Whats In A Word? More Than You Realize
What's in a word? Apparently more than we might want.
For others, the ability to express yourself in the most meaningful way.
I have written articles before on how bizarre the English language can be and for that matter; many languages have special challenges with interpreting meanings.
There is one word in China that I heard has about 40 different meanings, (one source said the two words have over 80 meanings) depending on usage and emphasis. That word is Wu Li. Gary Zukav (author of "The Seat of the Soul") talks about it in his book "The Dancing Wu Li Masters.
For the book "The Dancing Wu Li Masters", it means patterns of organic energy or physics. Other more popular meanings are:
My Way
Nonsense
I clutch my ideas
Enlightened
For those who study both metaphysics and quantum physics, like myself, I find it interesting that it carries physics and enlightened as meanings.
In English, we have many words that people will interchange yet have different meanings, which can further confuse the receiver of your message.
Two such words are, effective and efficient. Effective is doing the right thing, that which you set out to do. Efficiency is doing whatever you set out to do well.
You can have one without necessarily having the other. Most people understand doing the right thing but not well, yet they get caught up on understanding how you can do the wrong thing well, efficiency without effectiveness.
Imagine you are on a sailboat traveling across the Pacific when you are informed:
We have some good news and bad news. First, we have picked up a great wind and can get back on our time schedule; however, our compass broke and we haven't the slightest idea where we are.
So, they are traveling very efficiently, but not very effectively.
Even the spelling of words can cause grief and misunderstandings. I remember when I was in elementary school and the teacher would just say, sound it out. However, that doesn't always work. There is the whole issue of synonyms and homonyms, as well as the issue that we have this habit if breaking the rules in order to have more expression and growth in our language. (Growth by the way is important).
Yet, one of the most enforced rules that I had to remember in schools was:
Use i before e (from here on it gets complicated)
except after c
or when sounded as 'a' as in neighbour and weigh.
But does it stop there, noooo.
Some more exceptions that don't seem to follow any of the above are:
Counterfeit
either
foreign
forfeit
Height
seize
leisure
efficient
(and ironically or suitably) weird
Many more words can be spelling traps for people. They sound similar and many people are not sure where to put them.
Some common ones are:
Affect -a verb -to influence
Effect- a noun - a result, a verb- bring to pass
Allude -refer indirectly to
Elude - slip away
Can -ability
May- permission
Farther -physical distance
Further - abstract relationships of degree
Imply - A speaker implies
Infer - A hearer infers
Such as- examples
Like - resemblances
You can see why good communicators are in a high demand for many corporations and businesses. It is never too late to invest the time and effort into your self and master your ability to communicate on a higher level.
All the Best!
Maria Boomhower
The Master Communicator
To get a free report on Communication Mastery, go to:
http://www.falconfreedom.com
http://www.mariaboomhower.blogspot.com
P.S. If you like what you're reading in this ezine, you'll love the book, "Overcoming Barriers to Communication." It's a manual that helps you overcome the challengers that start with Intrapersonal to Interpersonal and on to Mass Communication. Overcoming Barriers to Communication
Latest News
![]() ABC News | Language no barrier to counting ABC Science Online, Australia - Both languages have very restricted vocabularies for numbers, limited to words for one, two, few and many. The team also studied 13 English-speaking ... Language for numbers not necessary for numeracy skills Figures hard-wired into us Study: Children can count without 'number words' |
Elgin school reels after teachers aides are cut in dual-language ... Chicago Tribune, United States - By Vikki Ortiz and Amanda Marrazzo | Chicago Tribune Finley Musser struggled in the dual-language program at his Elgin elementary school until teachers ... U-46 foes say there's a common thread at work: District is too big |
Port to seek change in ballot language for deck initiative San Diego Union Tribune, United States - By Ronald W. Powell DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – The Port Commission on Tuesday decided to seek a change in the ballot language for an initiative that asks voters ... Port Commissioners Put Their Own Stamp on Terminal Initiative |
Body language is key to effective presentation Indianapolis Star, United States - Recently I received some feedback that my body language during my presentations was poor. While watching others I have noticed how important body language ... |
![]() The Independent Weekly | The Mountain Goats, Language Arts play free show Friday The Independent Weekly, NC - Durham songwriter The Mountain Goats and hip-hop act Language Arts will play a free concert at CCB Plaza in downtown Durham Friday evening. ... |
![]() Voice of America | Where Did the English Language Come From? Voice of America - Today we present the first of two programs about the history of the English Language. More people are trying to learn English than any other language in the ... |
Nepal Maoist leader against Hindi as second language Hindu, India - Kathmandu (PTI): A top Maoist leader in Nepal on Wednesday opposed giving Hindi the status of the second national language in the constitution. ... |
Curl Releases New Web-Based Training Courses MarketWatch - Each of the CurlWBT-based courses are delivered using the Curl WBTViewer, an interactive environment designed using the Curl language specifically for ... |
VirtualKeyboard adds non-Roman language support Macworld, CA - New to the 3.5 release is support for languages with non-Roman alphabets, including Cyrillic and Eastern European languages; automatic layout switching; ... |
![]() ABC News | The Real Story of the Democrats’ Abortion Plank Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY - “There was a sensitivity in the campaign with how the language would play with Hillary supporters,” says Rachel Laser of the Third Way, a progressive group ... Life Opportunities On abortion, candidates subtly seek centrist votes |
Resources
-
Learn a new foreign Language easily - Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Russian
Language Passion - Easily learn a new foreign Language online today. Learn Spanish, Japanese, German, Chinese, French, Russian or any other foreign Language you choose. Learn any Language today and speak with a foreign tongue in a matter of months.
-
CMATHER.COM Premium Classified Network
CMATHER.COM Classified Advertising - Premium Advertising
-
One Hour HTML - Learn the Language of the Web...fast!
Learn HTML fast with One Hour HTML
-
Sign Language for Babies and Beyond
Learn How to Communicate With Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Speak Using American Sign Language! Includes Video of 250 Signs!
-
How to Hypnotically Influence Other People
a course by Wang Jian to teach you how to write hypnotic Language to make others obey your command.
-
Travellingwords.com - Your mp3 Language crash course for your vacation
Travellingwords.com - Your mp3 Language crash course for your vacation. Going abroad tomorrow? Download your Language course today. international, travel, travel, Language, holiday, travlang, foreign destination, communication, vacation, course, mp3, shor
-
Dating Advice for Men - How to Approach Women, Attract Women, and Meet Girls
How to Approach Women, Talk to Women and Attract Women. Dating Advice for Men and How to Meet Girls. Learn How to Read Body Language, Dating Tips, How to Get a Girlfriend.
-
Business English Language Multimedia Grammar Practice
ESL quizzes and EFL exercises covering grammar, vocabulary, multi-word verbs
-
ThaiVoc - Learn Thai Now!
Learn the Thai Language with IPA and AUA phonetic Windows software.
-
English Romanian Dictionary Online - Dictionar Englez Roman
Learn Romanian Language: Romanian English Dictionary online and download, conversation guide. Information about Romania: travel, culture, and more.



