What exactly is the need for building up vocabulary or knowing new words over and above the common words ? I am not asking from academic perspective but trying to grasp the real need for learning new words. Some say that it helps express oneself better but how that’s not possible with the most commonly used words and rare words are anyways perhaps might not be comprehensible as they are uncommon. Isn’t simple and easy better ? Most books use uncommon words that are not spoken in day to day life. Request your views

  • minimalist_coach@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    The first thing that came to mind when I read this is how often people take a text or a quick email the wrong way. Using the right words provides clarity. When we try to be too brief or simple it can often leave too much room for interpretation which leads to miscommunication.

    One book that I think highlights this really well is Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown. Most people have fewer than 5 words to describe their emotions. This book has definitions for 87 distinct emotions, all of which I have felt at some point in my life and now have the vocabulary to express them. Two words are nearly universally used wrong, envy and jealousy. We so often say I’m jelly or jealous when we actually mean envy. We think it seems nicer, but if you know the definition it’s actually the opposite. This is the power of vocabulary.

    Another thing that I thought of was regional dialect. I’ve lived all of the the US and overseas in a both Europe and Asia. Although all the people I worked with spoke English, they all had different vocabulary depending on where they learned English or where they have lived. I’m not just talking about slang, but I can’t think of an example off the top of my head.

    I think being exposed to people who use different vocabulary had helped me dramatically when I read books because I just know the meaning of more words or I can often guess by using context. This makes it easier to read a book without having to look up a word or phrase. I read a lot of international authors so I am coming across words that I’m not familiar with more often and do take the time to look them up.