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A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
6
January 12, 2012
I lovewords.
All of them. There is nothing that
delights me more than a really
articulate insult or a turn of phrase
that simply resonates the real
meaning of the situation in which it
is used.
So last week, when the fellows
from Wayne State issued their
annual list of 10 words they feel are
some of the most expressive-yet
regrettably neglected-in theEnglish
language and deserve to be used
more often, I couldn't help but
smile.
They call it the Word Warriors
series and they are now in their
fourth year of promoting words that
are out therewaiting to be used, but
simply don't get the attention they
deserve. Some have had great days
and inexplicably fallen out of favor;
others have never quitemanaged to
enter the lexicon despite their ver-
satility, punch - and sometimes
even sheer beauty.
TheWordWarriors' annual list is
distilled from the series' Words of
the Week, which are picked by
administrators of the website with
help from the public. Logophiles
worldwide have seen favorite
words brought back from the brink
of obsolescence, or welcomed new
additions to their vocabularies, at
wordwarriors.wayne.edu. New
entries are posted there, as well as
on Twitter and Facebook, each
week.
“The English language has more
words in its lexicon than any other,”
said Jerry Herron, dean of WSU
Irvin D. Reid Honors College. “By
bringing these words back into con-
versation, we expand our ability to
communicate clearly and help
make our world a more interesting
place.”
“For those who appreciate lan-
guage, there is a real thrill in dis-
covering -- or rediscovering -- new
words, especially in your own
tongue,” added Jack Lessenberry,
journalist and Wayne State faculty
member. “You may call me ante-
diluvian, and many of my erstwhile
students do, but I think these words
should send a frisson of joy along
your spine. Reviving themmay be a
Sisyphean task, but not to do so
would be to truckle to the supercil-
ious and execrable cult of transito-
ry fashion.”
Here's the Wayne State
U n i v e r s i t y
Word Warriors'
2012 list of
remarkably use-
ful and expressive words that
deserve more chances to enrich
our language:
Antediluvian
- Antiquated; old-
fashioned; out of date. Literally
“before the flood,” referring to the
Biblical deluge. This company's
vacation policy is positively ante-
diluvian, so I'm giving you three
weeks off this year.
Erstwhile
- Former; bygone.
Rampantlymisused. Roger had dis-
turbing reasons to suspect that
Rachel, his erstwhile lover, had
hacked into his email accounts.
Execrable
- Atrocious; wretched;
abominable. Alice may have a
Ph.D., but her spelling is execrable.
Frisson
- Thanks to French for
this word meaning that sudden,
involuntary shiver we may feel at
times of great emotion. Albert knew
Players season praised
To the editor;
Children from all over southeast
Michigan have completed a suc-
cessful fall semester of The
Plymouth Uptown Players (PUPS).
Children from ages 5-12 performed
in three casts this year and per-
formed six shows in three days.
Director Katelyn Sigworth chose
Honorable Urashima, Panic in the
Palace, and The Arkansaw Bear as
this year's performances.
The children and parents of the
PUPS had an amazing season.
Everyone participated and helped
out where they could to make this
year successful. The staff included
co-directors Katelyn Sigworth and
Cara Bosco, along with helpers
Scott Szymusiak, Lisa Howard,
Kimmy Elliot, Kayla Denny, and
TylerHoward.
Parents had pleasant things to
say about the season. Danielle, a
parent from the PUPS wrote, “This
is my daughter's first production
with thePlymouthUptownPlayers.
What a wonderful experience it
has been! The director, Katelyn
Sigworth, and her staff have, while
teaching the actors the “basics of
theater”, also reinforced some
valuable lessons...the importance
of team work, respect and commit-
ment. All of this while making sure
the childrenhave fun!”
Jennifer Boyer wrote, “My
daughter, Abby, enjoys participat-
ing in PUPS. Her favorite thing
about PUPS is her wonderful
teacher, Katelyn Sigworth. Katelyn
has a wonderful way with the kids.
Abby is excited to perform and
demonstrate her new acting skills.
Being a part of PUPS has been an
excellent experience and one I'd
recommend to any parent for their
child. We plan to continue being a
part of PUPS for years come.”
PUPS is an experimental the-
atre program for elementary and
middle school-aged children. All
children who audition receive a
part. The program culminates in a
play performed at the Plymouth
Community
Arts
Council.
Performances are open to the pub-
lic.
Due to a generous grant from
We'rewith themayor on this one.
Last week, at a public meeting, Plymouth Mayor Dan
Dwyer suggested that the community support the ice festival
due in town next weekend, along with the rest of the commu-
nity festivals that bring thousands of people to town. If com-
mon sense is a political asset, Dwyer could vie for the White
House.
It wasmore than distressing to hear the gossip that swirled
around the festival this year, encouraged, we can only
assume, by a penchant for sensationalism and maybe a little
jealousy. We can think of no other reasons that a person
charged with promoting the city and city businesses would
tell local retailers and restaurant owners that “there may not
be an ice festival this year.”
What? Really? It would seem only appropriate to us that if
there was any question about the viability of the festival, a
person whose main job is to promote the city merchants and
the community as a whole, would get on the phone to the fes-
tival organizer and producer before ever uttering any com-
ment whatsoever, much lessmake disparaging remarks.
Do not misunderstand. Dwyer did not say any of this or
even imply or suggest in any way that he was aware of the
inappropriate remarks. He simply urged people to support
the festival and the other events that have literally put
Plymouth on themap.
The annual Rotary Chicken Barbecue and fall festival, Art
in the Park, the Great Lakes Chili Cook Off and the upcoming
Ice Festival are events that have been going on for decades
and are an entrenched part of the very culture of the City of
Plymouth. The chicken barbecue will be nearly 60 years old
and the Ice Festival will mark the 30th anniversary this year.
These are established traditions in the community and these
events, like Art in the Park, bring people fromacross the state
to the city. The success has prompted other communities to
mimic the events with small winter festivals, art shows and
festivals in an attempt to emulate the success Plymouth
enjoys.
When we talked to SamWalton, the organizer and produc-
er of the festival, he had only good things to say about the way
the community, and especially the large donors and sponsors,
and the city administration, had supported the event and the
help they had offered to ensure this would be a terrific
Festivals need help of community to succeed
Putting
priorities
in order
It may be, next to schools, the
one item taxpayers both complain
about and value the most in their
communities is public safety.
Residents will stand up and
complain at meetings about the
bad attitude of an officer during a
traffic stop or the time it took for
the fire department to find Fluffy
when the smoke detector misfired,
but when it comes to eliminating
those services, people get very
vocal and active.
Get rid of the DPW and there
will be protests and complaints,
shut down city hall and citizens
will have something to say, but
when it comes to police and fire
protection, the health and safety of
their families, taxpayers are easily
moved to direct, overt and often
drastic action.
That's why we applaud both the
City of Wayne and Westland which
are, thanks to some federal grants
and other creative funding, able to
bring their public safety depart-
ments back to the levels citizens
expect anddeserve.
In Wayne, two firefighters have
been hired and four who were laid
off when city finances were in dire
straights brought back on staff back
in June. Fire Chief Mel Moore and
City Manager Bob English agree
that they will hire one more fire-
fighter to bring the department up
to nearly full staffing. They also
hope to bring back the K-9 officer,
thanks to the use of drug forfeiture
funding. The Community Oriented
Police Crime Reduction Unit is
also marked for reinstatement in
the city, something Mayor Al
Haidous and Police Chief Jason
Wright agree will be of benefit to
residents.
In Westland, a recent federal
grant allowed the hiring of nine
new firefighters, bringing that staff
up to an acceptable level, which
includes both EMT and Advanced
Life Support services, something
the city was one of the first in the
area to provide for residents.
Letters
See
Festival,
page 7
See
Priorities,
page 7
See
Words,
page 7
See
Letters,
page 7
It was more than distressing to hear
the gossip that swirled around
the festival this year, encouraged,
we can only assume, by a penchant for
sensationalism and maybe a little jealousy.
”
For those who appreciate language,
there is a real thrill in discovering -- or rediscovering --
new words, especially in your own tongue.
Jack Lessenberry
”
Give a few strange words a chance