Noonish and other words

Last weekend I typed a brief itinerary for our family reunion. I used "noonish" to describe the time for lunch. One of my cousins, who was visiting from out of state, wonders what that word "noonish" meant. When I explained, she wanted to know if that was an "Oregon thing." But it got me thinking about words, and where they come from.

Noonish. I don't know the origins. But putting the suffix -ish onto a time seems to enter my life often. When I make plans for dinner, it's "sixish"; plans for a movie, "seven thirtyish" And my friends do it too! Is it an Oregon thing? Or does it come from somewhere else?

Language evolves to fit our needs. I remember conversations during high school French classes about the role of the Academie Francais, which attempts to regulate the French language. Yet the French, like other cultures around the globe, have integrated words from different languages to suit their needs. And goodness knows that children constantly make up words to fill voids in their vocabulary. Sometimes those words stick around well into adulthood. I have one friend who uses the word "fantabulous". She's been using it for as long as I remember (we met in 4th grade), but I don't know when she started. But I do know that every time I use it, I think of her, even when she's in far off places like Guatemala.