tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379581147262228210.post94121393997653865..comments2024-03-26T13:17:29.405-04:00Comments on Outlandish Observations: Diana's strange and unusual wordsKaren Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07635855088490793965noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379581147262228210.post-87616565241716416422008-09-27T10:55:00.000-04:002008-09-27T10:55:00.000-04:00I also like to check out her lesser known words. I...I also like to check out her lesser known words. I don't check as many as I should but the one that kept popping up that finally got me to grab my dictionary was "alacrity". She uses it often and I'd never heard it before.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379581147262228210.post-2291789300762365002008-09-26T20:46:00.000-04:002008-09-26T20:46:00.000-04:00Hi Karen, I agree with you! I love the new and in...Hi Karen, <BR/><BR/>I agree with you! I love the new and interesting (to me) words Diana uses in her books. I often find I have to look up words in my dict. as well. I also enjoy reading (learning) about English words that really aren't in use any more,(like usury). As a nurse I watch for the words for diseases that are no longer in popular use, like apoplexy. I can't imagine that written in a chart!!<BR/><BR/>Who knew when I picked up Outlander in the library, it would have such a significant impact on me and future reading.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379581147262228210.post-45094159529863924982008-09-26T16:33:00.000-04:002008-09-26T16:33:00.000-04:00Karen:I just got back from playing hooky -- went t...Karen:<BR/><BR/>I just got back from playing hooky -- went to lunch with a couple friends who also have autistic kids. <BR/><BR/>You do not have to apologize for misspellings or typos. You have proven yourself, beyond a doubt, to be intelligent, thoughtful, and in possession of cognitive functioning. I didn't even see the error until you pointed it out. : )<BR/><BR/>MidgeMerrymagshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03067685823930927536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379581147262228210.post-12229120832916055712008-09-26T15:13:00.000-04:002008-09-26T15:13:00.000-04:00Um, you'll forgive the typo in the first sente...Um, you'll forgive the typo in the first sentence of my reply to you, I hope? (Yes, I do know how to spell <wry g> but apparently I can't type on a Friday afternoon. <sigh><BR/><BR/>KarenKaren Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07635855088490793965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379581147262228210.post-82333336950823831012008-09-26T14:18:00.000-04:002008-09-26T14:18:00.000-04:00Hi Merrymags:Good to se you over here! I agree 10...Hi Merrymags:<BR/><BR/>Good to se you over here! <BR/><BR/>I agree 100% with your comment about "dumbing down". Diana's books have the opposite effect on me as a reader. I learn new things on every re-read (or "re-listen", as the case may be <g>). And I've found myself engaging in the sort of literary analysis on these books that I haven't done since college, looking for the deeper themes, the foreshadowing, the subtler shades of meaning that may be buried so deep that they aren't even visible until the umpteenth re-read. <g> It seems no matter how far I dig down into the deeper layers, there's still more to discover. And that never ceases to amaze me.<BR/><BR/>KarenKaren Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07635855088490793965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379581147262228210.post-90721514874407247032008-09-26T11:17:00.000-04:002008-09-26T11:17:00.000-04:00As a book lover, words are an integral part of why...As a book lover, words are an integral part of why I love them. I enjoy the way certain words trip and flow off my tongue, while the pronunciation of others take some practice in front of the mirror. Diana does have an extraordinary vocabulary, but it doesn't surprise me. In fact, I would be disappointed and dismayed if she didn't because the novels, aside from the vocabulary, prove that she has an active, educated mind. Any writer that "dumbs down" either himself or the reader deserves to have his books tossed into a "vanities bonfire." <BR/><BR/>I do employ a dictionary or go straight to my computer's online source. Usually, though, I first try to glean a word's meaning from the context in which it is used. Then, I make sure to try and incorporate the words I learn into my vocabulary. <BR/><BR/>I also watch for "tricks," such as Diana's use of onomatopoeia, imagery, personification, etc. All of these elements, and many more, make for some of the best reading today.Merrymagshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03067685823930927536noreply@blogger.com