<![CDATA[Words are not immutable boxes.]]>Words are not immutable boxes. We may wish for their boundaries to be protected but they cannot be.

We cannot stop ‘sick’ becoming ‘good’, or ‘oversight’ meaning to oversee and also to miss through inattention.

The job of words is to be understood *in the moment*, in a context. For their intent to be a discernible eddy in a current.

And then the current flows on by and there is no protection to be had

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/9adb8cf7-a567-4b68-a198-3cb6641b5021/words-are-not-immutable-boxes.RSS for NodeFri, 15 May 2026 06:46:09 GMTWed, 13 May 2026 11:07:36 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 14:12:23 GMT]]>@toxi @urlyman Oh absolutely! I cannot myself speak German, but my housemate is fluent and has often said that creatively compounding words is delightful fun that English-speakers will never quite grasp.

I would support this being incorporated into English. If we can verb nouns then we can compound them, dammit! Let's break down these walls! Let's have a breakdownwallexcitementfest! ✊🏼

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.world/users/ApostateEnglishman/statuses/116567673606670877https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.world/users/ApostateEnglishman/statuses/116567673606670877Wed, 13 May 2026 14:12:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 13:59:01 GMT]]>@toxi that is a *vibe* 😎

@ApostateEnglishman

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567621089451340https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567621089451340Wed, 13 May 2026 13:59:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 13:43:05 GMT]]>@ApostateEnglishman @urlyman If the German language's superpower is its infinite potential for compound words[1], then verbing definitely is English's superpower. Both can produce amazing eloquence... Still, after 23+ years in UK, mentally, I much rather continue to dwell in that realm of verbing, even after I had to return to the "kingdom of nouns"[2] due to Brexit...

[1] A great example (song title): Peter Kruder's Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänskajütenremix

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

favicon

(www.youtube.com)

[2] A little unrelated (other than the title), but also see: https://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/03/execution-in-kingdom-of-nouns.html

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.thi.ng/users/toxi/statuses/116567558412476924https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.thi.ng/users/toxi/statuses/116567558412476924Wed, 13 May 2026 13:43:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:46:11 GMT]]>@urlyman @androcat @spanghero None of us are adulting today, are we?

We should be ashamed of ourselves!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.world/users/ApostateEnglishman/statuses/116567334709704047https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.world/users/ApostateEnglishman/statuses/116567334709704047Wed, 13 May 2026 12:46:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:37:21 GMT]]>@androcat I did not know about England’s massive vowel movement. Thank you. I feel greatly relieved

@ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567299956537848https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567299956537848Wed, 13 May 2026 12:37:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:35:52 GMT]]>@urlyman

Having a 圍棋
@ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116567294094672470https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116567294094672470Wed, 13 May 2026 12:35:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:34:43 GMT]]>@urlyman

Too late I realized, by going from the Dickens to Shakey, I had put myself on a trajectory to Chaucer, which is a bridge too far.

I did throw in a reference to Middle English though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift

@ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116567289611711207https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116567289611711207Wed, 13 May 2026 12:34:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:34:18 GMT]]>@androcat depends https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game)

@ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567287946531833https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567287946531833Wed, 13 May 2026 12:34:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:32:43 GMT]]>@androcat you can count on a man living in the birth city of Dickens to toil at such Twists https://charlesdickensbirthplace.co.uk/

@ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567281748152101https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567281748152101Wed, 13 May 2026 12:32:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:32:36 GMT]]>@urlyman

The Great Vowel Movement (Shift)

Oh, by the way, is "having a go" an instance of nouning a verb?

@ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116567281281390353https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116567281281390353Wed, 13 May 2026 12:32:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:30:18 GMT]]>@androcat @ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

Tangent: The Guardian used to run a micro-cartoon strip called ‘Lost Consonants’. I always wanted to see a sibling cartoon which I imagined to be titled ‘Vowel Movements’.

Jonathan Schofield (@urlyman@mastodon.social)

I have been set off on an exercise in Vowel Movements by a combination of @falcennial’s lovely thread https://mastodon.social/@falcennial/116566355537414929 and some earlier vibing https://ioc.exchange/@spanghero/116566995588194763 My openers are… “A nod’s as good as a wank” “A thong of beauty is a joy forever”

favicon

Mastodon (mastodon.social)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567272212867971https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567272212867971Wed, 13 May 2026 12:30:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:28:00 GMT]]>@urlyman

Didst thou just verb a noun at me?!?

@ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116567263206202831https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116567263206202831Wed, 13 May 2026 12:28:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:26:53 GMT]]>@androcat gruel-ing 😉

@ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567258759794703https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567258759794703Wed, 13 May 2026 12:26:53 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:25:49 GMT]]>@urlyman @ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

The word 'Verbrations' insists on being decoded in my head as "verb rations".

In this viewpoint, the poor english-speaking paupers went up to the Workhouse Master and asked "Please Sir. May I have some verbs?" and were chastised and sent away verbless.
And so they had no choice but to verb some nouns, as they had spent all their verb rations.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116567254610127990https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116567254610127990Wed, 13 May 2026 12:25:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:18:43 GMT]]>@ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

too kind. Delighted to be vibing with the pair of you 😊

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567226664665562https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567226664665562Wed, 13 May 2026 12:18:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:10:47 GMT]]>@urlyman @spanghero 😆

Okay, as Jonathan has won today's interwebs we can all pack up and go home now.

We'll get another run at it tomorrow.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.world/users/ApostateEnglishman/statuses/116567195470917579https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.world/users/ApostateEnglishman/statuses/116567195470917579Wed, 13 May 2026 12:10:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 12:08:02 GMT]]>@ApostateEnglishman @spanghero

Good, good, good, good verbrations 🙂

Mbop

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567184701546649https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116567184701546649Wed, 13 May 2026 12:08:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 11:22:42 GMT]]>@spanghero @urlyman Vibe verbing?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.world/users/ApostateEnglishman/statuses/116567006439257899https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.world/users/ApostateEnglishman/statuses/116567006439257899Wed, 13 May 2026 11:22:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 11:19:57 GMT]]>@ApostateEnglishman @urlyman Verbing, as it were.
Edit: or is it Verb vibing?
Edit to edit: or vibe verbing?

It’s best if I stop now.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://ioc.exchange/users/spanghero/statuses/116566995588194763https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://ioc.exchange/users/spanghero/statuses/116566995588194763Wed, 13 May 2026 11:19:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 11:19:07 GMT]]>@urlyman I'm enjoying how, in informal English at least, it's rapidly becoming acceptable to turn anything into a verb!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.world/users/ApostateEnglishman/statuses/116566992317845297https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.world/users/ApostateEnglishman/statuses/116566992317845297Wed, 13 May 2026 11:19:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Words are not immutable boxes. on Wed, 13 May 2026 11:08:58 GMT]]>…We can for sure argue about inadvisable use, and disagree about intent

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116566952420084935https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/urlyman/statuses/116566952420084935Wed, 13 May 2026 11:08:58 GMT