What’s the most
frequently-used noun or “naming word” in the English language? Can
you guess?
Here’s a hint: It’s
closer to you than anything else. It’s small and short. It’s the cause of all
your problems, and the solution to all your problems. No need to look in
a Thesaurus, just look inside yourself. Getting warm?
No answer on the blog, as it’s still new, so Edward asked a friend who doesn’t use Internet to answer the question. His nickname is “Pale Fire”. He asked if the answer was “Self”.
ReplyDeleteANSWER: No, the word “self” ranks at number 2181 in frequency of use, although with “himself” at 370, followed by “itself” at 557, “myself” at 663, “herself” at 793, and “yourself” at 919.
ReplyDeleteThe right answer is the word “I”, which ranks at number 11 in frequency of use, and it’s the very first noun or “naming word” (it names me) on the list, although it’s technically a pronoun. This is not strange if you think about it. Language only reflects our mindset, and our mindset says “I” comes first in the world of speech, because it comes first in the world of thinking, showing that we are mostly ego-centric, impolite even! Yes, “I” comes before “you”, which ranks 14 on the word-frequency list. Good education and upbringing says “you first” (like in Spanish “usted primero”) whereas in English we say “after you, Sir” or “after you, madam”. So we have to see this as part of Reality. Whenever “I” comes first, we are being ego-centric.
Next quiz, coming soon. Meanwhile, read the introduction to “Self-Awareness” on the home page