Finding word finding substitutions in the media

 

Need some ideas about finding word finding difficulties in the media? Look no further than Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential debate in 2011. There is a great video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uvmKnFY4uk. It was a huge “oops.”   Have you seen Southwest Airlines’ commercial about “winglets”? It ends with, “Thank you, little doohickies.” What about the Geico gecko? It was a marketing stroke of genius to associate the gecko with their company name.

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Recent American Express commercials on the radio used similar-sounding words in their sales pitch: The harried mom who tells her kids they’re pulling up to the SPA instead of school, the man who is yearning for vacation and orders a sky dive instead of small fries and a beach bag instead of a Big Mac.   My speech kids were astounded to realize that the commercials are basically using word finding substitutions. I wanted to use the example of the grandma who plans an “erotic vacation” instead of an “exotic” one, but R-rated examples weren’t on my agenda.

I challenge the kids to go home and watch and listen for other examples.   One of my favorite stories is the 2nd grader who “outed” her dad because he couldn’t come up with the word “cornucopia.” She told him he needed a word finding cue…and then taught him the mnemonic corn/coke like we’d learned in speech.

Finding these similar-sounding “word confusions” in the media will help your students be aware that everyone confuses words sometimes. As they become more aware, they will begin the process of taking responsibility for their own word finding mistakes. That is the first step on the road to mastering their own difficulties and being good self-advocates.

 

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