[stylist] National Spelling Bee, some interesting words

[Bill Outman]

Good day, folks.  

 

I was watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee televised on ESPN and ESPN
2 and ran across some interesting words that came up.  They might be
applicable to some issues we face as people in general and sometimes as
blind people in particular.  

 

Three words caught my attention during the broadcast, causerie, izzat, and
boyg.  

 

The first is causerie, spelled c a u s e r I e, of French origin.  It refers
to informal conversation or chat, either verbally or a short, informal
article that may be on a serious topic.  My concern often is the amount and
types of causerie society seems to demand of us to build relationships, the
small talk that often just fills space.  There is an aspect of guesswork
with this I find annoying.  Admittedlymy conversation doesn't always comport
withwhat is usually expected from a man, and yes, there tend to be gender
differences in this.  I know my tendency to get right to the point of my
conversation might be off putting to some.  I'l like to get to know people
better, but as I said, some of the social trappings I find disconcerting to
deal with.  

 

The next one is izzat, spelled I z z a t.  This is a word that came to us
from Urdu through Arabic.  It refers to honor, pride, reputation or
prestige.  This may be in short supply for us as people may not look at us
the same way as others in a group because of unusual characteristics.  Yes,
it can even happen among blind people, and my social interactions may have
something to do with this in my case.  

 

The third is boyg, spelled b o y g.  No, this isn't the Borg, but they could
be an example.  This word is of Norwegian origin.  This is a persistent
obstacle or problem, sometimes appearing as formless hindrances, which may
be personified as an enemy.  There is much about blindness that can be
perceived by us as a boyg, such as living skills and technology.  The worst
often are the social issues related to the first two words I cited, however.


 

So the challenge, it appears, is how to acquire enough izzat, engage in the
proper amount and type of causerie, and combat the feeling that what we face
is all a great boyg.  

 

When I could see the print dictionary, one of my pastimes was to browse it
for interesting words.  Have any of you run into interesting words lately
that you may have read or heard.  One challenge is figuring out how to spell
unfamiliar words when encountering them verbally.  

 

Bill Outman 

 



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