The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!
We spotted a question on the Questions & Answers tag in the forum a while ago which made us curious, so now we’re opening it up as this month’s reading prompt! Ann-Kathrin (Annkaba) asked this: “What is your favourite word in your language?”
I know that I spend a lot of time reading, and thus everyone expects me to have a favourite word right on the tip of my tongue—after all, I must love so many words! But I don’t really seem to think about it that way, and I’m much more interested (usually) in the story being told…
All the same, I do have particular sounds in words that I love to say (and because I love to say them, I’ll confess I often whisper to myself as I’m reading—to the annoyance of my family!). They just make the most satisfying mouth-shapes somehow: stepped, swept, crept, leapt, crypt, tipped… All those “-pt” and “-pped” sounds are pretty delicious somehow.
There are lots of words that mean important things, of course, and that I’m a fan of for the meaning they hold. But I’d be lying if I said they were favourites: the humble “stepped” takes away the prize.
What about you? You can share your favourite word (or words!) in the comments, or use this as a prompt to inspire your Postcrossing messages this month.
99 comments so far
My favorite your in Portuguese is "Saudade".
This word means a melancholy or nostalgic desire for a person, place or things, which are far away, either in space or time.
I like these words because they're all cute.
The English „passion“ doesn't really express it, because in German („schafft Leiden“) it "creates suffering" and that is a strong expression.
I'll also just be hanging out it my apartment and randomly go "womp womp womp" aloud because I remember I have free will lol It reminds me of how the adults in Charlie Brown sound
Often we don't dwell much on the sound of the words we say or hear, paying more attention to the content of the thought expressed.
But if for a moment we stopped to listen to the speeches of those around us as if it were an unknown language, then perhaps we would be surprised by all the sounds emitted, almost as if they were the cries of a herd of strange bipedal animals. Verses sometimes shrill, or hissing, or still rumbling or caressing the hearing.
I am lucky enough to live in a land, Italy, of which the poet Dante Alighieri (author of the famous "Divine Comedy") almost 800 years ago defined the "beautiful country where the "s" sounds". And all the words containing "s" actually seem to sound, sometimes like a sweet music that enchants you, risking losing the meaning of the speech.
Among the countless examples of words with the "s" I find "Sentimento" (Feeling), "Sussurrare" (Whispering), "Sensibile" (Sensitive), "Sensuale" (Sensual), "Soffice" (Soft), "Sciogliersi" (Melt) and a thousand others...
Greetings from Rome, Italy
（木漏れ日 = komorebi = sunlight filtering through trees）
Sunlight that penetrates the branches and leaves of trees and shines down to the ground.
When you look at the sunlight filtering through the trees on the ground, you can feel the warmth and dazzle of the wind and the sun in the flickering light, and you will feel very calm.
and
Smock! Smock! Smock!
(From Calvin & Hobbes cartoon)
Hear the sledges with the bells—
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!
While the stars that oversprinkle
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells—
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
japanese called omoide.
En als ik langs een tuincentrum rijd waar op een hoge paal een koikarper staat. (Althans dat denk ik want ik heb geen verstand van vissen) Dan moet dat ook hardop gezegd worden en dan heel vaak achter elkaar.
Misschien maar goed ook dat ik meestal alleen in de auto zit......
I often sit alone in the car. And on 1 of the routes I regularly pass, a double-decker bus runs. I can't help saying that word out loud when I see a double-decker bus driving. And then as hard and especially as fast as possible.
And when I drive past a garden center where there is a koi carp on a high pole. (At least that's what I think because I don't know anything about fishes) Then that also has to be said out loud and then very often in succession.
Maybe it's a good thing I'm usually alone in the car.....
1. Contradiction: "Doch" can be used to contradict a negative statement or to express the opposite of what was previously said.
2. Affirmation: "Doch" can be used to affirm or confirm a statement that is being questioned or doubted.
3. Emphasis: "Doch" can be used to add emphasis to a statement, reinforcing its validity.
4. Counteracting a negative question: "Doch" can be used to counteract a negative question and imply a positive answer.
When you use it further in the south, people will think you're saying "(Guten) Morgen", and might get confused when you use it after 10 am. I have brought "Moin" with me from my time as a student in north Germany, and I happily and kind of proudly use it many times a day :).
Some others : opale, saphir, féline, fuligineux and fuligineuse.
Seems I like the sound of "f".
Learning lip reading nowadays, we learn a lot about how letters or groups of letters sound, are pronounced, and the way the lips are moving to say them. Working with a speech therapist.
F is "consonne fricative labio-dentale" for eg. I would be unable to translate, sorry.
For 'new Dutch word', written partly from the Polish. rz pronounced as j, w as v - uncommen in Dutch.
For it's history to bring back an old breed or brand of horse.
https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Przewalskipaard
It means; smallest, pumpkin (a love word) & bye.
In English, I like; Cheers, flabbergast & soul.
This word is not used in France (maybe because there is no such rain ;) except in Britanny - local joke ;)), maybe it's used in some parts of the north though.
In my Iraqi accent, I like the word (khan J'ghaan) which's borrowed from Persian and means a motel or more likely a place that always has visitors comes and go.
In English, I like the word "Stargazing" :-)
The meaning of the word, good luck in finding things unintentionally.
Finding something beautiful without looking for it....like love. Perhaps.
My favourite word is "orbayu" that describes a little-thin rain very typical from the north of my country.
The rest of the northerns has their own word for this type of rain!! It's fantastic!
Luganda is the widely spoken language in Uganda !
smwddio (pronounced smoothio) - to iron
cranc - crab
ysgrifennu - to write
ystlim - bat (the animal)
One of my favorite words is “skedaddle”. Kind of makes me chuckle 🤭.
It just doesn't sound like an English word.
I have several boxes marked "miscellaneous" which contain all sorts of objects that don't have proper place of their own.
My favourite word in our local Franconian dialect is "Waggerle" - it means a toddler just learning to walk, but it can also be used for the one you love, like in English you call your sweetheart "baby".
It is hard to translate but let's try. Cozy.
For example:
the cat on your lap, the dog at your feet and sitting on the couch with your partner drinking a glass wine and good music. That feels GEZELLIG
In the "olden days" people, that could afford it, left the cities during long hot summers and spent weeks and weeks in the cooler countryside, maybe on higher elevations.
A concept that I'd love to incorporate into my life.
In English I've always loved the sound of "junction"! 😀
my own favourite. Hmmm. I do like the word 'fice' and often use it in Scrabble. It means a small, fierce dog.
It’s an adjective that describes something which is overly ornate, busy, ridiculously over-decorated, kitch, and garnished to the point of distaste. A friend and I used to use this word to describe an all mixed up way of dress.
My favorite word is mumuration (a flock of starlings; birds)
It's as fun to say as it is to see :)
Coincidentally, I received a card from a Postcrosser in Finland last week who said he just learned a new word from reading my profile, and it was murmuration!
Down in the very south of England 'alright' covers 'how are you?', 'I'm fine thanks', 'ok', 'I've had enough now' and 'are you ready?'
Waves / Onde !!! In the waves I enter, I diversi and cradles -
Saudade é quando deixamos de ter algo que muito amamos! Podem ser pessoas ou coisas! O fato é que só sente saudade aquele que amou!
↑ Back to top ↑