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LInguisticually Challenged


StarMountainKid

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As a young child, I didn’t learn to talk until late, and then I didn’t speak very much. I have a visual kind of mind and I sometimes have problems expressing myself with words.

 

For instance, I can ‘see’ the concept I want to express, but I have trouble translating this sort of visual concept into language. I’m constantly studying a thesaurus to find the correct word to use when I post here.

 

In person, I generally speak well and fluently, but when I have to write posts I have this problem, although sometimes when speaking I can't think of a word to use, I just sort of sputter to a halt.

 

I know what I want to express, but there is no word in my mind to express it, so I type a general subject in Microsoft Word and see what the thesaurus comes up with, then I choose a word from the list of terms, thinking why I couldn’t think of that common word.

 

Often I sit with a blank mind with no word occurring to me to articulate what I want to say. It’s frustrating sometimes. I wonder if there is a psychological term for my condition.
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Sounds like linguistic processing disorder...more akin to Dyslexia. I really don't think this is a psychological problem/condition.

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The other problem I have on occasion is, when someone says something to me, I don't immediately understand what they've said. I have to wait a few seconds after they've spoken to understand or process what they've said. I hear them speak but there's a delay in my comprehension of their spoken statement.

.

 

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1 hour ago, StarMountainKid said:

The other problem I have on occasion is, when someone says something to me, I don't immediately understand what they've said. I have to wait a few seconds after they've spoken to understand or process what they've said. I hear them speak but there's a delay in my comprehension of their spoken statement.

.

 

This makes me even more convinced that you have a linguistic processing disorder. Don't let it worry you any, you're fine. You just sort of process language 'to the beat of a different drummer' so to speak.

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4 hours ago, StarMountainKid said:

The other problem I have on occasion is, when someone says something to me, I don't immediately understand what they've said. I have to wait a few seconds after they've spoken to understand or process what they've said. I hear them speak but there's a delay in my comprehension of their spoken statement.

.

 

That is more common than you realize. Happens to me all the time. A customer, either in person or on the phone, will ask a question and it takes a moment or two to wade through their garbled syntax or accent as my mind replays what they said. Usually I just ask them to repeat.

I use to be at a loss for words, myself. Don't wait until you need words to try to find them. When reading, always look up words you don't understand, immediately, or just set yourself a goal of learning at least one new word a day. You'll be surprised how quickly your vocabulary grows. Some people are slower or faster at things. Take the world at your own speed.

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33 minutes ago, Hammerclaw said:

I use to be at a loss for words, myself. Don't wait until you need words to try to find them. When reading, always look up words you don't understand, immediately, or just set yourself a goal of learning at least one new word a day. You'll be surprised how quickly your vocabulary grows. Some people are slower or faster at things. Take the world at your own speed.

My vocabulary is very good, that's not the problem. Its sometimes I can't think of a simple word to describe what I want to express. My mind is blank. It's a strange experience.

Part of it is, I want the exact word I need. I've written a lot of fiction, and I'm always re-writing sentences in order to convey exactly what I want to describe. I'm changing single words with similar meanings to find the exact word I want that best describes the scene or whatever.

When I post here it takes me time and effort, because I want to be as articulate as I can to express my opinion or idea.  Now my competence in spelling is another matter entirely. :)  Without spellcheck my posts would be a disaster.

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Just now, StarMountainKid said:

My vocabulary is very good, that's not the problem. Its sometimes I can't think of a simple word to describe what I want to express. My mind is blank. It's a strange experience.

Part of it is, I want the exact word I need. I've written a lot of fiction, and I'm always re-writing sentences in order to convey exactly what I want to describe. I'm changing single words with similar meanings to find the exact word I want that best describes the scene or whatever.

When I post here it takes me time and effort, because I want to be as articulate as I can to express my opinion or idea.  Now my competence in spelling is another matter entirely. :)  Without spellcheck my posts would be a disaster.

You and me both! Spellcheck is a two-edged sword. Sometimes it corrects to a word one did not intend. Sometimes I have to look up words the meaning of which I only know contextually, and sometimes find I didn't know the meaning, at all. My mind often goes blank trying to recall a word I had just used the day before.

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6 hours ago, StarMountainKid said:

The other problem I have on occasion is, when someone says something to me, I don't immediately understand what they've said. I have to wait a few sDeconds after they've spoken to understand or process what they've said. I hear them speak but there's a delay in my comprehension of their spoken statement.

.

 

Do you have the same problem when you write? Or maybe, does this stem from always reaching for a thesaurus because you write?

I loved your Christmas story, BTW.

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For myself personally, I find that the problems usually crops up when I am unsure of who the reader is, something I find I have most difficulties with because I have none the idea of where to start or when to end with the disparate definitions I am attempting to brace the points i am making.

That to me is that the greatest obstacle when writing for a presentation meant for the internet as a medium.

~

 

Quote

 

Why Empathy is the Key to Story

by Joe Bunting | 44 Comments

To write fiction, you must develop your capacity be empathetic. Empathy is so much a part of what the writer does that it would be impossible to get by without it.

 

  • the write practice link

 

~

Its hard to be on the right or left of empathetic when the connectives are hard to define ...

 

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20 minutes ago, Likely Guy said:

Do you have the same problem when you write? Or maybe, does this stem from always reaching for a thesaurus because you write?

I loved your Christmas story, BTW.

When I write I turn to the thesaurus when I'm searching for the perfect word to use. Sometimes there is no word in English that represents what I want to express, I have to settle for something not quite what I mean.

No, I don't think it's because I use a thesaurus when I write.  I sometimes just can't think of a word I want to use.The mind goes blank. It's like I've forgotten that simple word I've used many times. Some words more than others. I'm trying to think of an example... I've a list in my computer of words I usually can't remember. "Rigorous" is one of them. Just now I had to go to the thesaurus to look up similar words to find it.

I've used that word many times but still when I want it I can't remember it.

Thanks for liking my story. I like it, too. That story pretty much wrote itself after I had the idea for it.

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6 minutes ago, third_eye said:

For myself personally, I find that the problems usually crops up when I am unsure of who the reader is, something I find I have most difficulties with because I have none the idea of where to start or when to end with the disparate definitions I am attempting to brace the points i am making.

That to me is that the greatest obstacle when writing for a presentation meant for the internet as a medium.

[Empathy is] the capacity to (a) be affected by and share the emotional state of another,

From your link. I mostly write fiction to entertain myself. That being said, I do try to share and convey my emotions in the story with the reader. That's really the point of writing. When I do my best to accomplish this, either the reader gets it or doesn't. That's out of my control.

In writing, I think when we're satisfied with the thing and our talent can't make it any better, we just put it out there and it's either accepted as it is or not. I know my feeble talent does not compare with the best, I just do the best I can. There's no use worrying about perfection, that's far and away from what I can accomplish.

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2 minutes ago, StarMountainKid said:

From your link. I mostly write fiction to entertain myself. That being said, I do try to share and convey my emotions in the story with the reader. That's really the point of writing. When I do my best to accomplish this, either the reader gets it or doesn't. That's out of my control.

In writing, I think when we're satisfied with the thing and our talent can't make it any better, we just put it out there and it's either accepted as it is or not. I know my feeble talent does not compare with the best, I just do the best I can. There's no use worrying about perfection, that's far and away from what I can accomplish.

There is much to be said of how writing 'fiction' has evolved since the advent of the internet as a widespread medium, case in point is the literary stylistics has greatly mutated into a barely recognizable form of conversation, more direct and even less of the modicum in spacious words due to the lack of time where the attention span can be realistically sought to be given by a reader.

I can see why perfection suffers from the process, 'the world in a grain of sand' would never had made the grade if it were to wedged itself into the works of today ~

 

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1 minute ago, third_eye said:

There is much to be said of how writing 'fiction' has evolved since the advent of the internet as a widespread medium, case in point is the literary stylistics has greatly mutated into a barely recognizable form of conversation, more direct and even less of the modicum in spacious words due to the lack of time where the attention span can be realistically sought to be given by a reader.

I can see why perfection suffers from the process, 'the world in a grain of sand' would never had made the grade if it were to wedged itself into the works of today ~

In other words, any idiot can now write fiction and post it on the internet? That's what I do! It's up to the reader to evaluate what is written. Unfortunately, perhaps the art of discernment has deteriorated because few bother to read real literature any more.

I find the the best writers, contrary to being intimidating, are the easiest to read. I've struggled through popular novels and have given up continuing to read.

If someone tries to write something and it isn't very good, I can't criticize their effort unless they have deceived themselves and others into thinking it's a wonderful work of art.

 

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2 minutes ago, StarMountainKid said:

In other words, any idiot can now write fiction and post it on the internet?

In not so many words, The internet provides a ready platform for Publications from all Writers who is desirous to write ~

 

2 minutes ago, StarMountainKid said:

That's what I do! It's up to the reader to evaluate what is written. Unfortunately, perhaps the art of discernment has deteriorated because few bother to read real literature any more.

That's falling into the traps inadvertently created by the Course of the Creative Process made available by the medium / media, I think there's hardly a line demarcating the false or real literature anymore these days.

 

2 minutes ago, StarMountainKid said:

I find the the best writers, contrary to being intimidating, are the easiest to read. I've struggled through popular novels and have given up continuing to read.

If someone tries to write something and it isn't very good, I can't criticize their effort unless they have deceived themselves and others into thinking it's a wonderful work of art.

 

This reminds me of the Update you posted a while back about the piano players ... playing perfect but no one would pay a nickle to hear them play ...

The 'Perfect' form of writing I see making the turns nowadays ... Chaz Hutton links

~
 

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7 minutes ago, third_eye said:

The 'Perfect' form of writing I see making the turns nowadays ... Chaz Hutton

I red some Chaz Hutton from your link. I've written kind of same sort of stuff in one of my blogs here. I call it commentary. It's supposed to be humorous. Maybe, like me, when everybody can do it of course the general level of quality declines. This is the downside of social media. I'm not into social media so I'm not an expert on the subject, however.

.I do understand what you're saying. I think when something goes viral on the internet its probably something stupid. I have witnessed  the decline of quality in all mediums, from television, radio and movies, and this trend seems to make them even more popular.

Sometimes I feel isolated in my appreciation of quality in these forms of communication. Linguistically challenged I may be, but not quality challenged. Some entertainment is just meant for fun, and I understand that, but along with this there are more profound works of art that can as easily be appreciated.

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18 minutes ago, StarMountainKid said:

Sometimes I feel isolated in my appreciation of quality in these forms of communication. Linguistically challenged I may be, but not quality challenged. Some entertainment is just meant for fun, and I understand that, but along with this there are more profound works of art that can as easily be appreciated.

Yes, I was waiting for that ... now I am quite certain we are on the same path ... I figure that I too share your predicament in some cases albeit from an entirely different direction, I tend to create mostly in a different language and then transpose it into English, as the case being East is or West is, in such cases the delineation is quite perplexing when it comes to the appropriate definitions to use in cases where syntax and contexts clash.

Anyhow, from my personal point of view, again. it is the story in the telling that should be of primary concern rather than the construct, the shape and form of the words in the sentences should befit the guilt or crime whether it be a grammatical tragedy or comedy ...

~

 

Quote

 

Storytelling

In these TED Talks, masters of storytelling share their creative secrets and explore new approaches to their age-old craft.

 

  • TED Talks Ideas worth Spreading link

~

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Always aced English....and drama......not not big on linguistics........just dont have the time........

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On my first job there was a guy who allways answered, what.
It didnt matter what you said he allways said what. Just so you had to repeat what you said again.
We thought he had trouble with hearing.

Each year we had a company party at christmas and everyone were allowed to bring their partner.
One of my coworkers talked with this persons wife and the somehow entered the subject about her husbands hearing.

She laughed and said that no no no he hears perfectly well, but he needs some time to process peoples questions so that is why he acts like he has trouble hearing.

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I think we could all benefit from your way Starmountain Kid... taking more time before responding.  Allowing other's words to settle a bit, before leaping headlong into a response.

 

For some time now I have been working with the idea that often, my most appropriate response is silence.  This of course does not apply to someone asking a direct question, but in much of conversation there are natural pauses as folks work through their process as you do Starmountain, and I am finding that my silence, or my changing habit of not immediately jumping in with what I'm thinking allows the other person time to let their thoughts gestate and come full.

 

Active listening.  Listening not with the intent to respond, but the intent to understand. 

Powerful stuff.  Thanks for sharing and for the record, I don't think you have a detriment here at all, I think you are ahead of most with this...

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On 2017-01-23 at 11:37 AM, StarMountainKid said:

The other problem I have on occasion is, when someone says something to me, I don't immediately understand what they've said. I have to wait a few seconds after they've spoken to understand or process what they've said. I hear them speak but there's a delay in my comprehension of their spoken statement

.

 

This can actually be common, under certain circumstances. Do you speak multiple languages? I know that, despite English being my native language, if I spend the day speaking Mandarin or German, I won't understand English right away, if someone speaks to me in it. Likewise, if someone says something to me in German or Mandarin and I'm not expecting it, it'll take me a few moments to process and understand what they've said.

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Hi Star,.   Other than the mind going blank while searching for the best words to express your thoughts,..I think your just very careful and fussy and a bit obsessive in how you use language?   

I'm very fussy about words and semantics... To an obsessive  degree.  It makes me nuts when people are very lazy in their communications and expect listeners to make sense of what they are saying.

Anyway.  I think you communicate very well...  We'd never have guessed it was difficult for you.  

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SMK - Personally, I'd like to read more of this from you:

"When I was in the U.S. Army I was on a bus to NYC. Sitting beside me was an old lady senselessly gibbering to herself. I was embarrassed and tried to ignore her, but then she turned to me, saw my uniform, looked into my eyes and said plainly, 'I lost my son in a war.' She looked away and said softly, 'I guess some things have to be done.' Then she sat back and returned to talking nonsense to herself."

That is a remarkably visual piece of writing. Every time I read it I feel like I'm sitting in the seat right across the aisle in the bus. You're a good science fiction writer, but I'd like to read more of your personal experiences. 

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I wonder what could possibly be going on when one pulls up words to speak or write them.  I'm fluent in maybe three languages and can get along in maybe three more and have a nodding acquaintance with maybe three more.  I don't "think" in any of them.  What I want to say just gets said in the language I want.  Sometimes a word I want doesn't present itself, even though I know it exists, and I stammer and say something like, "What to you call ... " but that is rare.  More often I speak and write before I think.  It all seems to happen "at once" as though circuits in my brain were doing work in advance but not letting me know about it until it is ready.

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8 hours ago, Frank Merton said:

I wonder what could possibly be going on when one pulls up words to speak or write them.  I'm fluent in maybe three languages and can get along in maybe three more and have a nodding acquaintance with maybe three more.  I don't "think" in any of them.  What I want to say just gets said in the language I want.  Sometimes a word I want doesn't present itself, even though I know it exists, and I stammer and say something like, "What to you call ... " but that is rare.  More often I speak and write before I think.  It all seems to happen "at once" as though circuits in my brain were doing work in advance but not letting me know about it until it is ready.

I guess I could reply with, no doubt you are out of your depth and should get into something else.

 

I don't tolerate ignorant questions well, and I have no intention of getting into a debate with a person who knows almost nothing.
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9 hours ago, simplybill said:

That is a remarkably visual piece of writing. Every time I read it I feel like I'm sitting in the seat right across the aisle in the bus. You're a good science fiction writer, but I'd like to read more of your personal experiences

Thanks, but I don't know of many personal experiences be would be interesting to write about. There are some interesting experiences I've had, but I don't think they'd be interesting to anyone else. Ambiance, for instance, means a lot to me, but I would not know how to describe it or write about it.

I was attending a classical music concert outdoors in Chicago one warm summer evening and was sitting quietly in my chair by myself until almost everyone else had left. I noticed an old woman walking along the isle toward me. She stopped before my chair and smiled kindly down at me. I don't recall if I was looking depressed or lonely or what, but she said in her old woman voice thoughtfully with real sympathy and compassion, "Sometimes we loose our personality, but it always comes back," and then she walked on.

These kinds of spontaneous or mysterious events stay in my mind. They're significant for me and I remember them.. Events that happen that one would not expect. Kindnesses offered out of selfless benevolent generosity, the unexpected kindness of strangers.

 

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