Compound it! from Tara

Dear Word Spy,

If a word that is made up of two words is called a compound word, what would you call a word that was made up of three or more individual words? For example, ‘sportsmanship’ is made up of sports, man and ship.

My other question is, in a compound word, does ‘a’ count as a word? For example, would a word such as ‘workaday’ be considered as a compound word with three words? 

Thank you for you time and help. Tara M


Dear Tara,

This is quite a complex question! you have certainly been thinking about words.

A compound word can be made up of more than two words, so it could have three. But the word "ship" in "sportsmanship" is not exactly a separate word - it is more a kind of ending or suffix, that turns "sportsman" into an abstract noun or idea of "sportsmanship" - like "friendship" or "hardship."  In a word like "shipmate" or "starship" the word "ship" is part of the compound word, because it actually means "ship". 

It's the same with the word "a" inside "workaday" - it's a way of making the compound word "workday" into an adjective, "workaday" so "a" is  not really a separate word with a separate meaning in this case.

Agh. Sorry this is already a bit complicated.  Most compound words in English only have two words in them - in fact I cannot think of an English word that is made up of more than two (that's a challenge for all you word spies out there!) Other languages do have long compound words made up of several words - German is famous for it. For example, Höchstgeschwindigkeitsbegrenzung  which means maximum speed limit. (!)

yours, brain reeling, but thanks for the question,

The Word Spy

Italian and English from Cleo

Hello Word Spy

I'm your biggest fan. I know 2 languages, English and Italian.

I'm wondering if you know a language that uses objects?

sincerely yours

Cleo
Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy

Dear Cleo,

It is good to hear from my biggest fan way out there in the Milky Way!

That is wonderful that you know two languages. I think when you know another language, it just makes you love language more and more.

I know some other languages than English. I know some Spanish and some French and some Hebrew. I also learned two very old languages that people don't speak any more - Latin (the ancient Roman language) and ancient Greek. They all use objects I am glad to say!

But I don't know Italian - I wonder if you can write me a sentence in Italian? I would love that.

yours, multi-lingually,

The Word Spy

Make a science from Karen T

Dear Word Spy,

I don't know if you do phrases, but I hope so.  I am interested in when people first began to use the phrase "to make a science of [something]."  I am guessing it would be sometime from the late 18th century forward, but I don't really know.

For example:  He made a science of meat cutting.  Or:  He made a science of the law.

Neither meat cutting nor law are actual sciences.

Anyway, it tickled my bump of curiosity.

Thank you for your time and help.  Karen T

Dear Karen,

Thank you for this very interesting question. I don't think I can answer it (sadly!) but it raises such interesting thoughts. The word "science" itself is interesting. It comes to us in English from the Latin word "scientia" meaning "knowledge" - the verb "scio" simply meant "I know." So the sense in which we use the word science today as a very specific way of acquiring knowledge, ie through the scientific method, is fairly modern - well probably from around as you say the 18th century. (Sort of modern!) Before that science just meant knowing something. 

You have tickled my bump of curiosity too - more word spying is needed ....

yours, scientifically,

The Word Spy

Kindly from JacobOjacob

Dear Word Spy

If English-speaking people knew how to speak every language in the world, which do you think they would choose to speak the most and why?  Is there a certain language that is easiest to learn?

Which language do you like best?

While we are talking about languages, how many languages do you speak and what are they?

P.S. my birthday is on the 29^th of April. Very soon!!!!!!!

マーケット親切ヤコブヤコブ

(yours kindly JacobOjacob)

Dear JacobOjacob,

What mysterious writing you have included in your message! I will have to think very hard about how I might work out what it means. Is this a language you are learning at the moment?

Now, I think the very first part of your question is impossible to answer, because people love to learn different languages for so many different reasons! But English-speakers would probably find it easiest to learn a language that is more like English. English is related to German, and also to languages based on Latin, such as French and Spanish, so those are usually the languages English-speakers feel are easier. But then some people say Indonesian can be easier to learn, even though it is nothing like English!

As for the easiest language to learn, actually in many ways English is fairly easy. It has lots of things that don't make sense, but compared to lots of other languages it doesn't actually have that many rules.

I think I would have to say I like English the best, but that's because I can speak and read and write in it the best, because I grew up with it.  I don't speak other languages very well, but I can speak some French, Spanish and Hebrew. At university I also learnt Latin and ancient Greek, and something called Old Icelandic. But I only learnt to read these languages, not to speak them out loud. I love learning other languages - it makes you understand and love your own language even more, too.

I'm still wondering what that language is at the end of your message...

Hey and happy birthday for the 29th!!

yours, multilingually,

L'espion de mot ....

Why chipmunks? from JacobOjacob

Dear Word Spy,

I was playing on my phone about the movie "Alvin And The Chipmunks" and wondered why on earth someone would call it that, because it don’t look anything like a chip or monkey.

From JacobOjacob

Dear JacobOjacob,

Well I had a bit of a spy around and it was fascinating!

Chipmunk comes from a native American word that is now often written like this:  "jidmoonh". This was the word for a kind of red squirrel. I guess if you said "jidmoonh" many times and weren't quite sure how to pronounce it, you can sort of imagine it might sooner or later turn into the word "chipmunk" - which as you say, has nothing to do with chips or monkeys! (Although you have probably heard of a mink, which is also a little furry animal a bit like a chipmunk.)

One place I spied on also said that the word "jidmoonh" originally meant "head first" or "upside down" which is how a chipmunk runs down a tree. (When I climb down a tree I ALWAYS try to go feet first....)

yours, the right-way-up,

The Word Spy

Why the Word Spy? from JacobOjacob

Dear Word Spy,

I was wondering today when I got bored at school why your name is the Word Spy and why you called yourself that?

Kind regards,

JacobOjacob

Dear JacobOjacob,

What an excellent thing to wonder about. (And thank you for those kind regards.)

 I got the name from a picture I saw in a  old book (nearly 100 years old) with a picture of a very sneaky girl in it, carrying a bundle of papers in a room full of books. I thought, hmm, she looks like a spy. In fact, she looks like a WORD spy.

Now, the question is, what about YOUR name? where did that O in the middle come from?

yours in wonder,

The Word Spy

Bobbling from Talia

Dear Word Spy,

Is it possible for a word that already exists to be replaced in a dictionary with a word that I just made up now?

For example, wouldn’t  to “ jump” sound better as “bobble”!?.

From JacobOjacob’s  sister Talia ( who is your other biggest fan)

Dear Talia,

How lucky - my two biggest fans in the same family!

I LOVE the word bobble. I like it so much I could bobble for joy.

Maybe if enough people start using it, you never know, it might even get into the dictionary....

Still bobbling,

your friend,

The Word Spy

Badge or badger? from Jacobojacob

Dear Word Spy,

I can't wait to get my club badge. Why is a badger called a badger? Does it wear your badge?

From your biggest fan ever

JacoboJacob


Dear JacoboJacob,

Well you might be right! It looks like one theory about the word "badger" is because it has a white spot on its head, that looks like a badge.

Never seen one wearing a Word Spy Club badge though!

(Your club badge is on its way.)

your friend in words,

the proudly badge-wearing Word Spy

PS At first when I read your message I thought you were asking me a riddle  - why is a badger called a badger? Hmm, let's try and find a funny answer to that one...

PPS Thanks for being my biggest fan!

Da da da from Betty Autumn

Dear Word Spy, 

My first word was "Da da da da" and my second word was "Gondola." 

Remember anagrams? I found a good anagram website; two anagrams of my name are "A Bumble Tree Uh Nutty," (ha ha) and "A Humble Buttery Tune." What is an anagram of "The Word Spy?"

We are making a pangram meal plan. This week we are eating: Autumn Applesauce, Buttered Bread, Crunchy Carrots, and Deviled Eggs.

In the "Word Snoop" I have almost finished cracking all the codes. I finished reading the "Word Snoop." It was a great book.

from Betty Autumn

Dear Betty,

It is so GOOD to hear from you! I love hearing from my snoops and spies all over the world.

Those are great anagrams - I had another look at The Word Spy and found DRY PET SHOW and WHY RED TOPS?  What do you think?

As for that pangram meal plan - YUM! I wish I was coming to your place for dinner. (Hmm, how about some Fried Fish and Green Grapes?)

I am very happy to hear that you have enjoyed reading "The Word Snoop". Your club membership kit is on its way! Hope to see you riding a gondola one day...

our-yay ord-way noopy-say al-pay,

The Word Snoop (aka the Word Spy)

Dripping and drapping from Markus

Dear Word Spy,

I wonder why you say drip and drop but you don't say drap and drip and drup?

from a very old fan, Markus


Dear Markus,

Hmm, I see what you mean.

But there's always droop. And drape.

But still ...

yours, droopily dropping off,

The Word Spy

Extra! extra! read all about it! from Wanda and Karim

Dear Word Spy,

In our class we are looking at the names of newspapers.

We found out Herald is like a messenger-angel and Telegraph is like an old way of sending electronic messages.

There are also names like Guardian which is to protect you. Mirror is to show you what you look like. Clarion is like a trumpet to wake you up. Observer is looking at things quietly. Sun is shining a light on things so you can see. Courier is like a deliverer of messages. 

It's interesting, isn't it? We are starting our own newspaper. We had a vote and we are going to call it The Torch.

yours sincerely,

Wanda and Karim


Dear Wanda and Karim,

This is such an interesting thing to think about - thank you so much for writing to me about it! Sometimes there are words we see every day, like the name of a newspaper, and we never really think about what it might have meant at the beginning of its life.

I hope you will send me a copy of The Torch - I would really love to read it!

Yours, just waiting for the news,

The Word Spy

Snakes and? from Greta

Dear Word Spy,

Do you think snakes are sneaky?

Do you think ladders are leaders?

Can you guess my favourite game?

Do you know what year it is?

This is a question letter.

from Greta


Dear Greta

Silly snakes ARE sneaky sometimes.

Lonely ladders love to lead.

Your favourite game hmmm let me see... could it be - Monopoly??????

Oh yes, and it's the Year of the Snake!

This is an answer letter!! (almost)

yoursssssssssssssssssssss,

The Word SSSSSSSSSSSSSSpy

Quark! quark! from Travis

Dear Word Spy,

In the supermarket I saw in the cheese section something called Quark. 

My brother said, it sounds like a sick duck trying to go quack.

Quark quark

your fan  Travis


Dear Travis,

I was very glad to get your message because I have seen quark as well and wondered about it too...

It sounds funny in English, but it comes from an old German word for "curd". Curd is something  you get from milk when you turn it into cheese. First you make milk "curdle" with special ingredients, which means the milk becomes semi-solid. Then you let this semi-solid milk drain (usually in a cloth). The liquid that drains out is called "whey" and the solids that remain are called "curds" - ah, yes - quark!

Curds and whey, curds and whey - hmm, that reminds me of something.


yours, on a tuffet,

The Word Spy

Why Skype? from Aisling

Dear Word Spy,

Why is Skype called Skype? is it because it is in the sky?

from Aisling


Dear Aisling.

This is a hard question to answer! From what I can find out, it seems that Skype was originally called "Sky Peer-to-Peer". This is not the sort of peer that is like peep though. This sort of peer is another word for a friend or a work-mate, someone in a similar position to you. So sort of like "Sky Friend -to Friend".

Anyway, then "Sky Peer-to-Peer" was shortened to "Skpe" just to make it easier to say and remember.

But why "Sky"? - well, I think you might be right, maybe it's something to do with the big big sky above us all, and the amazing way people can talk to each other, peer-to-peer through the computer!

yours, still amazed,

The Word Spy

It's a disaster from Gisi

DeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaR Word Spy,


My sister always says "What a disaster" or "That's a disaster" or "it was a disaster."

Disaster as you might have guessed is her favourite word.

froooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom  Gisi



Dear Gisi,

thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaank you for this message about all those disasters.

I like the word disaster too.

This is where it comes from - "astrum" means "star" in Latin which over time turned into "aster". Then "dis" means "not" or "opposite" or something like that (as in "dislike", "disobey" etc.)

So DISASTER means sort of "against the stars" - in other words, against good fortune, if you think the stars are what guide your good luck, as lots of people did in the olden days (and still do - I bet you know what star sign you are!).

yooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooours, astrally, The Word Spy

Strng mssg frm Mrtn

Dr Wrd Spy,

Cn y wrk t wht 'm syng?

(Gd lck!)

frm yr fn Mrtn



Dr Mrtn,

Hmmm, tll m f 'm n th rght trck ....


yrs wth n vwls,

Th Wrd Spy

I'm back! from Inbal

Dear Word Spy,

I found out something on the internet. I wonder if you know that one : is called a COLON, but if you've got more than one - :: you don't say COLONS but you say COLA.

Did you know that?


Inbal (remember me???)


Dear Inbal,

I do remember you - I think last time you were asking me about why cup cakes were called cup cakes!

And I DID NOT know about COLA. That is a very unusual piece of information. Thank you for telling me.

Mm, I feeling thirsty, think I might go and get myself a glass of     :: right now!

from your friend-always-happy-to-hear-from-you,

The Word Spy

February or Mud Month? from Lazaro

Dear Word Spy,

Now school is back and every day we have to write February at the top of the page. And I was wondering why February is spelled like that because it doesn't seem like it should spell like that. The other months are better don't you think?

Your new fan

Lazaro


Dear Lazaro,

Happy new February to you!

I know what you mean about the spelling - I still get mixed up where to put the "r".

February is a Roman word for this month. It comes from a word in Latin (the language the Romans spoke) - "februa" -  which meant special rituals that people did at that time to make things clean and pure.

It wasn't always called February though - in the old days in England that time of year used to be called Mud Month, because it was very muddy in England when the snow melted. It also was sometimes called Cabbage Month (maybe they had to eat lots of cabbages!)

The Latin names for the months really come from the Christian church,  because the monks used the Latin language long after all the ancient Romans had gone.  Maybe some people still liked the old names, but by the time the Gregorian Calendar (our modern calendar) was introduced in 1582, the old words disappeared pretty much for good.

Hey, but maybe tomorrow instead of writing "February" at the top of the page, you could write "Mud Month" and see what happens ...

from your pal, every month of the year,

The Word Spy

The Prince's Quest and the Game of the Goose

To Ursula:

Thank you so much for your response! We finished reading the book last Friday and all loved it! We have printed copies of the Game from Ursula's website and have been playing it with each other. Miss Jeffery found a museum in South Australia that has a copy of the Prince's Quest game so we were able to see a picture of the board and find out how to play. If you would like to look at it you will find it here:http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1081&c=6612

Thank you for continuing to write such wonderful books!

Miiss Jeffery and 6C 

Now that is just fascinating! thank yoiu so much for sending me the link. I will get it up on my website. 

SO glad you all enjoyed the book.

your friend, Ursula 

Huge, massive, colossal, gigantic, humungous, monstrous!!! from Miss Jeffery and 6C

Dear Word Spy,

As you know, Miss Jeffery and 6C have been working their way through The Word Spy books and Ursula’s The Game of the Goose. We wanted to let you know that this week we have finished reading both! Last term we worked on The Word Spy and some of the activity book and this time we did The Return of the Word Spy and more of the activity book; as well as The Game of the Goose. We have enjoyed all the books immensely!

We have a few activities left to complete for The Return of the Word Spy and our comprehension booklets for The Game of the Goose. Unfortunately we won’t get through all the wonderful things in The Word Spy Activity Book but Miss Jeffery has a few more things for our last week of primary school. We have loved learning about language and words and consider ourselves (just like our certificates say) ‘Fully Fledged Word Spies’! Even though we are moving on to high school we will continue to spy on words and learn more and more about them.

We would all like to say a big (huge, massive, colossal, gigantic, humongous, monstrous...) THANK YOU for all of your wonderful books and for all you have done for us this year. Your visit to us was a highlight of our final year of primary school! We were honoured to have you come to our Word Spy Secret Headquarters and are sad that it is the end of the year and we have to take all our things down to take home. Our Word Spy folders are now bursting with wonderful learning. They are so full in fact that Miss Jeffery hardly has room for books in her Word Spy chest!

Thank you once again and we hope you keep spying for us!

Your brilliant and intrepid Word Spies,

Miss Jeffery and 6C

Dear Miss Jeffery and 6C,

Ah, the end of the year - exciting and sad all at once! what a beautiful message to receive from you. I loved visiting your classroom and your AMAZING Word Spy Secret Headquarters. I simply can't explain what a wonderful experience it was to see all your clever, funny, imaginative explorations in the world of words. Truly a TOP experience of 2012.

AND how happy it made me to think of you all reading "The Game of the Goose" and to see and hear about all of Miss Jeffery's inspirational activities and your wonderings and  discoveries about the book. "The Game of the Goose" is very special to me, and now you have all made it even more special.

Can I send you the most BRILLIANT WORDY WISHES for your new lives and adventures as you go into high school? I think you are all very lucky to have had such a caring and imaginative teacher for your final year of primary - she'll be thinking of you, I know, and so will I be.

THANK YOU, SPIES! THANK YOU MISS JEFFERY!

Good spying to you all,

from your pal forever,

The Word Spy

Please! from Esme

Dear Word Spy,

The codes in your books are great and I am getting them quickly. I only need a bit of help with the rebus on the last page of chapter 3. I am fine with all of the others - I just really need help on this one. Can you give me a clue ? please!

your biggest fan,

Esme


Dear Esme,

Congratulations on being so quick with all those codes - and of course I will give you a clue for that pesky rebus.

The first picture is of a FAN.

And the second picture is of a MOON.

Hmm and then think of something in the bush that goes BOING BOING BOING


Let me know how you go!

from your bouncing pal,

The Word SPy

The Game of the Goose from Miss Jeffrey and 6C

Dear Word Spy,

6C had a few questions about Ursula's wonderful book "The Game of the Goose." We are thoroughly enjoying the book so far and don't even want to stop reading when the bell goes!

We did want to know how you got your inspiration for the book and whether you have actually played the game itself. Also, how did you come up with the unusual names for the children?

We are having some trouble finding the history of the game that isn't confusing or in another language. Where did you find your information about it?

In class we have been drawing maps of the three houses with the one backyard but we can't agree which order they go in. Who lives on either end and who lives in the middle?

As a special treat Miss Jeffery is going to let us watch the movie Jumanji because it has similar themes to the book. We are going to compare and contrast the book with the movie and the game itself.

Thank you for writing such wonderful books that we all enjoy!

Miss Jeffery and 6C

 

Dear Miss Jeffrey AND 6C,

You must know how HAPPY I always am to hear from this fabulous class – and now I am even HAPPIER to hear that you are enjoying reading “The Game of the Goose” and doing such interesting things connected with it.

I will try to answer your questions . Hmm. Well I got the idea for the book by reading a tiny little bit about it in the newspaper quite a few years ago. It was in an article about things coming up for auction, including a  very old Italian copy of the Game. I just really liked the name of it “The Game of the Goose” and I thought – wouldn’t that be a great name for a book? I always loved board games. I used to love playing Monopoly when I was a child – I never knew what was going on, but I would pretend I was the little dog having all these adventures while going round and round the Monopoly board!

So that’s how it started. At that stage I didn’t know anything about the real game or how it was played, I just invented my own version of it. That’s why it might be confusing when you look up things like Wikipedia (which is quite a good article) about "The Game of the Goose", because it probably doesn’t sound very much like the Game in Ursula’s book.

I actually based my version of the game on a completely different game called “The Prince’s Quest” which I found in a book of old board games. That’s where things like the “Well of Forgetfulness” and the “Shoes of Swiftness” etc come from.

Also along the bottom of “The Prince’s Quest” is written:

       “The Race is not Always to the Swift, nor the Battle to the Strong.”

(Sounds familiar?)

Now as to those funny names. With Fred I just DON’T know. With Rowley I named him after a street in Camperdown in Sydney, near where I was living. And with Rabbit – well, I just love rabbits!

As for the houses, well I THINK (just think mind you) that I thought of Rowley’s house being in the middle, but maybe that doesn’t make sense, now I think about it. Maybe Fred’s??? What an interesting question. I’m sorry I don’t have a clearer answer.

I haven’s seen “Jumanji” yet although lots of children have told me about it. I will be so interested to hear what you think of the movie and how similar or different it is to “The Game of the Goose.” I think there is also a picture book of “Jumanji” (but I am not 100 per cent sure.)

This answer is already pretty long but I am VERY HAPPY to answer in more detail if you would like me to – just ask away.

Happy reading to you all – and warmest wishes to wonderful Miss Jeffrey and the brilliant 6C.

From the Word Spy
(he-hem, Ursula Dubosarsky!!!)

A solution to Sophie's puzzle? from Miss Jeffrey

I think I know the answer Sophie! Are they Hera, Ingrid, Georgia, Emma and Natalie?

Hope I'm right!

the intrepid Miss Jeffery


Thanks Miss Jeffrey! Lovely to hear from you. Is she right, Sophie??

Fingers crossed,

The Word Spy

I challenge you! from Sophie

Dear Word Spy,

I have come up with a new language…

Double Pig Latin 

This is when you put Pig Latin on a word already in Pig Latin.

My name would be Phiesayoay. It sounds so cool.

I have also come up with another language:

Vowelish

This is when you change all the constants in your name into the closest vowel. My name would be Uooiie.

I challenge you to write an entire email in Vowelish!

From Sophie, Ophiesay, Phisayoay, Uooiie

Dear Uooiie (or do I mean Phisayoay?),

I am very astonished by these new languages - uou aue a ueuiouulou aoeueu Uoue Uou!

I wonder if any other of you spies out there have invented a language?

your pal, multilingually,

Uie Uoue Uou

 

Hints for the riddle from Sophie

Dear Word Spy,

Here is a hint for my riddle:

Hero's name starts with an H, Consecrated of God's name starts with I, farmer's name starts with a G, Universal's name starts with an E and To be born's name starts with a N.

Hope it helps.

Sophie :)

Dear Sophie,

Thank you so much for these hints - I wonder if these will help some of the spies reading this blog? 

Hmmmm.....I think I know the one beginning with G, and the one beginning with N. Maybe I'd better just go and check with my friends Georgia and Natalie ...  

Come on, spies! There's a prize for whoever gets the most names first!

Yours, in name and in fact,

The Word Spy

Splishing and splashing from Lizzy 11

Dear Word Spy,

Where does the word iggit and meet come from??

Yours truly,
Lizzy11

P.S In  one month and 14 days I'll be 12!
 
Oh and I swim a lot so Sunday I have a pre-meet. It's not really a swim meet but it counts if we beat a time. So wish me luck because I'm trying to get my 50 meter race from 43.08 to 30.00 




Dear Lizzy 11,

First things first -  GOOD LUCK with that swim! You sound like a very fast swimmer -  I'm truly impressed. And while we're at it, HAPPY BIRTHDAY  (Hmm, will your name change to Lizzy 12, I wonder?)

I guess you asked about the word "meet" because you are going to a swim-meet. This is an easy one  -  "meet" is just a way of saying a lot of people "meeting" together for sport. It's been used that way for about 100 years.

As for "iggit" - well, it can be a sort of slangy way of saying "idiot" - but actually I also discovered it's an Arabic word for omelette which is one of my very favourite things to eat. An omelette is when you beat up eggs and then cook them on a pan, a bit like making a pancake. That got me wondering - where does the word omelette come from? But that's for another post...

yours, cheering beside the pool,

The Word Spy

A riddle from Sophie

Dear Word Spy,

I think that a bear cub is an awesome name meaning. Also thank you for helping me with the word kayak. 

I have a riddle for you regarding name meanings:

There were five friends and their names were Hero, Consecrated to God, Farmer, Universal and To be born. One day the five were told that they had other names and that their names were the meanings of their real names. Considering that all five of them were female what were their names?

Good luck! 

Sophie :)

 

 Dear Sophie,

This is a very intriguing riddle! I am going to have to do quite a bit of spying to work it out..

I wonder if any word spies out there reading this have any ideas?? Let me know, won't you?

Scratching my head,

The Word Spy

Imagine! from Aisey

Dear Word Spy,

Imagine if we didn't have the word swim! I suppose someone would make up another word, but pretend that didn't happen. I mean, it's easy to say ' I go swimming' but to explain is hard. You have got to tell them about how to move your:

legs

arms

head

body

How to float. How to breath. How to...You get the point. Wouldn't it be VERY HARD just to tell a person you go swimming?

Another question.

 

Y is English so weird. Y can't we spell:

Why-Y

See-C

Are-R

You-U

I know we sometimes do that in messages, but Y not normally?

My name is hard to pronounce the first time you C it. My name is Aisley. Ais means...a....three...three....toed....a three toed.....slo.................................................t...h. Never mind about that...Please reply and answer these questions!

-Your Three Toed Sloth friend,

Aisley

 

 

Dear Aisley,

Wow, what a remarkable message - I love the way you describe how wonderful language is, through dissecting the simple word SWIM. How right you are - oops, I mean how right U R. Hmm, I guess if we only spoke in letters we wouldn't B A bl 2 s A 2 much!

Is your name pronounced Ashlee?  Or something else. Now, there is a name Ursula which has lots of different ways to say it. You can say  Ersh-a-la or  Ers-you-la  or Oors-oo-la  or even Ers-la. (I rather like the first one myself.)

But the BIG question is - are you REALLY a three-toed sloth? Or is that an AI??????????????

yours with a splash,

The Word Spy

From the Secret Headquarters - 6C

Dear Spies,

Pssst! Guess what?

The Word Spy recently dropped in to the Secret Headquarters at beautiful Mary McKillop Primary School in South Penrith. There she met the truly AMAZING word spies of Class 6C, led by the intrepid and brillant Miss Jeffrey! Thanks for a truly inspiring afternoon, everyone.

Here is a link that will lead you to an account of her adventures  - The Word Spy Visits 6C's Secret Headquarters.


yours, not SO secretly now,

The Word Spy

Any wisdom? from Sophie

Dear Word Spy,

Lately I have been looking into the meaning of peoples names. Mine means wisdom. I wonder what yours means? I never thought about people's names being words before. Now whenever someone says, 'hey Sophie' I immediately think they're saying, 'hey wisdom'.

I also started spying on the word kayak. It originates from the word qayaq, meaning small boat of skins. I just can't find out where the word came from.

Can you help me?

Your friend

Sophie (wisdom)

Dear Sophie,

How excellent to have a name that means Wisdom! The name "Ursula" (the name of the author of "The Word Spy") means "little girl bear cub" in Latin. I suppose a bear cub might be wise, but perhaps more likely to be sleepy and hungry.

That's very interesting about the word "kayak" (aha! a palindrome). My spying finds that it most likely comes from a word in Eskimo language, which makes sense, as they did make their little boats out of skins. (I wonder if they were bear skins?)

Thanks for the message, Wisdom! um I mean Sophie!

yours, cubbishly,

The Word Spy

Gongoozling from Upsidedown ʎoɾ

ʎds pɹoʍ ɹɐǝp

I have read your blog spot and I can just learn new things from reading it...

I've recently found a new word on the web. It's

,ɹǝlzooƃuoƃ,

Whoops

'gongoozler'

It means an idle spectator. I was wondering where it came from or who made up the word.

That reminds me, why do we say brang when we're little, and realize it's actually brought later on?

˙ɐ ʎoɾ puǝıɹɟ-ʇǝɯ-ʇsnɾ uʍop ǝpısdn ɹnoʎ

P.S. Do you remember St George Chrsitian School? (hint hint ;] )


Dear Joy,

I'm really jealous of your upsidedown writing - how do you DO that??

I remember your school very well - that was a lovely day for the Word Spy!

Now, gongoozler. That is a fabulous word! It seems to be a word that comes from England, and is used for people that stand around staring at the boats going up and down the canals. A bit like "trainspotters" for people who stand around staring at trains going by. (Something the Word Spy likes doing from time to time.)

It looks like nobody really knows where the word came from (although there are theories). Thank you SO much for telling me about it - I had never heard of it, but now I will definitely start using it!

Now, as for "brang" - that's an example of something called "extension". When you are learning to speak, you find out that  to say "I sing" in the past tense, you are supposed to say "I sang". So you think to your little self, well then, "I bring" must be "I brang".

 Bit by bit you learn that English has lots of funny words that don't follow the rules!

I remember in one of my very first stories I wrote down "Grandfather thunk it was time for a swim." I have to say I'm still fond of the word thunk, although my teacher thought it was not QUITE right...

Thinking hard, your pal,

The Word Spy