Lost In Translation

It is really pun and fun to play on words.  It sometimes involves risque dual meanings. If the writer says one thing ... but at the back of your mind ... your gut-feel screams something sinister is written all over the place ... you might as well play with him.  If the writer is creating more hocus pocus on a simple statement presented ... and you sense some cryptic hidden meanings ... you might as well join and start the horseplay.

There are other ways why you get lost in translation while somebody is talking to you ... and one them is getting stressed out while wrestling with the English language.

1. Polysemy- Semantic changes result as a rule in new meanings being added to the ones already existing in the semantic structure of the word. The verb "get" is a good example of polysemy — it can mean "procure," "become," or "understand."

2. Homonyms and homophones - they are words that are spelled alike ... or sound identical ... and are pronounced the same  ... but have different meanings and origins. Example: write and right. they're and their, two and too, knew and new, cite, sight or site.

3. Homographs - they are words that are written and spelled the same ... but have different meanings and are sometimes pronounced differently. 

When the words are the same for a noun and a verb, the pronunciation is often just a shift in the stressed syllable, from the first syllable (noun) to the last syllable (verb). For example, RE-cord (noun) which means a written account), to re-CORd (verb) which means to write or copy. 

Other examples: Con-TENT (adjective) which means happy or satisfied and CON-tent (noun)- all that is contained inside the bag or crate. DE-sert - a hot, arid region (noun), and DEE-sert - to leave (verb)

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