Lesson 362: Word Aversion

Graduation week is upon us, Readers.

As important a word as graduation is,
I hate it.

I hate it about as much taking a tree branch to the face.
My own fault...
I didn't wear my helmet on a quick ride around the yard on the ATV,
and I got distracted...

Live and learn.

Learning.

That's what life is all about.

You learn.

You graduate.

You move on.

Graduation should be a continual process

 linked to all stages of life,

not just academics:

 preschool, 

sixth grade,

high school,

and college.

I love how the word GRADUATION looks.
It's pretty and it has a U in the middle.
Eloise likes U's in the middle of words.

That's probably why I married a

and named my son

and LOVE the word

But the connotation of the word graduation
is what gets to Eloise the Tenderhearted.
It's the feelings that word conveys,
beyond its literal definition,
that taps on my shoulder
and whispers in my ear,
It's over!

It was sure a fun ride,

but I know it is time to see what's next.

Even though, every year I have to say goodbye,
Mrs. Eloise considers herself lucky.

Eloise has an aversion to the word GRADUATION,
and Daughter Ellen Louise has one to the word MOIST.

She started openly complaining about the word MOIST about a year ago.
I dismissed it the first couple of times,
then as Ellen's angst continued,
I considered it a teenaged, attention-getting ploy.

Come to find out from Friend Dena's facebook post,
that Ellen is not alone in her aversion to the world MOIST.

                                         A word Ellen Louise hates, CLICK HERE

Here is some more interesting information on the word

An Exploratory Investigation of Word Aversion Paul H. Thibodeau (paul.thibodeau@oberlin.edu) Christopher Bromberg (cbromber@oberlin.edu) Oberlin College Department of Psychology 120 West Lorain St; Oberlin, OH 44074 Robby Hernandez (rhernan3@trinity.edu) Zachary Wilson (zwilson@trinity.edu) Trinity University Department of Psychology One Trinity Place; San Antonio, TX 78212 Abstract Why do people self-report an aversion to words like “moist”? The present study represents an initial scientific exploration into the phenomenon of word aversion by investigating its prevalence and cause. We find that as many as 20% of the population equates hearing the word “moist” to the sound of fingernails scratching a chalkboard. This population often speculates that phonological properties of the word are the cause of their displeasure. One tantalizing possibility is that words like “moist” are aversive because speaking them engages facial muscles that correspond to expressions of disgust. However, three experiments suggest that semantic features of the word – namely, associations with disgusting bodily functions – underlie peoples’ unpleasant experience. This finding broadens our understanding of language and contributes to a growing literature on the cognitive processes relating to highly valenced and arousing words.

Many people report that they find words like “moist,” “slacks,” and “luggage” acutely aversive. They describe the experience of hearing these words as similar to hearing nails scratch a chalkboard, often claiming that the sound of the word itself triggers their visceral reaction. Attention to this phenomenon has spread virally through social and traditional media in recent years. The word “moist,” for example, has been the subject of a Facebook page (called “I HATE the word MOIST”) with over 3,000 followers and was rated as the least liked word in the English language by a Mississippi State Poll (Ward, 2009); feature articles have been written in Slate Magazine (Malady, 2013) and The New Yorker (Greenman, 2012); and popular TV shows like “How I Met Your Mother” (“Stuff”) and “The New Girl” (“Birthday”) have devoted entire plot-lines to the comic consequences of word aversion

Eloise has to admit this:
SLACKS always kinda bugged me.

Here's a handy flow chart for you.

Eloise loves flow charts!

                                                                 Another article:

                      Number One on this list! CLICK HERE (except for Ellen--she'll wretch)

And another:

                                                       Look! It's #2 on this list!

And another!

                                  It made this one, too! With a picture to match! CLICK HERE!

Zombie apocalypse is on there, too.  

Boo!  Hiss!

Most of the Eighth Grade is suffering from Word Aversion.

Mr. Ludwig's Poetry Projects were due this week.

Ellen penned a couple of poems about her English teacher as part of this project:

Her teacher, who may I add, loves Shakespeare:

Mr. Ludwig

My teacher, a lover of Shakespeare

Confusing for me but he made clear

Using big words

Won’t make you a nerd

Befuddled and titillate hold dear

 

 Mr. Ludwig is a chicken $h!t around spiders, too:

The Basement

Wolf spiders inhabit the cellar

Arachnid, a huge basement dweller

With eight hairy legs

Please kill it he begs

Just shoot it like you did Old Yeller

My kids are growing up!

It's bittersweet, to put it in simplest terms.

When I google imaged the term bittersweet

(which I often do to get a feel for the word--

Eloise = Word Nerd),

I found out that bittersweet is a poisonous nightshade.

It's pretty to look at, but quite toxic to humans--

but it does make a heck of a pretty wreath.

I'm all into growing things, you see.

I took a Gardening Class last weekend with some Master Gardeners

as part of my Challenge Erie 6 Summer Program.

My friends and I helped create some wellness 

by developing a shared garden for Dr. Krauza's neighbors and patients.

Gardens are miracles that happen right before your eyes.

Eloise will try to employ my new knowledge and not kill mine this year.

I won't be growing bittersweet!

I loved playing with my friend Kevin's camera on the softball field this week!

He let me hold it and take some pictures with it.

I told him if that lens was mine,

I'd have a cradle for it next to my bed,

and would swaddle it in blankets 

and rock it to sleep every night.

But, you know how the saying goes--

That's me with my arms open, yelling, 

"Where the he!! did that lens go!"

Couldn't choose any other song but Zac Brown Band's Bittersweet

for this week's photo video.

GREAT. TUNE.

Enjoy your weekend, Readers.

Do what you do,

and do your best while doing it.

ELOISE