are you ever lost for words?

[emmie]

you are having a conversation, and stop dead, because for whatever reason the word that you need won't come to mind, no matter how hard you rack your brain. I did it this morning and for the life of me, don't know if its an age thing, or simply too much else going on.

[yogasun]

A mixture of the two em I think. It definitely happens more as you get older.

[emmie]

i posted another question just now, and couldn't think of a good word that describes the contents in medicines, i thought of ingredients, but that sounds like a cake recipe, and its getting worse

[Jemisa]

The only time I was struck dumb (& for me that was Unusual) was at my youngest daughters wedding. I had written a verse to her & new hubby & wanted to say it in church, there I was fully reheersed knew it off by heart, stood before the lecturn, Mike on, I opened my mouth but nothing came out, the church was hushed waiting but I stood there for several minutes, finally the vicar came & took over. I was mortified, I wanted so much to tell my daughter how much she meant to me via my verse. I cried for ages.

jem

[emmie]

more about finding the right word, for that moment, going over in your head, and never getting there, but remembering it when you don't need it anymore.

[rowanwitch]

no but the words I find aren't always the ones I should be saying...

[TeztMethod]

Chew it over with twixt.

[Ratty2E]

I'm always doing it. I don't know if it's an age thing because I've been like it for years. The trouble is I suddenly think of something, I start to talk about it only to realise I hadn't stopped to check I had remembered all the details before i started. The more you try to mentaly rummage about in your brain for whatever 'it' is the harder it is to find.

[Quizmonster]

Lethologica is one technical name for the experience of having a word on the tip of your tongue, but which you just cannot recall exactly. Psychologists studying the phenomenon actually just call it "a TOT experience" with ‘TOT' standing for ‘tip of tongue'! It is also sometimes referred to as anomia or a problem of ‘lexical retrieval'.

[emmie]

quizmonster, heavens who'd remember that, i don't mind a TOT but it would have to be something alcoholic.

[heathfield]

Thanks, QM. More ammunition for the ''Not a lot of people know that.'' conversations in my local !! ;-)

[Quizmonster]

You're more than welcome, H.

[jno]

happens to me more than it used to; I think it's an age thing, but not necessarily a mental problem; I suspect it's more to do with your memory banks filling up and older, less useful information being pushed out. In my case it's not necessarily tip of the tongue, more a feeling that I do know a word but just can't bring it to mind. (Sometimes I remember the first letter but that's all.)

[emmie]

im obsessive as it is, a bad trait i know, but i will ponder on it till the thing falls into my head, it doesn't often, but i have to try and find a better way than getting annoyed when that certain word won't make an appearance.