I learned a new word recently: “sprachgefuhl.” It was dictionary.com’s Word of the Day, and here is the important information you need so you can know this word too. It is German, an adopted word. You pronounce it SPROCK-guh-feel, with a rolled “r.” And what I read in the Quotes and Origin sections sticks with me more than the official definition–“…an infectious love of language that inspires his readers and illuminates the nooks and crannies of the English language” and “Sprachgefuhl combines German Sprache ‘speech, language’ and Gefuhl ‘feeling.’ Literally meaning ‘speech-feeling,’ this term was borrowed into English…to convey…an intuitive sense of how a language works.”*
I just nerded out on you a little bit. Sorry. I love learning new things, and think it’s worthwhile to share them with you. Honestly, this word isn’t likely to stick in your memory (or mine). How often have you heard it? I’m over here raising my hand for, “first time yesterday!” But it delights me to know this word exists, that one word can encapsulate the feeling one gets from language used wonderfully.
This post is about a children’s book. Sometimes I get gentle push-back that the words I write for children or speak to children are too advanced for them. Often I keep using those words anyway, because how else can you expect the kids to learn? This one though, it’s meant for you. Maybe just share it with your kids to make them giggle at its weirdness.
Peter Bently gives us a wonderful experience of sprachgefuhl in his 2011 book King Jack and the Dragon. The poetry of this story is lyrical and evocative without ever feeling forced, which is kind of a big deal these days.
And Helen Oxenbury’s illustrations always add to the story, seamlessly joining the real and make-believe worlds these little boys rule over and fight for. It’s the best kind of play, brought to life by the best kind of magical, timeless artwork.
I’ve come across a couple of lists recently with titles like, “Recipe for Happy Children” or “Recipe for Playtime” (actually that’s another Peter Bently title). In that spirit, here is a recipe for you to whip up, either for or with your kids, that is sure to bring delight to everybody involved. These ingredients are straight out of the book, by the way.
Recipe for Endless Make-Believe
- A big cardboard box
- An old sheet
- And some sticks
- A couple of trash bags
- A few broken bricks
- A fine royal throne from a ragged old quilt
- A drawbridge
- A flag–and the castle was built.
Using the above ingredients, construct a fort. Build outdoors if possible (if indoors, just let it stay up for a few days and deal with it). Add children. If help is needed to spark imagination, read a story or two with those children and send them back out. (Suggested titles include King Jack and the Dragon, We Were tired of Living in a House, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, and Roxaboxen.) For a truly memorable day, join them.
*Dictionary.com, Word of the Day, November 4, 2019
