Word Game II

The following prefixes mean "not." They work like the negative sign in mathematics.

- in (conspicuous/inconspicuous, evitable/inevitable)
- im (possible/impossible, movable/immovable)
- un (acceptable/unacceptable, interesting/uninteresting )
- dis (engaged/disengaged, connect/disconnect)
- non (smoking/non-smoking)

These are the ones off the top of my head right now.

So we know that the prefix in means "not," but how would you explain the following pairs?

- flammable/inflammable.

- valuable/invaluable

When you see a warning sign that says, "inflammable", it means it is flammable, not not flammable. If it says, "flammable", it means inflammable, not not inflammable.


Got it?

Can you think of more words where adding a prefix which usually means not does not not not create the opposite meaning and the prefix does not mean not?

I love what Galvanize Choas says in her inaugural posting about words.

Have you ever noticed that words are astonishingly like people? Every person is so different and unique; just like words. Words have characters, almost like personalities. They shift (as people do) their conduct with their company.

Our minds are trying to give word-form to the world surrounding us. We are endlessly studying, seeking for just the right word to use. We judge people, as we do words. They may not be the right shape or size. They may say too much or too little. They are too bold or too weak, too cruel or too kind. Acquiring a vocabulary can help us find the missing pieces to the puzzle.

Word Game

Calling on English experts!

Predictable - UnPredictable

You are said to be "predictable," if you are a bore completely devoid of creativity and prone to repetitiveness. You bore people to tears.

Then again, you don't want to be known to be "unpredictable" either. That means you are unstable and even dangerous because of your frequent outbursts.

So either way it is a bad thing although for personal safety, most of us would choose to be around predictable people over unpredictable psychopaths. Bring a book to read.

Can you think of other pairs of words in which both carry negative connotations? It almost seems like these two words are unrelated to each other even though they are just one prefix apart.

Nicole

Yesterday I urged Pat Robertson not to invoke Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the aftermath of his assassination comment which set off a media firestorm, and today he did exactly that.

Sigh.

I will one day write a blog urging Nicole Kidman not to fall in love with me despite my breathtaking animalistic magnetism, and we shall see if she does the exact opposite the next day.

Too busy right now for that kind of experiment. Sorry, Nicole. You will have to wait just like everyone else.





Addendum (added 5:30 PM) - Now for some sad news

A Day of embarrassment

Seldom do I blog about current events and politics, only because I really don't have anything interesting to add to what already fills the blogging world.

But Pat Robertson put me over the edge today: I am truly embarrassed to call myself a Christian. You've all heard Robertson's incendiary rhetoric calling for CIA operatives to assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Some predictably have come to Robertson's defense. Often said is that it would have been better to have assassinated Hitler before he had a chance to take his country and Europe to war and set the world on fire. They are applying the same concept of pre-emptive assassination to Hugo Chavez. One even cited Dietrich Bonhoeffer as an example.

Using Pastor Bonhoeffer to defend Robertson's inanity? My veins are about to explode. Grab an umbrella.


Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German pastor who suffered imprisonment and execution at the hands of the Gestapo for his involvement in the plot to assassinate Hitler. While studying in America, he decided he could no longer bear watching the rise of fascism in his homeland from an ocean away and moved back to Germany to speak out against the anti-Semitic policies of the Third Reich even though remaining in America during the war was an option. While the German Church fell deathly silent in the face of Nazism, he relentlessly spoke out against Hitler and eventually paid for his conviction with his life

(One interesting tidbit about his time in America: While studying in New York in the 30's, he was appalled by what he saw as rampant racism and anti-Semitism in this country. He quickly befriended black seminary students, frequented a church in Harlem, and took back to Germany a substantial collection of African American spirituals. His theological works were the main impetus to the Lutheran Church's official apologies for Martin Luther's anti-Semitic writings. He was truly light years ahead of his time).

Whether you agree with his involvement in the plot or not, you have to admire his willingness to put his life on the line to practice what he believed to be the right thing to do as a Christian. He certainly could have spoken against Hitler right here in America without putting his life at risk, but he certainly put his money where his mouth was. He chose to stand up to the Nazis on their turf.

Actions speak louder than words.

Instead of talking trash from the comfort of his multi-million dollar home here in America, Mr. Robertson should put his own butt on the line, travel to Venezuela and hunt down Hugo Chavez himself, or at the very least, say what he said on TV to Chavez' face. That may be the only way to take the foot out of his big mouth.

While I'm gone

While I am gone floundering around, longing to have a root canal instead of rummaging through a mountain of paperwork, perhaps somebody can step up to the plate and answer this question that I posed to the Internet about a month into my foray into the blogosphere.

Now that I have more readers, the combined brain power ought to be nothing short of formidable.

Will be back around the 20th. You have about 10 days.

Will be offline for awhile

Months of procrastination are finally catching up with me, and things are coming to a head.

Filed an extension for my taxes and the extended deadline is rapidly approaching. Added to that stress are numerous customer demands and commitments.

So will be offline for awhile...

When I do come back in a couple of weeks, I am planning on publishing a long essay which I have been working on for quite some time. Its theme is along the line of the Christian faith as it relates to the American culture. The very polarizing nature of the topic will inevitably ruffle some feathers, but hey, that is the fun part, isn't it?

In the meantime, please wish me luck as I will be floundering around to get things done.

Brother Sister Moment

Back when my nephews were about nine and eleven, my sister was having one of those mom and son moments. The older one was being talked to. Can't quite recall the specifics of the episode.

The younger one, being the rambunctious and nosy one in the family, kept interrupting with his take. My sister finally got fed up.

My sister: Jason, when your brother and I are discussing important matters, the conversation is between him and me.
Jason: Well, but ....blah blah blah

My sister: If we need your input, we will ask. In the meantime...
Jason: Blah blah blah blah.

(Finally in my infinite wisdom, I decided to chime in.)

Me: It's not cool to butt in. It's none of your business.

(I was so proud of my very succinct and to the point contribution to the whole situation. They will appreciate me for this when they grow up. As I started to pat myself on the back for having done my adult uncle duty...).

My sister: (turning to me) Hey you.
Me: Yes?

My sister: Speak for yourself.

The Irony

When Scottish scientists successfully cloned Dolly the sheep, some sick individuals joked that the scientific breakthrough was to the delight of "lonely" farmers all over the UK.

Having never been to the UK and not knowing any lonely farmers personally, I don't fully appreciate or understand the joke, but it sure sounds morbid and twisted. So my pledge to you is that I will never again blog about lonely farmers and their sheep in the same post.

Ah! The irony continues. Of all places in the world, my country of origin Korea is home to the first cloned dog ever. Meet Snupy.



I still tell people that I am the first Korean ever to get a dog from the pound, as opposed to by the pound.

That stupid joke never gets old.