perspective and perceptive

Two words.  Different in meaning.  Different in intent.

But, when we confuse sounds within the syllables of some words, we arrive at misunderstandings.

'Perspective', a noun, is defined as 'a way of regarding situations, facts, events and similar, and judging their relative importance.  It is also defined as an accurate point of view or objectivity in viewing it.  In the context of art, 'perspective' relates to the 3-dimensional positioning of objects on a 2-dimensional surface.

'Perceptive' serves as an adjective. It usually describes a person's ability to quickly and accurately 'pick up', 'observe', 'see and take note of' the key aspects of a situation, an interaction or another person's change in state.

If you happen to be using these two words in close proximity to one another, it is useful to take your time with them and say them slowly so that you speak them clearly.

auspicious

This dignified and gracious word comes to mind on the evening before Chinese New Year in 2012.

An adjective, it means favourable, propitious and auguring well.

Co-incidentally, when checking details of the Chinese 12-year zodiac cycle, I found this:

'The dragon is the 5th sign of the Chinese zodiac and it is regarded as an auspicious symbol which stands for power, good luck, success, and happiness.

How appropriate it is to share this wonderful word with you today.

fester

This is a wonderfully vivid word.

One a purely practical level, it describes a supurating wound.

Metaphorically, it brings to mind a state of inner turmoil.  One of bubbling, seething emotion that may erupt.

When used appropriately, it will draw full attention to the matter being addressed.

meticulous

This adjective arises from 16 Century Latin. Its genesis is found in 'meticulosus' (meaning fearful) from the original word-stem 'metus' (fear).

What's interesting about 'meticulous', is that its history shows meanings change as words are integrated in different language.  

This practice is hot unusual.  Word usage changes as new words enter a language and continue to develop within past and current contexts.

In its current contexts 'meticulous' means very precise about details, even trivial ones; thus 'meticulous' can carry negative as well as a positive implications.


The implications are given to us in the meaning of the sentence as well as the tonal quality of the delivery.  Our successful understanding of the intention of the speaker relies on close attention and focused listening to tonal changes!

Here is yet another example of 'what you say' and 'how you say it' working in partnership with each other.

affect/effect

This troublesome twosome attracts constant attention.

Once again, the short vowel sounds require clarity when speaking in order to achieve accurate understanding and reduce distractions.

In writing, they are regularly confused even though their meanings differ significantly 

Here are some insights to help you apply them with confidence to your spoken and written communication:

In one instance, 'affect', a verb, means 'to be influenced by'.  In most contexts it carries the the inference of a negative impact.  For example: 'When the weather affects crops, market prices can fluctuate wildly.'

In relation to people, the use of 'affect' arises in the context of emotional impact and change.  For example: 'As her student and protege, he was deeply affected by her death.' 

As a verb, 'affect' can also mean 'to put on, immitate or assume' as in 'In a bid to make an impression, some aspiring leaders affect the speech and mannerisms of their admired role-models.'

'Affect' arises from the Latin afficiere which means 'to act upon'.

For the sake of clarity and understanding make sure that the first sound in affect is the sound in apple, hat and fact.

In contrast, 'effect' serves as a noun or as a verb.  The meaning carries either of the following:

• a result or outcome that is produced by a cause or an agent as in 'The effect of sunburn on the skin can ruin a summer holiday.'

• the power or ability to influence or produce a result as in 'By collaborating on the project, we effected a rise in sales of 20%.'

'Effect' arises from the Latin efficiere which means 'to accomplish'.

For the sake of clarity and understanding make sure that the first sound in effect is the sound in egg, leg and bed.

mendacious

Some words lend themselves to being useful in several positions in a sentences.  'Mendacious' is an example.

Arising from the Latin 'mendax'  (untruthful), it evolved into 17 Century Late Latin as 'mendacitas' and was absorbed into English as 'mendacity' where it continues to serve as a noun.

With various changes via suffixes it became mendacious (adjective), mendaciously (adverb) and mendaciousness, again, a noun.

Incompetent

There are many examples of words that carry the negative within their construction.  By adding a prefix (in this case 'in') to the word 'competent', the positive becomes negative.

Other examples of the prefix in are - 'inaccurate', 'ineligible' and 'intolerant'.

As a competent speaker of English examine your dictionary's entries for 'in'.  You'll be surprised at the length of the list.  You'll find new words for crosswords and Scrabble.  And you'll build your vocabulary.

If you are currently learning English,have a look at the dictionary entries for 'in'.  Do this for a few minutes at a time. Note those words that you hear often. Gather a few that are less familiar to you. Return to the reference. Look out for any analyses in your reference.  And remember that not all words beginning with 'in' imply the negative. Seek out those and expand your vocabulary.

There are additional prefixes used in English.  I'll be writing more on this topic in future posts.