I am participating in the Get Rec’d: A Movie/TV/Book List Challenge and this is the twenty-sixth week’s entry.  I have decided to be bold and list a response for all three categories; a movie, a television show, and a book.

Week 26: Most Influential To My Vocabulary

Movie: Wayne’s World (1992)

From IMDB: Two slacker friends try to promote their public-access cable show.  Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe

Extreme close up! In high school, my friend Sarah and I saw Wayne’s World opening night at the theater. We sat in the front row because we smuggled in illegal McDonalds. I fell in love with the movie and the soundtrack but didn’t realize how much it influenced my vocabulary until I re-watched it years later. There have been many attempts to translate a Saturday Night Live sketch into a movie, but only Wayne’s World and Blues Brothers have been successful. We’re not worthy!

Television: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006-2007)

From IMDB: A behind-the-scenes look at a fictional sketch-comedy television show.  Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip had a different effect on my vocabulary than Wayne’s World. It wasn’t so much the words, but the way the show explained and illustrated concepts. I often find myself saying, “it is like in Studio 60 when…” Aaron Sorkin (West Wing, Newsroom) penned the series with his talent for both wit and language. It’s not surprising I find myself referencing it regularly.

Book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997) by J.K. Rowling

From Goodreads: Harry Potter’s life is miserable. His parents are dead and he’s stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he’s a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

J. K. Rowling introduced myself and the world to a whole new vocabulary of words when she penned the Harry Potter series. The magical speak is fun to say and easy to remember. The word “muggle,” for example, seems like it was always apart of the vernacular. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them tried adding “no-mag” to add an American feel. However, I find that “muggle” sounds better and rolls off the tongue easier than “no-mag.” She created a dynamic world with storytelling but having the right words to make everything leap off the page and into our hearts.

Coming Up Next

Next week will be “Favorite Made Before I Was Born”

What are your picks? Let us know in the comments.