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Saturday, April 14, 2012

M: Magical Words

Blogging from A to Z: M

I'm falling behind on visiting people's blogs, but hoping to catch up over the next few days, so please forgive me if I haven't visited you for a little while. I'll get there, I promise!

This video is a little longer than I've been putting up for the challenge, but I hope you'll have time to listen to it. Whether you agree with Mr Fry or not, there's no denying his love of language, and it's a joy to listen to him speak. I first heard this when someone left a link to it in my comments. I'm afraid I can't remember who it was. If it was you, please let me know so I can credit you!

54 comments:

  1. Sarah - that was a great video, not to mention, I love the visual ways he represented all the words!
    And not to worry about falling behind - I'm right there with you!
    Hope you're having a great weekend!

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  2. I like Stephen Fry - he's a clever bloke. I wonder how they did that? It looks like a Wordle but better. Problem is, it kept distracting me from what he was actually saying. I forced myself to concentrate and I agree with eeeevvverything he said.

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  3. I'm falling and failing - no M post as yet for me! Stephen Fry is the modern day Oscar Wilde :)

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  4. A wonderful video. I am all behind today with my commenting as I visited my daughter and went to the hairdressers. so am trying to catch up.

    Yvonne.

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  5. Crap it all, my darn internet connection is running way slow! I'll have to watch it later. :D

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  6. Wonderful video. I mostly agree with him, but I am saddened that our "fit for purpose" thresholds are slipping. Informal language for informal purpose, fine. But I get peeved when I see business documents, especially those put out to clients by communications specialists, riddled with bad grammar and misused words.

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  7. I'm fine with utilizing greater precision when the purpose is for academia, but I chafe under the restrictions and expectations of academic language. That's one of the reasons I enjoy writing fiction, and writing my blog. I'm far more at home in a literary jeans-and-tee-shirt than suit-and-tie. Not that I "dumb down" for non-academic purposes, but I feel more artistic freedom in that setting to use words creatively, and not just as a mechanical means to an end.

    Thanks for posting this. Stephen Fry is entertaining as always. :)

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  8. Enjoyed the video Sarah, very entertaining. Stephen Fry is the bomb!

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  9. That was different- my brain was challenged!

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  10. Hi...I'm hopping over from the A to Z challenge...lovely blog...good luck with the challenge!

    Donna L Martin
    www.donasdays.blogspot.com

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  11. I did take the time to watch it all. Awesome! :)

    I'm behind too with no hope of catching up.

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  12. I just loved it! I totally agree. People make too big a deal with language and rules and we've can't get published unless this or that is perfectly correct. Well, boring! Give me verb-nouns any day. Now, excuse me while I shop for my five items or less...

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  13. You can't be as far behind as I am.

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  14. I too am behind on visiting everyone's blogs, so no worries. =)

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  15. I saw this somewhere else too, but can't remember where. A good lesson. Enjoyed it, thanks.

    ........dhole

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  16. Love this video! Thanks, Sarah. Have a great weekend!

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  17. WOW! When I first saw six minutes, I must admit, I was prepared to only see the first few... BUT! I was SOOOO sucked in! What a FANTASTIC video...

    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING... I LOVED IT! AWESOME, INSPIRING, REAL... isn't this how we all fee?

    Well done Sarah! I needed an uplift this morning.

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  18. My connection isn't handling videos too well, so I think I'll have to borrow someone else's laptop, but I'll make a point to come back to it! Stephen Fry is great. I'm also very behind - this weekend's been pretty tricky. I'll start fresh tomorrow!

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  19. Great video! He does love language. And so do I. We all have to love what he says here. Very inspiring. His voice is amazing. Thanks for sharing, woman! :-)

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  20. I think this video is fantastic.

    I'm behind as well.

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  21. I'm failing in my reading and commenting as well. But I have started writing and that is something! Enjoyed the video - thanks for posting :)

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  22. Sarah - Oh, who has time to visit everyone's blog that one would like to?! And thanks for sharing this fascinating video. I'm a lover of words myself so even though I didn't agree with everything he says, I love the topic.

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  23. I love Stephen Fry. A very talented man.

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  24. Cool vid! I'm with you though--I've been failing in visiting other blogs. There's only so many hours in a day! Ack! But I do try. Hugs to you. :)

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  25. Hi Sarah .. I've seen this a while ago - but it's a great video .. just so perfect for Magical words .. clever you - crative you .. oh we're past C aren't we .... see you for N on Monday .. at T for tomorrow .. cheers Hilary

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  26. Fry does the Bloomsbury Harry Potter audiobooks, and my British friends rave about how talent he is.

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  27. I keep falling behind, too. It happens.

    Great vid!

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  28. Very cool video!! Visiting from the A-Z challenge.

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com/

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  29. I've seen this before, but I love it so much that I watched it again. Thanks for posting!

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  30. Hola Sarah! I am one not to believe in coincidences. I'm sure I was meant to visit your blog today and listen to the video of Stephen Fry, because otherwise I wouldn't be here.

    I'm new to all this blog/social media "stuff", for lack of a better word (actually no, I wanna say stuff). Let me explain. I found my way here thru Paige Kellerman's blog. I met Paige last month in a presentation she held on social media at the neighborhood library (that by the way my sister signed me up for). Anyway, I saw you posted a very kind, yet unexpected comment about me in one of her posts where she writes about "Junk Mail". I say unexpected, because after so many years and years of supressing my passion for writing, and never really seeing myself as a writer (still emerging), I found myself somewhat intimidated when I finally entered this new world I'd caged myself from. I feared that perhaps my style of writing was not up-to-par with everyone else's. But, let me just get to what I really came here to do(if not I'll go on & on and probably get off the subject and end up in the twilight zone or something)...Thank you Sarah! That's what I really came here to do. To say thank you and to let you know that your words were encouraging to me! Also, this video you posted...I don't even know who Stephen Fry is; never even heard of him. But, now I do! And let me tell you, his words hypnotized me and transported me into a world I felt at home in. It was AMAZING!!! I needed so badly to hear what he said. It just re-affirms what I've known all along...that I Am Who I Am and my style of writing is my own! And that's okay! This is why I say I know I was meant to visit you today! And that is why I've learned to listen to my inner voice and follow it's whispers, because when I do, at the end, there is always something good waiting for me! At this end its...elatation! aaahhhhhh *__* Once again, thank you Sarah!

    Tootles! SimplyyMayra

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  31. I've been behind for ages! Inspiring video today... thx!

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  32. Loved watching and listening to that. Thanks so much for posting it.

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  33. I kind of adore his voice. I loved watching the words pop up on the video as well. Talk about brilliant.

    I decided to not join in this year because I knew I'd most likely still be on A. I admire all those who chose to dive into the challenge waters and are keeping up the best they can!

    Stay strong! We love you regardless!

    With love - Jen from Unedited

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  34. Whoa. I was mesmerized by his voice and the words. Cool video!

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  35. What an awesome video. Thanks so much for sharing it. I agree with almost everything he said, but I must admit, hearing people (especially on a news broadcast) use such words as "strategize" still makes me nuts. And don't worry about being "behind." Ont thing this challenge has taught me is it's virtually IMPOSSIBLE to keep up with every blog on your blogroll. So, just relax, and do the best you can.

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  36. I could listen to Stephen Fry all day. I loved watching the words. It was hypnotic... oh dear, I wonder if he's hypnotised us all!

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  37. Oh, this is lovely. Thank you and the blog where you found it!

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  38. I love Stephen Fry and this video. I love his voice, "Words seem to belong to other people". Sarah, I know how you feel about falling behind.I feel the same way and I keep trying tp catch up and I can't. I love this challenge and blogging everyday, but at the end of the day sometimes there isn't much time left.

    I started off by visiting the blogs below me like we were instructed and then once I added the challenge navigation bar, I am dong the "surprise me" button and I love clicking to random blogs, My problem is that I am neglecting the regular blogs I like to visit and read. I am torn because I know the purpose if to meet new bloggers, but I feel very disconnected from the dozen or so bloggers I look forward to reading daily.

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  39. I love it. Too many rules can cramp the creative process. It's best to be true to ourselves and write what we love onto the page without worrying about the mechanics!

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  40. That's a great video. It's a little distracting to have all the words flying into place, rotating, etc. but it's about words and how people use them. I'm totally with fry that we need to move away from just writing haughty letters to newspaper columns and should instead, focus on how we use words to communicate with one another. The use of words is in a really sad state here in the U.S., sadly :)

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  41. Thanks for this, Sarah. I've seen things ripped apart so often on Amazon, that I've become obsessive about editing. :)

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  42. Sarah, this is a super video. I also agree with comments about how words should be used to communicate. When emotion laces words beyond recognition, there's a communication gully. And, please don't feel badly about falling behind. I think most of us are scrambling for free time, especially this time of the year, what with seasons changing, school semesters ending, and so on.

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  43. This was lovely ... and sets me free. :) Thanks for sharing!

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  44. Great post!
    -MJ A to Z blogger

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  45. I'll have to listen to this when I get home. ;)

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  46. Great video! I feel your pain with falling behind. There's just too much to do, and only one of me!

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  47. I'm falling behind with everything, so you're doing better than I am.

    And that video is brilliant. Stephen Fry is so cool :)

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  48. Don't worry about the blog visiting--it is tough to keep up with all the great followers you have.

    Entertaining video; it did take a moment or two to get oriented though.

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  49. I completely understand the blog visiting dilemma. No worries! We all understand how hard it is to visit, write AND live life :D

    This post was BRILLIANT! Thank you for sharing this. I love Stephen Fry and the entire time I was listening to it, I was reminded of the narrator in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"...so of course I had to go a check and, BEHOLD! Stephen Fry IS the narrator for THGTTG. Sweet! Makes it even better.

    Happy Tuesday!
    Jen

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  50. I'm so glad my computer didn't play up - I actually got to watch the entire video with no glitches (for a change...)
    Brilliant... and Fry has a mesmerising voice, I could listen to him for hours...
    He really lashes out at the pedants - but with such style!
    Thanks for sharing!

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  51. I thought it was brilliant. I love language. I love the way some things sound and sometimes they are just words I made up that convey their understanding in the sentence. I have been told to change them to the more accepted versions and sometimes I do but I always hate doing it.

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  52. I'm in the exact same predicament as you. Reminds me of that one oldies song with one word changed: "catching up is hard to do!"

    Excellent video. :)

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