Grammar Groaning, etymology, Walmart, Genesee Valley Chorus, sister Sylvia, and more
By Chuck Wiser, I write the words to share what my eyes see and my heart feels
Pictured is Chuck with sister Sylvia Booth a few years back
Grammar Growth: This first topic/paragraph reflects not only my “respect” and interest in the language “rule keeper” grammar but also its power, usefulness and yes, its complexities and difficulties. Had I not been born here in the “Grand Old” USA, then I would have had second thoughts if looking to emigrate into the country. Our language is as complex as a language can be since it is an evolution and conglomeration of words, their prefixes and suffixes whose/which roots are a combination of “centuries old” other languages of which our language was formed. If you do a “word search, the etymology can be daunting and provoking at the same time.
That term etymology above, is a fairly recent acquisition of mine having been introduced to me by a friend of a friend and relative, and it speaks of the history, growth and construction of a word. My Google Grammar Guru cites the word with this definition and explanation.
Etymology is the study of the origin, history, and structural development of words, including how their meanings and forms have evolved over time. It traces words back to their earliest known roots and through language shifts. Key examples include analyzing how robot was coined from Czech or how English adopted debt from Latin debitum, while synonyms include word origin, derivation, and history.
That whole topic was re-introduced into my mind a few days ago as I said or wrote one of the “-spective” words. The visitation into my memory revealed just how many words, already in my vocabulary memory bank, indeed did have that suffix. With all due apologies; I could list many of them by saying/writing that; Respective of your perspective, I would retrospectively face the prospective of being disrespective or extrospective circumspectively. Irrespective of that I will Wramble onward. Uphill vs Downhill is just a matter of perspective.
Continuing with the apology, I will wrap up the Grammar Groan Groping with this definition of the meaning of the suffix “spective.” The suffix -spective comes from the Latin specere, meaning “to look,” “to see,” or “to observe”. It is generally used in English to form adjectives (and related nouns) that indicate a particular type of examination, mental view, or focus.
Shown in the picture herein is my sister Sylvia (Sue) Booth whose birthday was April 29th. That date ironically was both her birth and death date, albeit separated by 70 years. I occasionally receive notices from Legacy.com courtesy of having visited their site in the past. When I received the reminder of Sue’s birthday from Legacy, I was very disappointed to see that the article, “tagged” to me, listed Sue’s name as “Slyvia.” What a disgrace. I reached out to them asking for a reason or justification and received an immediate reply that they would get back to me with details soon. They haven’t. More recently now when searching for “obituaries,” all I receive are offers and requests to sign up for their information…with a fee attached of course.
Yesterday, (or Wednesday, if I don’t complete this in time for my normal Thursday PM posting), I had the privilege, and honor, of having lunch with Andrew Harris, owner/editor of the Sun(s). Despite our original relationship development, wherein we were on opposite “opinional sides and ideologies,” we developed a kinship. I have come to know him, more as a friend, than as “My boss.” As we dined, we had a very enjoyable conversation that illuminated our individual feelings and perspectives. We agreed on many more points than we disagreed upon. Friendly, professional, and sociological acceptance of differences of opinions is healthy and is the foundation of building a much more substantial underpinning of understanding and acceptance by the full spectrum of “the” populace.
Ok! I agree that the above is a little more than just a serious portrayal of my normal Wrambling’s, but I wanted to share that relational development. The initial Walmart plan for a Wellsville store was the topic what triggered our initial divergent opinions of such. That brought Andrew and I into a relationship with each other in the first place. I enjoyed that! Today’s visit to the Olean, NY Walmart refreshed my memories as noted above.
A walk down, or up, Main Street in Wellsville paints a picture of what an evolving town/village sustenance and development can, and will, be. Larger shopping sites that used to be the fabric and the heart of Wellsville, have now moved on, replaced by the smaller “specialty” stores. Off Main Street businesses like K-Mart are being replaced by the “up-and-coming” stores like our recent addition of Runnings. My purchase acquisitions and satisfaction experiences with that business have been spotty as they aren’t as “product” oriented as for example; Tractor Supply and Wellsville Hardware, which itself was at one short time a Worth Smith store.
We aren’t at the point of “40 days and 40 nights” yet but I am tired of this days long, off and on, downpours. The grass and recent tree foliage have now received plenty of rain. At least it isn’t snow…Yet. The upcoming daily weather/temperature forecast has an ominous look to it with below freezing temps noted. STOP! I’m ready for real spring not just April showers. May the 1st of May, and even “Cinco de Mayo” be with us. That doesn’t mean throwing mayonnaise in the sink.
I had planned to share the names of David A. Howe Poetry slam winers, hopefully with my name added to that list. Unfortunately, that won’t happen in this Wrambling. Not only will my name not appear, but somehow I have lost or misplaced the notification of which I received the other day. Not only can I not find the advertisement listing the readers, but I also cannot find in my emails, the listing of the winners. Coincidently I purged my email “Inbox” but only chose the many repetitious “ads and political postings.” Some how the winners list must have joined them. I sent an email to the library staff requesting an update of the list but to date haven’t received that information yet. The winners were certainly worthy of the awards and deserve mention herein. Not really an excuse but I’ve noticed that the winners not only deserved the “wins,” but they also seemed to have the larger number of “interested” guests with them, All received a vote tally ballot. Another observation, and one I shall learn from, is the difference of opinion, which perhaps is a generational thing but not all poems are those of which subsequent lines end in words that rhyme.
My fascination with and thus writing perception and execution includes the rhyming of the last word of each alternating line, or some other repetition of several lines, ending in words that rhyme.
In preparation for a future Wrambling posting I have started a list of former students and why their names are so fondly stored within my heart. Not all were deserving for good reasons, but there were a couple from the other end of the list. There are a couple which are local and their place on my “honor roll” is based on their similarity to my background to have earned or fought their way into and/or through a college education. There are a couple who come to mind due to my disappointment with them for one reason or another. Primarily those are of the few who did not live up to their abilities or motivation. Every single student has a place in my heart, and thus, my memory. I was blessed to have “hundreds” of young adult “children.” Some of those I am blessed to have as readers herein or at least as Facebook friends.
As we are preparing for our 50th Genesee Valley Chorus (GVC) program we were invited to nominate a couple of songs each for consideration as part of the program. There were too many to remember and/or be on my list, so I selected a couple of those created by me and made it beautiful by the music created by Dave Dunbar. I think only one was selected. During that memory search a few songs came to mind as they stood out to be favorites of the directors and became a staple of each program. Two such songs were; The Blessing of Aaron performed at each, and every concert directed by Anthony (Tony) Cappadonia. The second, slightly more recent was The Old Irish Blessing directed by Dave Dunbar. Thinking of those and another by John Molinari, the original director of GVC in 1976, made me think that a great music grouping representing one song from each director would have been in order. Had I not backed away from “officership” participation in the chorus, I might have been in a position to sell my idea to the “board.” Too late for that. I may get more involved in the year to come as there will likely be a restructuring due to some membership changes, retirements etc. The Officers, and the Board do all of the behind the scenes work and all too seldom receive our acknowledgement and/or thanks.
As I noted “Cappy’s” song The Blessing of Aaron above, I recalled a twisted thought that also came to mind at the time of mentally reviewing song names in my mind. In that song there is a line that includes: “The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee.” My twisted mind version comes up as “May the Lord lift up his continence upon thee.”
Sorry about that but most writers, if I can be so bold as to title myself, do have some word combinations that might not suit all.
Here’s another unabashed plug for the GVC. The main concert will be on June 14th. Time and venue to be announced soon. There are a couple of other performances also on the docket so as I receive additional information on them, I will pass that information along. The primary mission of GVC is to sing and provide music and entertainment to, and for, the enjoyment of local residents. It is also a venue and an opportunity for those who love music, and especially singing of that music. You do not have to be a professional singer or voice specialist to participate with GVC. All who want to blend and sing, or share their voices are welcome
If you have any comments, questions or concerns please email me at IM.Wiserdad@gmail.com
