(no subject)

[42itous]

What are your favorite words? Is it because of their meaning, or their sounds, or connotations, or images they bring to mind?

Comments

[drwex]

Liminal - I love the idea behind it, of being between two things and holding a special status. Obviously there are ritual connotations but I also love that period in each day when it's no longer day (the sun has actually set) but it's not quite night (because there's enough light to see by unaided). If I ever form a jazz ensemble I will call it Liminal Cats.

Canonically - in the sense of being the authorized, or recognized prototypical entity. I'm fond of saying that something is "the canonical example of" the thing I'm trying to point to.

[42itous]

In that sense, "canonical" is like "Platonic ideal."

I love liminal objects. Like, I
had a garment that couldn't decide if it was a sweater or a denim jacket.

[drwex]

Interesting. I think of Platonic Ideal as being the perfect version of the thing. For me, the canonical example is the most typical, with all its warts and imperfections.

I like the idea of liminal objects but I'm too rigid a thinker to have many of them in my own life. Maybe that's part of what appeals to me about the concept - a liminal thing is neither A nor B but its own thing, kind of sui generis?