Big Words
My wife likes to use big words. I don’t know if they are all big, but most have a meaning that is unknown to me. Every time she says one, I have to ask or look it up. Half the time, I can get an idea from the context in which she uses them. Some sound familiar, but the meaning still escapes me.
So now a friend of mine online also uses big words too. Every time I come back from looking up the words, I make a grunting sound as if I’m a primate. I jokingly make an excuse of only having an American High School Education.
Why do people use big words? Is it because they want to sound important? They want to say that they are better? Are they just showing off there knowledge? Perhaps it is innocent and there is nothing behind it. I just wish that people would speak in plain English sometimes. The good news is that my knowledge of rarely used words is increasing.
January 19th, 2006 at 7:06 pm
I often use big words because they more concisely convey what I’m trying to say… Sometimes in simplifying your message you lose some of the intent.
January 19th, 2006 at 7:51 pm
With as rich a lexicon as english, one is able to convey subtle meaning by choosing the most appropriate word for the situation. In fact, brevity - not conceit - becomes the intent. Language can also be playful. Rather than just a means of communicating a thought, conversation can be art. Language lovely to hear, words flowing from thought and lovely to speak, a medium as rich as oils on canvas.
January 19th, 2006 at 8:38 pm
It may convey subtle meaning, but the meaning is lost if your audience can not understand you.
January 23rd, 2006 at 12:38 pm
*laughs*