While I grew up with English as my native language, I often surprise myself with my profound misuse of lexis when I speak. I presume you know that lexis is not the car. I won't even get into how I learned that! But, when I publish my first book, I wouldn't mind having a Lexus with a license plate that reads: LEXIS.
Anyway, I'll say a word or two and those around me tend to get a blank look on their faces while they process or interpret what they heard or what they think they heard.
My husband tells me I have an ongoing problem of making up words. When he catches a made-up word, I'll go look it up in "my own dictionary" and most often the word is there and I'll enlighten him!
I know that my dictionary happens to be a Websters, printed in 1937. (See the picture above) I like using it. It has notes in the margins from people that aren't even around anymore. Thus I may speaketh and spelleth differently and it may account for my problem.
Sometimes I say a word that isn't used very often, or I just mix words up.
I believe this gift for words was given to me genetically, from my dad! He's very smart. Not only a retired teacher, but a keen storyteller, AND he's awesome at the misuse of words.
Not too long ago, my mom hurt her arm and I called to see how she was feeling. My dad answered the phone and I asked him how she was and he said, "Apparently pretty good for she is out getting a pedophile as we speak."
I paused, for although we have police officers in our family, my mother is not one of them! He then said, "A pedi... pedicure!"
I was so relieved!
We spoke of the time many years ago when I was a teen, and he told my younger brothers and sisters, who were being obnoxious, to go in the other room and play with the "erection set". I had glanced at the green, blue and red sticks and wheels on the floor and laughed. Any of you ever owned an erector set?
We had a good laugh over how we mix-up words in a most embarrassing way. This can be especially humiliating when you view yourself as a writer of words. I'm sure those who know me can recall times I have slipped in the word department. I'm not talking about swear words, but those times you're in front of kids, or family, or even a large audience and you mispronounce a word and don't even know it. It's like having a piece of spinach stuck in your teeth, which you discover AFTER the party; generally people don't call your attention to the problem, they just pretend it didn't happen.
For myself, I'll be relaxed after speaking in front of a Church group and a bead of sweat will form along my spine as I realize that the word I intended to use was Sect and I had actually said Sex. It's too late to run back to the pulpit and give a lengthy analysis of how it was not some Freudian thing, but my mind plays tricks on me with "it sounds like..." and if anyone had actually laughed I might have caught my mistake and we wouldn't be having this uncomfortable moment right now. Whew!
Has anyone had similar word mishaps? I'm thrilled to have followers on my new blog and want to hear your experiences. And please, pass this on, and let me know I'm not the only one with this lexis problem!
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