I went on and on about the craziness of the English language. You can read all about it here: https://jansenschmidt.wordpress.com/2011/11/.

As most of you know, I end each new post with a word of the day. It’s something fun I like to do because I like to discover new words. Some of you pay attention to that little detail at the end of my posts. So much so, that I have been awarded because of it. CJ Burright bestowed upon me the Sisterhood of the Word Bloggers Award, for which I am honored. See CJ’s post here: http://cjburright.com/?p=439. Thank you CJ!

Because Colleen Patrick always tries to incorporate my word of the day into her comments, I am passing this award on to her. According to the “rules,” if you receive this award you are to: post the logo on your blog, thank the nominator (that would be me), choose some nominees of your own, and post their blog links.

I choose Colleen specifialy because of her obvious curiousity and subsequent research about my word of the day. Although Colleen’s a pretty smart cookie so perhaps she didn’t need to do research at all. Perhaps she’s just got a head full of crazy words and their definitions. Anyone else who wants to pass along this award on to someone you know who inspires you with fun new words, feel free to do so. Just be sure to include the “rules.”

Image courtesy Google

And now on to the next portion of todays’ post, the August installment of What Haven’t I. I know you’ve all been waiting breathlessly so wait no longer. But first, a reminder of how the game works:  You don’t need to know a single thing about me to play. All you have to do is record your guesses in the comments section below.

Three of the answers are things that I have actually done. Only one is something I have not. It’s your job to guess which thing I haven’t done. Simple? Easy peasy. You can’t win if you don’t play. Have fun and good luck!

My responses will be posted on August 26th. The person with the most correct guesses will win a prize (if they check back and acknowledge that they have won by leaving another comment) AND the first person who responds back on the 26th, regardless of how many responses they got right, will also receive a prize if they leave a second comment.

So, without further ado:

Photo courtesy Google Images

1. (Speaking of awards) For which sport have I not received an award? a) bowling; b) volleyball; c) baseball; or d) basketball.

2. What haven’t I had in my yard? a) a skunk; b) a bear; c) a porcupine: or d) a mountain lion.

3. What haven’t I carried around in my car? a) a toothbrush; b) a stuffed animal; c) a blanket; or d) a knife.

4. What haven’t I crashed? a) a snowmobile; b) a car; c) a motorcycle; or d) a party.

5.  What haven’t I crossed? a) the Atlantic Ocean; b) the Pacific Ocean; c) the Caribbean Sea; or d) the Mediterrean Sea.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing you all back on the 26th.

Word of the Day: Hoi Polloi

Fun fact about me: I am an amateur ventriloquist.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, August 2013. Most photos courtesy Google Images.

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