DuckHairback wrote:
Hello. I've notice in other threads a couple of people have mentioned that they don't like when some of the people writing here use long, uncommon(?) words that many others might not be familiar with.
I know that I am one of those people. Growing up my vocabulary was always some way ahead of my peers. I don't think about it. I'm not trying to be clever or make anyone feel inadequate. I don't even notice I'm doing it.
But people have said to me that the language I use alienates people. And I wonder if it does add to the various ways in which I put people off in social situations.
For me, I think it comes from a desire to be precise. I choose my words very carefully and I often find that the lengthier, multisyllabic words carry nuance that isn't there in shorter words. I want to be precise because I'm scared of being misunderstood, as I feel I have been all my life.
So what do you think? Is there value in simplifying your language for others? Is there an obligation to do so? Why isn't that 'talking down' to people? If your goal is to be precise, but you end up turning people off, did you fail?
I think it sometimes is beneficial to sometimes simplify your language with people, both spoken and written, but it depends on who I am talking to. If you want your words to be understood you need to speak in a similar language. It can be hard in a place such as WP because of the wide range of strengths and weaknesses each of us possess with reading comprehension and word understanding. I worked as a writing tutor in college and had to help many ESL students with their writing. There and with them I had to use a much simpler vocabulary and slower speaking speed to help them comprehend our conversation and assist with their written comprehension.
I understand what you are saying however as I too have been told that I use big words when writing by some people who seemed annoyed by it. It isn't done out of malice or arrogance so I ignore them as I don't know what else I could do. I found sanctuary from the madness of life early on in libraries, reading whatever I could find to read that provided information about my latest obsession/special interest. Libraries and universities are full of big words and bigger ideas that shape our minds and vocabularies. I worked in a writing center at college to help pay for my education, a place where people were almost always using the biggest words they could as much as possible in their writings.