Slip Of The Tongue ... Or Lethologica?

 An occasional slip of the tongue or a slip of the pen is normal and is quickly forgiven by the person listening or reading... that is ... if they even notice it. Even when they do, most people most of the time will recognize a slip of the tongue or pen for what it is and realize that what you meant to say or write ... is not what you did say or write.

Another blogger actually (he is one of my favorites ... (maybe because of his brave and solid stance against the enemy of the government). He made a booboo yesterday. ... I didn't call it a slip of the tongue because the guy is aware that he used a word that he feels is inappropriate or ill-suited. It is just that he can't remember the right word.

The phenomenon of not remembering the right word has happened to me lately ... and I hate it. The word is right there at the tip of my tongue ... and I just could not remember it.

I think that's what happens to the blogger. He was talking to his audience and was comparing the past and the present regime. So he mentioned "comparization" ... and being a true-blue grammar police shook me out of my wits ... and I paid attention. At the back of my mind ... I know what he meant to say was "comparison". (To our reader's benefit ... there is no such word as comparization in  English.)

A lot has been playing in my mind ... and one of them was that my favorite blogger/commentator is also capable of making blatant silly mistakes and blunders and showing he is human after all.

He felt awkward after saying the word, but he was sharp enough to recognize that something was off. So he commented immediately ... did I use the right word ... correct me if I'm wrong? he was asking his blog followers. And true enough ... one follower wrote: "Maybe you mean 'comparison". And he agrees.

LETHOLOGICA is the technical term for this type of forgetting. Like many other English terms associated with the mind, lethologica is derived from classical Greek. In this case, the Greek words are Lethe (forgetfulness) and Logos (word).

Lethologica is common among seniors and older people. It is sometimes called the "tip of the tongue phenomenon". If the word you want to say is right on the tip of your tongue, the person is aware that he knows it and can remember it sooner if not later.

It is considered a speech error (for instance, the blogger mentioned above). He has a strong feeling of knowing the target word, but unfortunately, he experiences retrieval failure.

If a person can't remember somebody's name, it is called LETHONOMIA ... that came from the Greek word Lethe (forgetfulness) and Nomina (name).