My suffix fixation

Angela Mathew manager of Talent and Inclusion

To this day, I remember second grade as the time I started to love school. b efore then, I was extremely reticent, allergic to socializing and participating in class, but my homeroom teacher, m rs. b hatia, was the first teacher who seemed to see me for something other than being shy. I would sit with my classmates at colorful six-seater tables in our class, sunlight and the raucous honks of m umbai traffic streaming in through the open doors, as we learnt about multiplication tables and metamorphosis.

While the actual classes were delightful, what I remember most about that year was the magnum opus I produced — my list of words ending in “tion” and “sion.” b y the age of eight, I had obviously heard of words like these before (“information,” “rotation” and “station”). h owever, when m rs. b hatia began teaching us about spelling rules and suffixes, I became mesmerized by words ending in “tion” and “sion.” d uring lulls during class and at recess, I would write lists of these words down on sheets of blank A4 size paper (without consulting the Internet, dictionary or any other external sources). It became a strange obsession.

I think the main reason I made this list is because I was captured by the patterns in the e nglish language. This may sound odd, but I still think my word list with these suffixes was a microcosm of the entire language.

Firstly, the list was so long (I ended with something like 17 double sided pages), that I had words starting with every letter of the alphabet and with a broad range of definitions. s econdly, and more importantly, learning words with these suffixes involves understanding a lot of the root concepts of e nglish. Words ending in “tion” are generally nouns formed from verbs. For example, “information” formed from the verb “inform” and “permission” formed from “permit.” b ut other words ending in “tion” can be nouns that are not formed from any verbs like “nation” or words that can be either nouns or verbs depending on the context like “caution.”

Listing out these words and trying to figure out their roots intrigued me. For me, it was the linguistic equivalent of going back to the source to understand why things are the way they are. It was an extremely satisfying task, especially for a language like e nglish with rules that are famously idiosyncratic and inconsistent.

I worked on my list for a few months, trying to keep it in alphabetical order. I would painstakingly rewrite it when it grew disorganized. Though I was generally quite private about my geeky pursuits, my classmates got to know about this one because I would take my list with me everywhere I went. Instead of making fun of me for it, like I expected they would, other kids started making their own lists too. It became somewhat competitive as everyone tried to think of more complex words. I vividly remember catching one of my friends looking up words in the dictionary to add to her list and everyone in class embarrassing her for cheating.

This childhood obsession with words left its imprint on me. I would go on to compete in spelling bees for which I would make more word lists (with a dictionary this time). I still love everything about wordplay — puns, idioms, anagrams.

Whenever I’m home, my mom and I solve the n ew York Times crossword everyday. m e (the faster typist) holds the phone, as we squint at the black and white grid, shouting out answers on easy m ondays and oohing and aahing at the revelation of themed clues in quirky Thursday puzzles. We don’t savor it as much as n otre d ame m agazine editor and his wife do, idyllically passing a puzzle from kitchen counter to couch over a week, filling in the squares with a trusty pencil.

We also play the n ew York Times’ s pelling b ee, a digital game where you make as many words from a seven letter “honeycomb” with a central letter. o ur attitude is similarly intense, trying to solve the puzzle as quickly as possible, to attain the high score of the day, known as Queen b ee. n ow at college, I often get WhatsApp messages from my mom gleefully announcing that she made Queen b ee without my help. I tell her that maybe she isn’t so different from a certain Pulitzer Prize winning book reviewer. m y logophilia didn’t just extend to games however. m aking those word lists as a second grader meant that I was exposed to a lot of words even if I didn’t actually know how to use all of them. Just recognizing all of the patterns made me think of language as an elegant logical system. When I really think about it, what first drew me to writing was not my desire to express myself or tell important stories, but my fascination with the mechanics of language. e ven now, while I do think more about the content of my pieces, I believe that if I have enough time to chip away at something, there is a satisfying, methodical structure that I can reach, one that just “clicks” in place.

In high school, I rather misguidedly enjoyed writing not for the arguments I was fleshing out or the actual substance of my paragraphs. Instead I loved the process of unscrambling stream-of-consciousness sentences into (what I thought) was the most grammatically efficient or rhythmically satisfying prose.

While tutoring at the writing center, I often encounter students who tell me they are “bad writers.” The societal misconception that talent in writing is dependent on something elusive and mysterious like creativity is sad. Through making my suffix lists, I internalized from a young age that e nglish, like math or any other discipline, is a skill that you can develop with exposure and practice, and through gamification (lists are my idea of fun)!

I try to make my students look at writing as a logical process — making flowcharts to organize an essay or using the logic of root words to help explain a grammatical concept to a multilingual student.

The joy of words did of course translate to me really enjoying creative, academic and journalistic writing. What’s more precious to me however, is loving words for their own sake and not just because they serve a final purpose like an o bserver inside column. s o I’m going to keep my inner second grader swinging through the monkey bars of language as long as I can.

You can contact Angela at amathew3@nd.edu. The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

By ANNA FALK scene editor

At the end of every school year, I enjoy reflecting on the people, places and experiences that I’ve had the opportunity to encounter. I also find joy in seeing how my music has changed. Anyone who knows me knows that my music taste is a defining aspect of my life, and it’s a constant delight to discover new things. As this semester begins to wind down, I’d like to look back on the albums that have made my junior year unique.

“How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” by Florence + The Machine

In my opinion, this is Florence Welch’s best album. The production is clean and resounding. There’s a beautiful mix of upbeat and slower songs. Lyrically, the imagery and emotional evocation are unmatched. Also, it seems like the band is having so much fun making it, which is always a bonus. I first encountered this album in my high school years when my dance teacher choreographed something to “delilah.” It took me a while to come back to the piece, but I’m so glad I did. I constantly have a new favorite song from the album, though “various storms & saints,” “Which Witch” and “Queen of Peace” stand out.

“DECIDE” by Djo

djo is a somewhat newer solo artist, though he has previously played in the psychedelic rock band Post Animal. While you might not know him by name, I’m sure you’ve at least heard of his popular performance as steve harrington in the netflix series “stranger Things.” Yes, steve “The hair” harrington (Joe Keery) is also a musical artist. his first album “Twenty Twenty” was good — full of hits like “roddy” and “chateau (Feel Alright)” — but “decIde” is better. It’s a smart and incisive commentary on fame, media and the modern world. It’s electronic and eccentric. Thematically and sonically, it’s solid, and it shows great promise for Keery’s future musical ventures.

“Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys

Was this album released in 1966? Yes. Am I just now getting to it? Yes. Is it probably one of the best albums of all time? Undoubtedly. While I sat on a plane on the way to dublin this past september, I decided to watch a documentary about The beach boys’ brian Wilson titled “Long Promised road.” A large variety of things were discussed during this film, but “Pet sounds” was a primary focus, as the LP was brian Wilson’s pet project. This album transcends decades, providing some of the most recognized and well-known hits like “Wouldn’t It be nice” and “God only Knows.” Wilson’s ingenuity shines through in the harmonies and in the lyricism, touching the mind and the soul of humans then and now.

“Man-Made Sunshine” by Man-Made Sunshine man-made sunshine is the solo project of nothing but

Thieves’ lead singer and frontman conor mason. mason is not only an operatically trained vocalist, but he’s a great songwriter. “Life’s Gonna Kill You (If You Let It)” was the first song to be released off of his self-titled eP. The themes from the single — which are continued throughout the eP — encourage the listener to persevere through the rough moments in life. I’m not a personal fan of these sentiments when they aren’t done well, but “man-made sunshine” radiates with mason’s introspective and vulnerable lyricism. The instrumentation reflects this well, making it worth a listen.

“Swimmer” by Tennis

Whenever I tell people that I like Tennis, they always assume I’m talking about the sport. despite putting out consistently good albums since 2011, the husband-wife duo is not as well-known as it should be. “swimmer” is one of their more recent releases, succeeded only by “Pollen,” which was released in February of this year. Though it is only nine songs, each is expertly crafted and sonically pleasing. “need Your Love” is an obvious hit, with a catchy chorus and exciting tempo changes. “I’ll haunt You” is a grand showcase of lead singer Alaina moore’s vocal ability. “matrimony II” is a touching ballad about the duo’s marriage, rounding out the album perfectly.

Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu