I’m puzzled by the word “spiritual.” I understand it as a noun, meaning a genre of vocal music. But as an adjective, it has me stumped.
When I meet someone who spatters his or her sentences with it, I sometimes ask what it means. She or he usually refuses, often with projectile hostility. One woman retorted […]
Entries Tagged as 'Language'
Defining “Spiritual”
January 1st, 2010 · 4 Comments
Tags: Education · Language · Mysteries
Vulgar Wit
August 22nd, 2009 · 7 Comments
There are plenty of ways to make a point quickly and emphatically, but few are as economical as a good interjection. Compared to the expressions one never runs across anymore except in Shakespeare, eighteenth century novels, and Mad Libs, most recent examples are pretty unmusical, uninspired, and linguistically dull: “wow,” “cool,” “awesome,” “Jesus.” […]
Tags: Ancient History · Diversions · Education · Language · Literature