yeahlikethebird reblogged
decay sounds more gentle than rot. when something decays, it is gently taken apart in it's comfortable eternal slumber. when something rots, it's violently taken apart with agony. in this essay i will
#i like all of the above and also:#decay feels more like a dissemination; like it involves various microbes and other critters coming and going and bringing the thing along#whereas rot feels stagnant; rot is enclosed and the process happens by whatever microbial life was already present when the decline began#decay is 'we lay here for years or for hours/ your hand in my hand/ so still and discreet/ so long we become the flowers'#from 'in a week' by hozier#rot is 'i am drowning/ there is no sign of land/ you're coming down with me/ hand in unlovable hand'#from 'no children' by the mountain goats#and both are fucking fantastic songs#i personally have a special place in my heart for decomposition/decomp#because it has that slightly sterile arms-length vibe but with a sense of fascination rather than revulsion#tag rant#words#linguistics#and i do think this needs the linguistic tag because the connotations and emotional impact of words is a HUGE part of the study of language