10:1 Savvy

When and where did I find this word: I actually used this word when talking to my husband on the phone in regards to electronic hook ups for television, internet, sources etc. He had called me to ask if we had an HDMI cord for our new television and I had no idea what that was or what it looked like. He tried to give me a description of the cord itself as I stood aimlessly in the living room of the house we are moving out of and I quickly replied, "I am not SAVVY with anything electronic." This happened shortly ago, November 4th, 2011 around 1:30pm.

What this word means: According to www.dictionary.com, the word Savvy refers to knowing or understanding something. I used the word correctly but I was quick to think about the term I used and how it just rolled off of my tongue without a second thought. That term has obviously been burned into my vocabulary repertoire but I wonder now, how is that so? Is this a word that many people use all of the time, or is this a word that I wanted to know because it intrigued me? I am curious as how this word came to be part of my everyday vocabulary.

Level of familiarity: Obviously this word is very very familiar to me. It is a word that just rolls of the tongue without having to think about. The more someone uses a word, the more that word becomes etched into their vocabulary repertoire. This makes me think: what if we ACTUALLY USE the vocabulary words we have to give our students on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. I remember learning vocabulary words in school but we never used them again after quizzes. Why do we become exposed to words that are never going to be used? This thought needs to be continued later...

Is this a word I want to know well? Whether or not I want to know it well, I DO know it well. :) I cannot recall the moment I learned this word, so part of my frustration and part of my curiosity have caused the wheels to spin in my mind in regards to vocabulary acquisition. I wonder what it was that caused this word to enter into my vocabulary repertoire and when did it start becoming part of my everyday speech? How long did it take for all of this to happen? I am glad I know this word well because it gives me the opportunity to reflect back and maybe recall some important information that is practical for me in terms of literacy and vocabulary.

Is this a word I want others to know well?: I think this is a neat word. I think it is a great word to know for all students, actually all people. It is a word that I think is used quite frequently. I am not sure why others should know this word but I think that if others have an idea when/where they learned this word and how it came to be so natural in their vocabulary repertoires, it might help me to understand my curiosity with the term.