Whit

Whit sounds like wit and according to dictionary.com, it means

a particle; bit; jot (used especially in negative phrases).

I have changed not a whit. I don't feel a whit better than I felt yesterday; in fact, I feel worse.

Whence as from what place

Since I have mighty difficulties using my brain, I decided to browse through more famous quotes and learn some more archaic English words.

The new word I learn today is whence. Although I could have guess it to be associated "when," it's actually related to "where."

For instance

Whence comest though?

Means

Where do you come from?

Whither as to what place, whereever

I fancy archaic words.

Just came across this word whither these two days.

But I still wonder how it was possible, in those graceless years of transition, long ago, that men did not see whither they were going, and went on, in blindness and cowardice , to their fate.
Rand, Ayn (2012-05-12). Anthem (p. 80).  . Kindle Edition. 

Old Testamen,t Ruth i. 16. For whither thou goest, I will go.
Various (2009-10-04). Familiar Quotations (Kindle Locations 101-102). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition. 

 Wonder whether it's a legit way of using the word whither:

When starting to work on my book, I didin't see whither I was going?


I especially like the part "whither though goest"--feels mighty kimoji...

Save is except?

Found an interesting usage of Save in Ayn Rand's Anthem. Save means except.

Nothing moves in this tunnel save our hand on the paper.
Rand, Ayn (2012-05-12). Anthem (Kindle Locations 21-22).  . Kindle Edition.
And now there is nothing here save our one body , and it is strange to see only two legs stretched on the ground, and on the wall before us the shadow of our one head.
Rand, Ayn (2012-05-12). Anthem (Kindle Locations 23-24).  . Kindle Edition. 

save 2 prep. & conj. FORMAL or POETIC/LITERARY except; other than: no one needed to know save herself; the kitchen was empty save for Boris. <ORIGIN> Middle English: from Old French sauf, sauve, from Latin salvo, salva (ablative singular of salvus 'safe'), used in phrases such as salvo jure, salva innocentia 'with no violation of right or innocence'.

 (2010-04-01). The New Oxford American Dictionary (Kindle Locations 731421-731426). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.

Example: No one need to know what I write in the Ratology Heal Blog save myself.

Schizophrenia as 精神分裂症 or 思覺失調症

Just learned it from a friend of mine that Schizophrenia, formerly known as 精神分裂症, has been renamed to 思覺失調症, with de-stigmatization as the purpose.

http://www.mohw.gov.tw/cht/Ministry/DM2_P.aspx?f_list_no=7&fod_list_no=4558&doc_no=45300

蜂窩性組織炎 in English

Was wondering what 蜂窩(性)組織炎 is in English. The answer is simple Cellulitis.

打點滴 in English? Getting an IV

Just realized that I had no idea what 打點滴 is in English.

After googling around, I found that I do know what it is in English, getting an IV, except I can't map the two together. lol

Therefore, 打點滴 means getting an IV, and vice versa.

Die a thousand deaths

"Die a thousand deaths" was one of an expression I used in my writing and the editors suggested me to have it edited out.

Ended up, the salad words outta my disordered mouth had been used before by Mr. Hemingway himself in A Farewell to Arms.

"The coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave but once."
"Of course. Who said it?"
"I don't know."
"He was probably a coward," she said. "He knew a great deal about cowards but nothing about the brave. The brave dies perhaps two thousand deaths if he's intelligent. He simply doesn't mention them."

Does Hemingway really believe that "the coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave but once" or "the coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave two thousand deaths"? Since I didn't read through the whole book, can't tell ya.

At least, here it is ... the context where the saying came from.

儞 ㄋ一ˇ ni 8-O

In Discussions on horses (馬上談), a segment of Dongpo Chan Xi Ji 東坡禪喜集, I came across this Chinese character that I have never seen in my life 儞:  

蘇東坡與佛印出城遊行。佛印謂坡曰。儞在馬上十分好。一似一尊佛也。坡答曰。儞穿一領玉衆裟。在馬上好。似一堆太牛屎也。印云。我口出佛。儞口出屎。隨從人呵呵大笑。

This is a character I couldn't even find when attempting to type it out independent of the input methods. Since I couldn't type it out, it's impossible to google it and verify its existence using the digital method.

Regardless, based on the information about the radical and the number of strokes, I found that 儞 is the archaic form of 你--sort of thou to you (singular format).

See the following more information on 儞:

1. http://dict2.variants.moe.edu.tw/variants/rbt/word_attribute.rbt
2. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%84%9E

Enliterate

Years back, I decided to create the word "enliterate" for the convenience of my writing because it sounds good.

Since the prefix "en" can mean "cause to be in a certain condition," I used the word "enliterate" to mean "make someone become literate."

Ended up, this word (and its variations) that I can't even find in dictionaries have appeared in various sources...

Enliterate

• http://www.unisa.ac.za/cedu/news/index.php/2012/08/school-workbooks-for-all/  
• http://www.trinicenter.com/winford/2003/May/112003.htm
• molteno 2011 annual report.pdf

Enliteration

• Concise Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics
• More...

So?

Thank God.  Now I don't even have to make an argument about whether "enliterate" is a word since it's been used before! lol 

Ratology Lingo Update

The discovering Ratology Lingo in process... new items are appended to the end of the list.

 

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Mickey mouse case?

Mickey mouse is small (since it is a mouse).

When I say "Mickey mouse case," I mean nothing big... small case.

Club Meds

After I came out of the psychiatric ward the first time, this gentleman I knew asked me where I had been. Not quite sure what to tell him and not wanting to lie, I told him that I was in Club Meds.

I wondered whether he might have thought it to be my ESL style of pronouncing Club Med, though.