Word Games

When I was a kid, we played many types of word games (I-Spy, Name a Country Starting With the Last Letter of the Country I Just Mentioned and so on). And then there were the word games, where you try to trick the other person into saying something that doesn't make any sense. For instance, get the other person to say "milk" ten times quickly and then ask them what a cow eats. Or, get them to say "go" ten times quickly and then ask them what you do when you come to a red light. Or get them to say "toast" ten times quickly and then ask them what you put in a toaster. You get the picture.

My kids recently discovered the joy of word games. Simple ones, but [for them] fun. Like saying a word really fast and then slurring it into itself to create a new word. Try saying "horse" really, really fast - it will end up sounding like "sauce". Or, for a variation, try saying "car" extremely fast. You will soon gag on your own word. How entertaining.

Here's an amusing word excercise for the more bored of you out there:

Think of a word, any word - better if it has more than one syllable. For those of you who are having trouble deciding what word to choose, "freely" works well for this excercise. Now, say the word out loud. Think of its meaning. Spell out the letters of this word.

Now that your word is firmly in your mind, say it again. But this time, say it over and over again. Repeat the word without modulating your voice. Just say it again and again and again as many times as you feel necessary.

As you repeat the word, concentrate on your own voice. After a while you will find that the word begins to sound absurd. The combination of letters and the sounds they produce seem ridiculous.

My favourite is the word "people", which I find absolutely fascinating. People. People. People. People. People. People. Outrageous, isn't it?