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Month: May 2008

That ain't a word!

Mashkioya 1 Comment

Actually it is. Unfortunately, some words in our language have faced great discrimination because of certain persons advocating a supposedly “purer” version of English, popularly known as “proper.” However, as a person with linguistic aspirations, I understand that there cannot truly be a proper dialect of a tongue, though through history many have esteemed one so highly as to consider it so, but this does not make it any better than the language of the old farmer out in the boonies.

But enough of this discourse. The purpose of this post is to inform you that it is indeed right and fitting to use the word ain’t in your everyday speech and writing. While many would consider this high treason, it really is logical if you consider it a contraction of am not. Think about it for a moment. He isn’t, you aren’t, and they aren’t are perfectly acceptable contractions. But how might you contract “I am not” after the same fashion? I ain’t, of course! Hopefully this satisfies those of you who would never utter the word, but I would also venture to say also that using ain’t with any subject is just fine, as long as you’re not trying to impress anyone.

So does this mean that now you’ll be hearing me say things like “I ain’t hungry”? No, it simply isn’t how I talk. However, I do not condemn any man who wishes to speak thus, and I hope that our tolerance in linguistic matters may expand as we realize that language is, after all, in continual development.

Many thanks to Dr. Goodword for his excellent article on this subject.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

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Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost. Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

(Luke 15:8-10)

In this parable, which Jesus told after telling the parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus has the same thought as was in the previous parable. In this parable, Jesus told of a woman who had ten pieces (coins) of silver. When one was lost, she swept the house and sought diligently to find it. When she found it, she called together her friends and neighbors, and told them to rejoice with her.

As with the previous parable, Jesus compares the woman finding one silver piece that was lost to one sinner who repents, and that “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God.”

Jesus was pointing out that when a sinner repents, there is more joy in heaven than over many who have no need of repentance.

Should Christians Be Green?

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In recent times there has been an increasing call from the scientific community for earth鈥檚 population to live more responsibly, with more sensitivity towards our environment. We hear such news all the time鈥攁lways there is some new piece of information confirming global warming, some species teetering on the brink of extermination, or some government enacting new legislation to try to turn the tide. It may be disputed whether these alarms are based on factual evidence, but this is not the matter to be addressed here. These may not be legitimate concerns, but even if they are, how must we as Christians respond to this growing movement? We cannot merely stand by and let this issue rise or fall; the world demands a response. What will it be? Read More

I shook the dictionary and this is what fell out

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Ode to the pentevalent shanny,
Thou Sothic umbra of thremmatology!
How xerophilous thou art, and vesperal!
Thou impastest the horst in xanthous unau.
Jugulate me not, O vexillary lath.
Thy xanthous mirza is verdant
And entareth he who gazeth thereupon.


Actually, this is a nonsense poem that I wrote a while back as a school assignment. Believe it or not, all these are real English words. See what fun we homeschoolers have!