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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Then there's those of us who look it up and, by the time we run into the word again (six months later) we've forgotten what it means and have to look it up again. No, I say, let dead words die.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: May 2002
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Quote:
Then there's those of us who look it up and, by the time we run into the word again (six months later) we've forgotten what it means and have to look it up again. No, I say, let dead words die.
Aw shoot, Faldage, "let dead words die", indeed. You are so...so... exitiousistic. And that means fatalistic, and don't you forget it.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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'At's OK, Milo. I think you're nice.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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A big word is too big when the context doesn't hint at its meaning; when it confuses the reader; when it's used to show off.
That's my thought, since you asked.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jul 2005
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Fal: Type-2 words (when properly used) should be used more often. When I encounter one I purposely overuse it in order to help remember
Zed: Depends on who you're talking to. If you drop a type-3 word in casual conversation, no matter how it pinpoints your meaning it will be considered snooty
dalehileman
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journeyman
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journeyman
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dale, I think your use of the word 'snooty' is awfully snooty.
The Lone Haranguer
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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dalehileman
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addict
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addict
Joined: Jan 2001
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I absolutely agree that it's all a matter of context. It reminds me of when I was studying for an MA at a university in the UK. It was a very international programme, and during our first session the instructor pointed out that the Spanish, Italian and French students were expected to "tone down" our English when writing our essays and dissertation.
I was, and still feel, indignant when I think about it: Latinate words are perfectly good counterparts to Saxon words if they are used with precision, and especially in an academic setting one expects the educated reader to make the effort to understand and learn them. Long words used properly are just as appropriate as short ones, and no one can come and tell me at this stage -- after I've written more pages of academic English than I care to recount -- that I should "tone down" my writing. I am expressing myself in a foreign language as I best know how, and I know that it's appropriate language for the academic setting in which it will be received, even if some (not many, I think), occasionally find it a bit difficult.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jul 2005
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Mari: If English isn't your naive tongue, you certainly handle it well
My contention is only that type 3 words should seldom be dropped into everyday conversation, while Type 2 are welcome anytime and should be cultivated
dalehileman
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Dec 2006
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I must agree with those who have said, in effect, that usage depends on the audience. My profession is the law. If I'm writing a legal brief, I use words that judges and lawyers use and understand. But I alwo write essays, commentaries, op-ed pieces, etc. For those pieces the intended audience requires a different vocabulary.
I always try to remember that when writing (as opposed to having a conversation) I have only one chance to get my message across. The purpose of speaking is to be understood. The purpose of writing is to make it impossible to be MISunderstood.
Stuart Showalter
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