Gosh. A Blog of my own. I feel just like Arianna Huffington. Arianna Huffington talks just like Eva Gabor. On Green Acres, Eva Gabor says "Times Square!" Eddie Albert says "fresh air!". "Fresh Air" is Terry Gross' radio program. "The Logovore's Dilemma" is my radio program. See how it all ties together?
As far as I know, logovore is a word of my own coinage. It means one who enthusiastically consumes language, as a carnivore loves his meat. I suppose a Logovore could also be one who eats his own words but...no! It's my word, so I get to say what it means. Dagnab it.
Like all the fine fine superfine shows on Rando Radio.com, TLD will be mostly music, but when it's not we'll be exploring the English language in all its glory. Grammar, usage, vocabulary, fads, follies, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia...if you can say it, we'll discuss it.
Our first project, as I mentioned on the show on 6/23, will be a discussion of what I'm calling family words--words you used as kids, or to your kids. Many of these will be words having to do with body parts or bodily functions, of course, but others will be examples of the mysterious private language that often springs up in families or other groups functioning in isolation (I'll bet they've made up some doozies at Gitmo). In my family, for instance, our first dishwasher was always referred to as Williamsburg. Made perfect sense to us, but it would have been incomprehensible to the rest of the world.
I'll tell you mine, but I need you to tell me yours. What did/do you call your dinkie, you weewee, your woowoo? Did you make a nunnie, clunk a dunker, or did you just make? The world wants to know. Really. Leave a comment on this page, or e-mail me with your secret language secrets, and I'll make sure everybody knows.
In the weeks to come, look for features based on the classic 19th century English phrasebook English As She Is Spoke, one of the most amazing little books ever published. You'll love it. More anon.