Remember learning what a gerund was in fifth grade? It's the noun-form of a verb. Generally, it's formed by adding -ing to a verb. So you have the verb run, and the gerund running. You might say, "I run (verb) all the time. I love running (noun)."
The action becomes the thing.
I learned a new word today. It's anthimeria: the substitution of one part of speech for another; typically a noun used as a verb--also known as (and for example) "verbing a noun". Another word for the same practice is verbification.
Here are some examples:
I just "googled" the word anthimeria.
Please "FTP" me the file.
"The thunder would not peace at my bidding." (Shakespeare, King Lear, IV, vi)
It seems to me that in the mythic world, nouns can as easily become verbs. Things can become their action. The essence of a thing (its noun-ness) becomes its activity (its verb-ness).
The viper snaked its way through the grass.
Go and soldier for the Kingdom.
Father me, God.
The design of a thing naturally becomes its outworking, especially those things that have life in them.
I believe its God's way.
May we life so simply today.
I've been anthimeriaing for years.
ReplyDeleteCool!
I think, however, I'll stick to a simpler way to describe it (like "I googled xyz").
Oh, this is nauseating.
friend: "Whaddya do today?'
me: "oh, I churched this morning"
friend: "really? What's your church like?"
me: "Oh, we like propitiating. You know..."
friend: "uh...no, I don't."
me: "Oh. Well it's like when we sanctificationize or eschatologyize."
friend: "See you later. Don't call me, I'll call you."
(heh heh)
Ha! Great comment.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I brought this up is that it gives me a buzz to think about an object (fire, wind, light, darkness, life, tree, seed, etc.) and then let the essence of the object take on the quality of its, um, identity, in my imagination.
Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem is what made me start thinking about this.
Get this:
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves--goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.
I love the line, "What I do is me: for that I came."
"Church" is a great example. Think of these sentences --
"Let's go to the church."
"Let's go to church."
"Let's church."
In each sentence you get a different essence for the word. My heart prays, may the church forever simply church.
May I be allowed to simply Jon all my days.