voice. Not the confiding mutter used in situations of illness or consultation, but the one I catch myself using when I meet one of the medical profession socially. Possibly out of a desire to give the impression that I have no need for his professional services, I talk with great animation in tones vibrant with radian' health. If he happens to be a psychiatrist also, 1 have the disquieting feeling that the chair I am sitting on is about to let down into a couch and that my every gesture is indicative of deep-rooted neuroses. The result is a careful enunciation to show how frightfully nor- mal I am.
However, there is nothing to equal my talking-with-a- foreigner delivery. And I do not refer to someone who speaks only a foreign tongue, with whom one decides the only means of communication is through a bellow of Eng- lish. I mean the cultured linguist who speaks my language with far greater elegance than I. If through the perfection of his Oxford verbiage there comes the slightest hint of foreign accent. I slow down to LP speed, mouthing each syllable with meticulous deliberation and using the basic words of a First Primer. It is the form of painstaking per oration William Penn must have used when explaining his treaty to the Indians.
Then there is my chatting-with-clergymen parlance. The sudden sight of a clerical collar makes me go right into my voice of piety: a combination of the hostess of a Cape Cod tea shoppe and Beth in Little Women, hushed and not a little hallowed, as though we were about to step into the next room and view the remains. It is somewhat reassuring to note that others carry on conversations with parsons in the same funereal manner. It must be one of the more doleful exactions of the dedicated life.
Finally there is my losing-interest voice, which is less a voice than a fade-out. This creeps slowly upon me during some interminable tete-a-tete with, say, a golf enthusiast or someone just back from Europe and determined to present an unillustrated travelogue. What issues from my mouth is quite mechanical; in fact, 1 usually have no idea what I am saying. This is disturbing for it creates that eerie sensation of standing outride yourself and listening to a complete stranger.
I Keep Hearing Voices 153
This listening to myself is making me uncomfortably self-conscious. Perhaps i had better stop enumerating all my varying forms of speech.
Perhaps, as a matter of fact, in certain situations it might be best for me to stop speaking altogether.
IT PAYS T O ENRICH YOUR WORD POWfcR ®
Word Power
Test No. 15
The Sporting Life
BY PETER FUNK
In this selection of words from the sports columns of the daily press, check the word or phrase you believe is nearest in meaning to the key word. Answers are at the end of this test.
1 effectuate (6 fek' tu at)—A: to accomplish. B: begin. C. practice. D. end.
2. perceptive (per sep' tiv)—A: wise. B: alert. C: discerning. -D: precise.
3. syndrome (sin' drdm)—A: council. B: combination of symptoms. C: fetish. D: monopoly.
4. fastidious (fas tid' i us)—A: revelation. B. pithy saying. C: perfect example. D: fussy.
5. apotheosis (a poth e o' sis)—A: revelation. B; pithy saying. C: perfect example. D rhetorical address.
6. pristine (pris' ten; pris ten')—A: beautiful. B: prudish. C; shining. D: fresh and untouched.
7. forbearance (for bear' ans)—A: patience. B: foresight. C: stubbornness D: inherited traits.
8. codicil (cod' uh s'l)—A: tabulation. B. summary. C: sup- plement. D: international agreement.
9. hybrid (hi' brid)—A. pure. B; carefully selected. C: mixed. D; hardy.
10. sully (sul' e)—A: to ridicule. B. leap forth. C: deceive. D: tarnish.
11. blatant <bla' tant)—A: conceited. B. unpleasantly noisy. C: brutal. D: openly hostile.
12. sanguinary (sang' gwt nair e)—A: optimistic. B: listless. C; overwhelming. D: bloody.
13. peregrination (per £ gri na' shun)—A: land measurement B: uncertainty C. travel. D. scheme.
Word Power Test No. I I 15
14. obloquy (ob' lo kwe)—A: abusive language. B: state of being forgotten. C: discussion. D; burial rite.
15. mettle (met' '1)—A; mood. B; courage. C: sternness. D: belligerence.
16. infraction (in frak' shun)—A: small portion. B: collision C: oversight. D: violation.
17. lethal (le' thai)—A: deadly. B: mean. C: murky. D: heavy.
18. contemptuous (kon temp' tu us)—A: cynical. B: scornful. C: arrogant. D: uncivil.
19. perennial (per en' l al)—A. early. B: infrequent. C. per- sistent. D; spreading.
20. finesse (fi nfo')—A: sleight of hand. B: insight. C: ending. D: skill.
ANSWERS
1. effectuate—A: To accomplish; bring about; as, to effectuate changes in spring-training rules. Latin efficere.
2. perceptive—C; Discerning; sensitive; capable of sympa- thetic understanding intuitively or through keen observa- tion; as, a perceptive coach. Latin percipere (to feel, grasp). 3. syndrome—B: Combination of symptoms characteristic of a particular abnormality; as, a pitcher's shoulder-arm syn-
drome. Greek syndrome.
4. fastidious—D: Fussy; hard to please; overly exacting; as,
fastidious attention to details. Latin fastidiosus. 5. apotheosis—C: Perfect example, highest development; fi-
nal form; as, the apotheosis of versatility. Greek apotheosis, from apotheoun (to deify).
6. pristine—D; Fresh and untouched; unspoiled; unpolluted; primitive; as, a pristine trout stream Latin pristinus (ear- ly).
7. forbearance—A: Patience, self-control; restraint; leniency; as, to view minor offenses with forbearance. Old English
forberan
8. codicil—C: A supplement; usually a later addition to a will, modifying or revoking it Latin codex (a book made of wood blocks)
9. hybrid—C: Mixed; blended; composed of diverse elements; as, platform tennis—a hybrid derivative of tennis, jai alai
I Si WORD POWER
and ballroom dancing. Latin hybnda (offspring of a mixed 10. sully—U: To tarnish; stain; blemish; as. to sully the team's
record French souilkr (to soil).
11. blatant—B: Unpleasantly noisy; loud and vulgar; as. a
blatant crowd of spectators. Latin blatire (to chatter). 12 sanguinary—D: Bloody; marked by bloodshed; as, a san-
guinary free-for-all. Latin sanguis (blood)
13. peregrination—C: Travel; wandering; as, the basketball team's early peregrination. Latin peregrinari (to travel). 14. obloquy—A: Abusive language; public defamation; cal-
umny; as, to heap obloquy on the referee. Latin obloqui (to speak against, abuse, chide).
15. mettle—B: Courage, spirit; stamina; as, to test a rookie's
mettle. Middle English metel (metal, mettle).
16 infraction—D: Violation; breaking; as, an infraction of racing regulations. Latin infringere (to break off).
17. lethal—A: Deadly; fata!; devastating; as a lethal southpaw Latin letum (death).
18. contemptuous—B: Scornful; showing disdain or contempt; as, to be contemptuous of the hecklers. Latin contemptus. 19 perennial—C: Persistent; enduring; recurring regularly; as.
perennial champions. Latin perennis (lasting).
20. finesse—D: Delicate skill or artistry in performance-; adroit maneuvering in a difficult situation; as, a hockey player's
finesse. Middle F r e n c h / / / ? (fine).
union). VOCABULARY RATINGS 20—18 correct 17—15 correct 14— 1.2 correct exceptional . excellent good