Vocabulary

[Rob King]

Someone just posted on their facebook a list of 'big words.' She was doing a reading for one of her classes, and announced that these were the words she had to look up. After about five items, she lamented 'Why don't people just say what they mean?'

I've heard that sort of lament before. My younger brother used to pull that when my father or I would use an obscure word. But I would argue that someone who uses a word like that is saying what they mean, especially when compared to someone who uses 'small' or 'common' words.

Don't get me wrong, 'simple' words have their place. I try to censor my vocab when talking to people who might not understand it, like children or my friends who speak English as a second (or even third) language, or even those who have reacted negatively to 'large' words before. But while I could say that the castle was nice or pretty or even grand, it doesn't carry the same weight (or even precise definition) as a word like opulent.

Anyhow, I guess I'm just whining. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? For bonus points, what are some words that you had to look up lately? Or how about favorite words?

The two that stumped me on my friend's list of six were ablution and triplicity. The others were ontology, superfluous, behoove, and affinity.

 

[Soliloquy]

I actually like big words, so long as they're used to add precision instead of to sound fancy. I try not to use them too often, though, since I realize that the more I use, the less people understand what I'm talking about.

Of course, whenever I would talk to my (former) girlfriend, we'd always get into bizarre discussions about semantics. Ah, the joys of both being in writing-related majors.

 

[MindDetective]

Ah, the joys of both being in writing-related majors.

Or philosophy...or science...or politics...

 

[Cajungal]

There's definitely a problem with trying to sound smart just by using complicated words, because often that person just ends up sounding like a jackass. Case in point: a journal article written by the same person who wrote my current math texbook. The journal article was published shortly after that person earned their Doctorate, and they wanted to sound like a Dr., I guess, because the article--which was on something extremely simple--was so damned hard to understand. And it didn't have to be.

There's nothing wrong with being simple, but there are so many beautiful words out there with slightly different connotations or just better "feels" than their synonyms for an occasion. Why not try and learn and use them appropriately, for fun if for nothing else? As long as the connotation of the word is correct, I don't have an issue. If I don't know what a word means, I ask, and others should too.

 

[Soliloquy]

There's definitely a problem with trying to sound smart just by using complicated words, because often that person just ends up sounding like a jackass. Case in point: a journal article written by the same person who wrote my current math texbook. The journal article was published shortly after that person earned their Doctorate, and they wanted to sound like a Dr., I guess, because the article--which was on something extremely simple--was so damned hard to understand. And it didn't have to be.

There's nothing wrong with being simple, but there are so many beautiful words out there with slightly different connotations or just better "feels" than their synonyms for an occasion. Why not try and learn and use them appropriately, for fun if for nothing else? As long as the connotation of the word is correct, I don't have an issue. If I don't know what a word means, I ask, and others should too.

I was actually told in an editing class about a person going for his doctorate that hired an editor to improve the writing style of his thesis. He almost didn't get his doctorate, because the thesis didn't sound doctor-y enough.

 

[Rob King]

If I don't know what a word means, I ask, and others should too.

There seemed to be an attitude among the Philosophy department at my university (when I was there) that asking what a word meant, or looking it up, was some admission of weakness. And so, entire conversations would take place in which one party had no idea what the other was saying. There were a few students who exploited this fact, and deliberately held the conversation above the students too proud to look up a word (who quite frankly deserved it, which isn't to say that the high-and-mighty students weren't jackasses).

Yes, you might get something from context, but you will probably get so much more from looking it up. My Chinese philosophy professor made a point of asking individual students what words meant the day after we did readings. It was very grade-school feeling, but it enforced her policy of "If you cannot define it precisely, look it up you lazy son of a bitch!" And as a note: the wording of that policy is almost taken verbatim from our first class. But for whatever my memory has lost of the specifics, I have not forgotten the spirit of what she said. But that's another thread ...

 

[Cajungal]

Well that's just silly and proud. If you wanna know, ask.... or yeah, get on your smart phone to "check your messages."

Soliloquy, I can believe that. It sucks, though, because his later stuff is so straightforward--and still smart!

 

[makare]

I had to look up the word turbid today. I am all about looking up words I don't understand. Better than responding to something and being wrong.

 

[GasBandit]

I must admit, I am quite the sesquipedalian. I have endless affection for extemporaneous verbalizations of egregiously obfuscating interminability. And despite what some have libelously asserted previously, I don't sit here with a thesaurus to do it, either.

 

[Gusto]

Words huh.

 

[Bubble181]

I speak gud?

 

[doomdragon6]

i talked a werd wunce

 

[Denbrought]

I've been reading fairly large/old books AND the internet since I was little, both in spanish and english, so my vocabulary is kind of all over the place. PvPonline and a game called Tibia are responsible for about half of my proficiency en English, tho. It's funny how americans will stop me in the middle of conversing and ask me about a word or other. My horrible accent doesn't help

Trying to read "Ada or Ardor" by Nabokov at the moment and it's kicking my ass mercilessly u_u

 

[Adam]

I am regularly mocked for my perspicacity at work. I once used the word 'juxtaposition' when laying out an ad template and the whole marketing staff looked at me like I had 3 heads.

It's a real word, marketing nobs!

Last week's "Adam Big Word to Be Mocked" was "interstitial". They were explaining that they wanted to create a page that came up before the page that was originally requested came up.

"You want an interstitial page."

"AHAHAHHAHAHA, oh Adam, you make up the funniest words."

 

[fade]

These are sad. But yes, I've been stopped in 101 lectures by students who didn't understand what I thought were simple english words.

On the other hand, I can't stand when an author adds embellishment for no real reason. Like Gregory Maguire. The "Wicked" books are lousy with words he clearly got from the thesaurus. They're either extremely obscure or don't quite flow with the connotation of the text, which makes them stand out like a sore thumb.

 

[Rob King]

I was in a Philosophy lecture once where a prof had to stop and explain to the class what 'Crossing the Rubicon' meant.

 

[figmentPez]

I was in a Philosophy lecture once where a prof had to stop and explain to the class what 'Crossing the Rubicon' meant.

That's when you say something derogatory about cubes at a gathering of puzzle fans, right?

 

[Philosopher B.]

I was in a class once (shocking, eh?) and we were supposed to give presentations while the other unwashed ass-baskets wrote up anonymous notes on our presentations, then when we were done the teacher would gather them up and give them to us in order that we might read them. One of the notes I got said 'Uses too many big words he doesn't stop and explain'. Man, it's not my fault people don't read. It's not as though I went all out, either. I save that for choice essays in which I try to see how much flowery, wordy bullshit I can get away with. :toocool:

 

[PatrThom]

I can talk off the cuff, but I often spend far too much time polishing my prose to the point where I believe it more accurately relates whatever idea it is that I wish to communicate. This earns me curious looks and a few rolled eyes, but I revel in my carefully constructed accuracy.

Yes, different words have different flavors/colors. I prefer my prose to be at least 24-bit instead of the usual 8-bit. Yes, I realize this probably means expending more effort than might otherwise be necessary, but I'm all about 'bumping the lamp.'



--Patrick

 

[North_Ranger]

I challenge anyone of you to read G.C. Spivak without a frickin' thesaurus with ya.

 

[Chazwozel]

I don't see what the problem is. Ablution is a perfectly cromulent word.

 

[fade]

Chaz, you're such a quijibo.

 

[North_Ranger]

I don't see what the problem is. Ablution is a perfectly cromulent word.

Touché, sir. Allow me to express my most enthusiastic contrafribularities. I'm anispeptic, frasmotic, even compunctuous to have caused you such pericombobulation.

 

[Calleja]

I'm all discombobulated now.