Subject:      Words, words, words... 
From:         DaveStroud@nebula.demon.co.uk (David W Stroud)
Date:         1996/07/13 
Message-Id:   <3046.6768T1205T1813@nebula.demon.co.uk>
Newsgroups:   alt.fan.pratchett


'ello. 
 
I forget the exact nature of the thread I just deleted, but it was summat 
about words with lots of meanings.  Therefore, from my "Guinness Book Of 
Words" comes the following information for all you word-a-holics... 
 
[not that it interests me a great deal, I'd like to point out.  It's just that 
I'm sitting at home with two choices.  a) Watch the National Lottery 
(actually, I've just noticed that Uuuuuuuuullllllrika is presenting it... 
*ahem*) or b) Read the numerous posts to afp.  *ponder*... right... 
<clears throat> Ulrika? You free to pop round for a mo?  Nope?  Oh, ok.  Back 
to afp then...:) ] 
 
The condition of being inebriated has *more synonyms* than any other condition 
or object.  A total of 2241 were compiled by Paul Dickson of Garrett Park, 
Maryland, USA.  [!] 
 
[I thought that would be a good one to start with :)] 
 
The *most homophonous* sounds in the English language are "air" and 
"sol" 
which, according to the researchers of Dora Newhouse, Los Angeles, both have 
38 homophones. 
 
The homonym with the most variant spellings is "air" with Aire, are, Ayer, 
Ayr, Ayre, err, e'er, ere, eyre and heir. 
 
The *most succinct* word is the Fuegian (southern-most Argentina and Chile) 
word "mamihlapinatapai" which means "looking at each other hoping 
that either 
will offer to do something which both parties desire but are unwilling to do" 
 
The *longest acronym* is... 
[new line!] NIIOMTPLABOPARMBETZHELBETRABSBOMONIMONKONOTDTEKHSTROMONT [!] (56 
letters) from the "Concise [yeah, right] Dictionary of Soviet [had 
to be, really :)] Terminology" meaning: The laboratory for shuttering, 
reinforcement, concrete and ferroconcrete operations for composite-monolithic 
and monolithic constructions of the Department of the Technology of Building - 
assembly operations of the Scientific Research Institute of the Organization 
for building mechanization and technical aid of the Academy of Building and 
Architecture of the USSR. [phew! Wouldn't surprise me if that sentence held 
the "largest 'Gunning Fog Index' score" record!] 
 
<Just worked this out to be 28.  As a guide, the "Daily Mail"=9.5, The 
"Times"=18 and The "Guardian"=23 (all approx. values).> 
 
And finally, the *longest sentence* ever to get past the editor of a major 
newspaper is one of 1,379 [!] words (counting common hyphenated words as one) 
in an article written by Albert Sukoff of Berkeley, California, in the "This 
World" section of the "San Francisco Chronicle" of 16 June, 1985. 
[beat that Pterry!.... well, on second thoughts, don't. :)] 
 
[You can all wake up now :)] 
 
Dave. 
 
-- 
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