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"Self-taught" and "autodidactic" are denotatively equivalent, so from that perspective the word "autodidactic" is absolutely not more precise. What's more, rel
by falsestprophet 18y ago
"Self-taught" and "autodidactic" are denotatively equivalent, so from that perspective the word "autodidactic" is absolutely not more precise.
What's more, relying on connotation to enhance precision is kind of silly. Connotation is highly subjective and often inconsistant across a community.
One good example of this fact is that few people here seem to see the connotative difference between the two words in question. I don't.
Maybe you can help us. Thanks.
- rms 18y agoIronically (or pseudo-ironically?), the very difference in connotation between self-taught and autodidactic is pretentiousness. Perhaps not quite pretentiousness, but more of a difference in social class -- a self-described autodidact is indicating that even though they are self-taught, they are not "blue collar" self-taught.
- rms 18y agoAnd it's not that self-taught always means lower class, it's just that autodidact always means higher class. There must be a better word in English for the type of distinction in words I am describing here, maybe someone can enlighten me...
- LPTS 18y agoUm, fuck you. Really, I mean it. My mom, a single mother, worked full time doing hard physical labor in a bakery. Her back is still sore from all the hard work she did to raise me and my brother. We lived in cheap housing, paycheck to paycheck for years, and went to pretty crappy public schools. I don't see how you get anything about economic class from the word I used. We were poor growing up. I liked to read. I learned big words when I read, and I use them when I communicate. End of story.