Will You Help the Wisp?

[a_little_wisp]

Hello, Litnet, I haven't seen you in a good bit of forever!

So here's the deal.

I'm doing a school word study project on semantics. My word, curiously enough, is "wisp".

If you don't mind helping me, here's the prompt:

"Do a word-association interview with at least 10 people about your word... Does gender, age, occupation, etc. seem to make a difference in your results? "

So basically, I need 10 people to give me their gender, age, and occupation (or if you're not comfortable with that, that's fine, you don't have to!), or anything else you might think has affected your definition of the word "wisp", and then tell me what other words you associate with it. I would really appreciate it! Thank you so much!

[wessexgirl]

Hello, Litnet, I haven't seen you in a good bit of forever!

So here's the deal.

I'm doing a school word study project on semantics. My word, curiously enough, is "wisp".

If you don't mind helping me, here's the prompt:

"Do a word-association interview with at least 10 people about your word... Does gender, age, occupation, etc. seem to make a difference in your results? "

So basically, I need 10 people to give me their gender, age, and occupation (or if you're not comfortable with that, that's fine, you don't have to!), or anything else you might think has affected your definition of the word "wisp", and then tell me what other words you associate with it. I would really appreciate it! Thank you so much!

Okay, words I associate with "wisp"

cartoon
BBC
hair
smoke
ethereal
delicate
magical
fairies
chocolate

Sorry there's only nine, but they were what first jumped out at me. The reasons:

There was a kids programme called "Will-o-the Wisp" years ago, and I think it was about fairies, and it was animated, hence my first few.
I always think of a "wisp" of hair or smoke;
Smoke is ethereal, not solid, but delicate and possibly magical, (so long as it isn't in the context of a house burning down!)
Chocolate because we used to have a choc bar called a "Wispa", in fact I think it's made a comeback due to popular demand. It was lovely.

Anyway, I'm female, middle-aged and a librarian if that helps.

[a_little_wisp]

Wow, wonderful! Thank you so much! Now I think I may go find the show!

[prendrelemick]

Wisp is a kind of word that needs a sentence to define it- or the feelings and impressions associated with it. It is the curl of smoke that tells you the flame has taken when you light a fire. It is a chocolate bar with a blue and red wrapper, a half finished whisper, a twist of hay used to groom a horse, a tuft of grass blowing in the wind, a mischievous sprite. Your good self also springs to mind, those poems and stories of yours.

However, 10 words:-

curl
smoke
horses
chocolate
hay
tiny
ethereal
twitch
sprite
hair.

I am a 52 year old farmer man.

[Scheherazade]

The word reminds me of grass or a very thin little girl with straight blond hair.

My 10 words:

grass, green, yellow, straw, hair, blond, girl, thin, delicate, frail.

Female, teacher, middle aged (younger than Mick above, though!!!)

[Lokasenna]

Wisp, eh? Here it goes:

swamp
ghost
smoke
secret
small
silk
intangible
twilight
boundary
sky

I'm a 22 year old male, and a student. Can't really offer much by the way of explanation - these just popped into my head, though I think my penchant for all things ghostly is evident in a few of them.

[kiki1982]

evening
ghost
willow
child
light
field
wood
alone
eerie


Is that alright? Willow is in there because I am not English-speaking and for a long time I thought the thing was called a 'Willow-the-wisp' :ashamed: Child because I believe will-o'-the-wisps are considered to be dead babies.

I am 28, and a housewife and as mentioned before not anglophone, but Dutch-speaking originally, but interested in everything that has to do with folklore and what people thought before the grand age of science.

Hope I helped you ;)

[The Comedian]

blue
Ultima IV
swamp
spooky
small
glowing
uncertain
swishing
floating
blinking

Lota 'ing-words there. I'm a 30ish, male, teacher.

[papayahed]

Wisp:

Hair
chocolate
thin
small

When I hear the word I usually think of "a wisp of hair".

Female, Engineer, 40

[Silas Thorne]

Hi Wisp! :) Long time no see!


I think of fine tufts of thin hair, thin streaks of cloud (cirrus clouds in particular), ghosts that lead people to their death in bogs/marshes at night (will o' wisps), light curling tendrils of smoke. Male, 37, Student. Was interested in learning about weather prediction through cloud forms when I was younger. Also used to play D&D. Perhaps this is relevant to my perceptions of the word 'wisp'.
Hope this helps. Wasn't sure if you wanted individual words or descriptions of what impressions I get from it.

[a_little_wisp]

Wow, wonderful guys! My lingustic project is going to be the best of them all! :D Thank you, thank you, thank you! :D