Getting Lost For Words.

After only 3 posts, I went AWOL. Starting something and staying the course are indeed two different things, and I keep finding this out over and over again.  Initiative and Perseverance.  Doses are required in abundance, and it appears I don't have enough of both, as it appears the same lesson is being learned over and over.  I guess that also comes with the environment and the number of things you get to pile on your plate.  Tests are over, and the plan is to make regular contributions to this site.  So a healthy dose of perseverance is indeed needed.

So, after a very topsy-turvy couple of months, it appears I have my life back.  Been away for a while and the first thing that comes to mind when I walk into my apartment was: 'this flat is...'  The last word there eluded me for a solid minute.  'Dirty' was not the right word; the place still smelled nice (?) and I did not notice any items lying around that I wanted to dispose of.  Then I dug again, with a frown on my face like I was trying to remember the rationale for some complex economic phenomenon that had been on the news the past couple of days.  Why was it so difficult to find a word that described the state of my apartment?  I spoke the sentence aloud, to see if I could get some help from my vocal chords.  Nothing.

Untidy.  That was the word I had been looking for for 60 seconds.  I had reading materials and other sundries strewn all over the place.  The irony also hit home: with all these books, I could not remember such a word to describe an observation.  I don't know if anyone else ever gets this way, but it could be very embarrassing.  More so if you are in conversations with people.  Your choice of words, or lack thereof, make you come off as inarticulate, and sometimes confused.  The quick fixes of 'stuff', 'thingy', 'you get what I mean', 'you know' and such other mannerisms can only get you so far.  And if you happen to be conversing with someone with a superior command of the English language, you may add a healthy dose of inferiority to the mix.  All those words, if you are someone like me, you took great pride in learning and using, have begun to desert you, because they have been neglected.  They thrive on usage and, if you leave them to gather dust, they will disappear.

I began to 'tidy' up my place, with a sense of apprehension:  my level of vocabulary was shrinking, and fast too.  Why?  Too much TV?  Too many industry-specific jargon?  Haven't been reading enough general knowledge material?  Not sure which was more prominent, and there were other questions, but I resolved to fight this 'vocabulary-flight' as it were.  I read somewhere that the number of words required to communicate effectively in the English language is 1,500 (one thousand five hundred words only),  but as we strive for continuous improvement, wouldn't it be worth the effort to excel at this as well.  More questions than answers, but I have decided to take this challenge head on.  So I have identified a list of do's and dont's to help me.

1. Spell correctly, informal written conversations or not.  Growing up, incorrect spelling was a big no no and made you a subject of derision among friends.  But these days it appears to be cool.  But I don't think there is anything cool in spelling 'should' as 'shod'.  These are especially true for our online conversations: facebook, twitter, and the use of the blackberry messenger.  Your words will leave you if you don't treat them with respect, like anything of value.  These media don't charge per character (well, with the exception of twitter.  Then again you can keep it brief and to the point), you may as well maximise their use.  If you don't watch it, the bad spelling will traverse both the formal and informal realms.  It's happened to me on a number of occasions.
2. Read for leisure.  It doesn't have to be fiction, and it doesn't have to be 'stuff' related to your profession either.  In itself, reading exposes you to words that you would not normally come across, and helps with the contextual usage of some that you already know.  A good dictionary may also be handy.
3. Those horrible on air personalities!  As a daily commuter, the radio is a good companion.  But I cannot stand the presenters/guests that over-emphasise the accent instead of speaking properly.  A sentence interspersed with 'you knows' is just not professional.  'You know' what exactly?!  I'd rather listen to the silence or a good piece of music than get my limited stash of words eroded further.
4. Check up new words when you see/hear them.  There are good apps on smart phones and tablets these days that can help do this.  And, like I said in (2) above, for the old-fashioned, like me, a good dictionary would also be handy.  My new word today was verisimilitude,  Not quite sure if I will ever use it, but it felt good knowing it.

Still searching for ways to improve my vocabulary and, hopefully, my communication.  Might be a mundane thing to think about, instead of the parlous state of our nation and the ineptitude of those that rule us.  But a thirst for learning can't be a bad thing, can it?  We don't need to get to the level of our distinguished Obahiagbon, but we may better serve our interests by being fluid in our thinking, speaking and writing.  After all, the English language is our lingua franca, and it is the business language of the world.  A mastery of it can only be beneficial.