Forgetting words

[lexin]

Does anyone else have this thing where they forget words or phrases as if they never existed?

Just now I was writing something for work and I completely forgot the phrase 'collective bargaining'. I knew there was such a thing, but couldn't bring the words to mind no matter how hard I thought. I had to look it up on our intranet and hope that eventually the phrase I needed would come up. Which it did.

The other day, I met some friends in the pub and I had to order a drink. I could visualise what it was I wanted, but couldn't describe it, and had to edge towards it in the conversation in stages until the barman suggested it, and then I could remember what it was called. Crabbies Ginger Beer, in case you were wondering.

It's also happened in the past with such obvious things as "onions" and "mushrooms".

I hate it, and I have no idea why it happens. Can anyone suggest anything? It never seems worth taking to a doctor, but it's a pain in the arse.

Comments

[legionseagle]

I do it and dislike it, too.

[lexin]

aliciajd suggested I look at this article, which considerably calmed my nerves.

http://www.pbs.org/theforgetting/diagnosis/index.html

[oursin]

Me too

[lexin]

Isn't it frustrating? I first started to forget words when I was about 19, and under stress from exams.

[dorothy1901]

Here's the Wikipedia page for the "tip-of-the-tongue" phenomenon.

[lexin]

Very interesting. I first started to forget words when I was 19 and under stress from exams. I hate it, especially in conversation where I think it makes me look a complete dork.

[telesilla]

It's happened to me on and off all my life, but lately it's been worse. I'm used to being bad with numbers--I got teased today for not knowing my wife date of birth and it takes me forever to learn a new phone number--but bad with words? That gets scary. Thanks for linking to that article; it helped a lot.

[lexin]

I can't remember numbers, either. It took me about two years to learn my own mobile phone number, and I won't change providers (though others would be cheaper) because they can't guarantee that I'll be able to take my number with me: I dread having to learn a new one.

And I can't remember either my ex-husband's date of birth (though I put that down to not caring too much) or the date of my divorce. I'd have to look it up.

How are you with simple arithmetic? I'm notoriously bad, to the point where I think I have discalculia. If that's how you spell it.

[temaris]

They *have* to offer to let you take your mobile number with you. You need the PAC number, and it's pretty routine (and oten free, ever sincce OFCOM rapped various providers for all sorts of nasty tricks).

Also, i've always glitched on words occasionally, they usually come back 3am-ish.

[lexin]

That's interesting. I've been comparing my boring mobile with other people's pretty all-singing-all-dancing ones and wondering if a Christmas present to myself could be a good idea.

Or whether it would be better for the Christmas present to myself to be Freesat. If I could work out how to get Freesat, because I'm not clear on what you do. It seems to be obvious to everyone but me.

[temaris]

Smartphones are fun :) I put it off for ages, and now I'm not quite sure why! Between the maps, checking stuff online, keeping up with Twitter and email, and being able to phone as well...

Freesat needs a box and a satellite dish, Freeview needs a box and an aerial. The digital switchover will make Freeview available in London from next April. Freesat is available already, as long as you have a dish. With freesat, if the aerial is old the building management may need to replace it, otherwise it's just a matter of tuning the tv into the freeview box - or tuning your TV with it inbuilt. The boxes are pretty cheap now. There's a fairly comprehensive site digital UK on the digital switchover thing which made explaining it to my technophobe father much simpler.

[stranger]

Happens to me, and has since early adulthood. (Also happens to my mother, and other family members.) I always re-remember the word or phrase in time, but sometimes not while I'm walking around going "uh, the thing, that other thing." Temporarily not having the word, but being able to visualize the thing (or sometimes re-describe in other words) seems pretty normal to me. Gets worse when I'm tired. Can be very annoying, but it hasn't yet killed me.

[lexin]

Well at least I'm not the only one. I struggled for an hour yesterday trying to remember the word 'grocer'.

[lyorn]

IMO that's quite normal?

Though in my observation, it seems to be worse with people speaking two or more languages fluently.

I try to remember (or imagine) texts from a context where I'd expect the word to turn up. My way to deal with it is to memorize more texts. Songs and poetry are best. Switching the language helps only if the other person is speaking it, too. When I had a time of bad stress in my late 20s, I had to resort to French or Spanish (which I barely speak) sometimes because they were the only ones volunteering the word I was looking for.

Most embarrassing ever was at the gym where I forgot the (German *and* English!) word for "step" and had to paraphrase with lots of gestures ("Plastic thingie, rectangular, about that large, black on top, you can put other smaller plastic thingies under it to make it higher?")

[lexin]

Interesting that it's worse in people who speak two or more languages. It has got worse since I learned German.

Talk about humiliating...I once forgot the English and the German for "three". In a post office where I was buying three stamps.