3 ms·
If I am speaking or writing to you, it’s because I want you to understand what I think or get you to do something or to help me learn something. If I use words
by xyzelement 3y ago
If I am speaking or writing to you, it’s because I want you to understand what I think or get you to do something or to help me learn something.
If I use words like “bildungsroman,” I significantly lower my chances of success because you are much more likely to stop reading or make a bad assumption about my meaning than you are to appreciate my cleverness and look for your thesaurus.
Ironically, this comment uses “bildungsroman” to make its point because I know you don’t know what it means (me neither) but that’s rare craftsmanship:)
- jjgreen 3y agoNice word, even better if italicised (since a loan word) and capitalised (since a German noun).
- cjpearson 3y agoAn important factor is knowing your audience. Writing a book review? Go ahead and use "bildungsroman". A scientific paper? Neodymium, amygdala, or ionosphere will probably be understood. The goal of a writer shouldn't be to confuse their readers or make them feel dumb, but they also shouldn't sacrifice a perfectly fitting word that 90% of the audience understands for a weaker substitute that 100% understand. I often look up words when reading. Sometimes new words, and sometimes words I have a rough understanding of but am curious about their dictionary definition. I almost never see as the author's failure or mine. Many of the words in this list I've never seen before, but I don't think that means they should necessarily be discarded. And I wouldn't want writers to avoid words like bowdlerize, vestigial, avuncular, defenestrate, palimpsest or sinecure just because they could be replaced by a more common word or phrase that means almost the same thing.