So how large is your passive vocabulary compared to your active vocabulary?

[Exiled Martian]

So I was kicking it using colloquial slang with an everyday colleague & his unfamiliar associate (random girl from the para legal department) earlier, all in the spirit of Casual Friday discussing Halloween plans etc....I'm on call at work so naturally my phone rings & I jump on the phone & start talking like what seems Alien English (to her anyway.. she had the face on ) for abit & revert back to informal chit chat post phone call.... she looks at me & says something like whoa you use some awfully big words & really speak in a polished manner on the phone......To which I reply with something along the lines of the last sentence in my SIG.


Anyways that little chat earlier gave me the idea for this thread:

How large is your passive vocabulary - the words you recognize and know well enough to define - versus the words you use in everyday language?

Or, in other words, how much are you "dumbing down" or refraining from using more sophisticated (bigger) words in everyday conversation?

My vocabulary isn't as vast as the typical newspaper writer/blogger per se, but I still find that I don't use about 2/5th of the words that I know. I would guess that is true for most of you; the average person doesn't like to throw around words like perspicuity or deleterious (though those words aren't rare in print) for fear of sounding stuck up, which is a shame. I would love to improve my vocabulary some more through absorption via hearing & practice, especially if there is context for me to be able to figure out the meanings of new words....

So yeh Lest Discuss this, Do you avoid using big words or just find few occasions to use your full vocabulary?

 

[Vagina Thief]

I have to dumb down what i say on the regular. If it were up to me I'd speak with a very broad vocabulary but some people take offense to it. Typically believe you are trying to seem smarter than them...

 

[Exiled Martian]

@Slang I suggest you try finding your father instead of stallking me & One starring ALL my threads you Vindictive Kunt!

 

[Exiled Martian]

I have to dumb down what i say on the regular. If it were up to me I'd speak with a very broad vocabulary but some people take offense to it. Typically believe you are trying to seem smarter than them...

Agreed.... with me, It always depends on whom I am speaking to. I adapt my vocabulary to the person I am speaking to, either up or down. Slang usage changes, curse words, and even pronunciation and drawl enters into play.The english language is so vast that depending on the audience you might as well be speaking a different dialect. I guess if the sole point is effective communication, a larger toolkit to draw upon will make things go more smoothly with more people.

 

[Vagina Thief]

Agreed.... with me, It always depends on whom I am speaking to. I adapt my vocabulary to the person I am speaking to, either up or down. Slang usage changes, curse words, and even pronunciation and drawl enters into play.The english language is so vast that depending on the audience you might as well be speaking a different dialect. I guess if the sole point is effective communication, a larger toolkit to draw upon will make things go more smoothly with more people.

Exactly.
Its amazing how quickly your entire demeanor and choice of words can change from person to person. I've never understood people who've spoken a certain way towards everyone. For example, a hoodrat speaking her hoodrat dialect regardless of who it is they're speaking to.
in contrast when you're in a situation where you have a diverse group of people in front of you and they all come from different backgrounds and speak differently it can become very difficult to get your message across without confusing or offending someone.​

 

[Exiled Martian]

Exactly.
Its amazing how quickly your entire demeanor and choice of words can change from person to person. I've never understood people who've spoken a certain way towards everyone. For example, a hoodrat speaking her hoodrat dialect regardless of who it is they're speaking to.
in contrast when you're in a situation where you have a diverse group of people in front of you and they all come from different backgrounds and speak differently it can become very difficult to get your message across without confusing or offending someone.

Like yourself I too have to succumb to the dumbing it down act on a regular basis to make my point .....especially at work ( In general conversation, I always dumb down what I say. I don't want people thinking I am smart, tech savvy or helpful in any way )
Also this Dumbing Down theory has more to do with wanting to avoid being pretentious, and, also, perhaps, to do with the fact that knowing words isn't necessarily the same thing as having them immediately available for use. I think some people have more of their vocabulary immediately available and have a greater ability to access the precise word at the precise moment. That's sort-of the reason why one friend slaughters me at Scrabble, even though she doesn't really have a larger vocabularly as such (OK that's more about spelling than semantics, but its related).

The worst case, though, is when people use longer and more technical words when there are shorter and more common words that would actually fit better than the pretentious word does


Its rather amusing to hear people trying to use long words when they don't quite understand what they mean. Trying to speak in a more high-status register than your own, and getting it wrong. I know a few heads at work that do that a lot, even supposed genuine intellectuals do it, especially when it comes to scientific terms.

 

[GetInTheTruck]

Your medal is in the mail and on its way breh.

 

[Exiled Martian]

Your medal is in the mail and on its way breh.

Me use simple language.
Me not enjoy perplexing linguistics.
Me say Simple is most good.

Free Medal?...also Free Happy Ipad with 36 mega bite teeth Kno ?

 

[Mr. Somebody]

The most simplistic words arranged in the right ways can have a better effect on friends then showcasing your mastery of 4 syllable words and intricate phrases, friends.

 

[godkiller]

The most simplistic words arranged in the right ways can have a better effect on friends then showcasing your mastery of 4 syllable words and intricate phrases, friends.

But having a greater mastery of language is indicative of higher intelligence.

 

[Mr. Somebody]

But having a greater mastery of language is indicative of higher intelligence.

I think a better indicator of intelligence is using that intelligence to help humanity instead of just having an indicator, friend. There is a time and a place for everything. The purpose of communication is to get a message across to an individual as effectively as possible not showcase how intelligent you are. Strong vocabulary words act as shortcuts to lessen the amount of time used to get across a message. Overt verbal gymnastics arent seen as intelligent, they're often seen as

 

[Sensitive Blake Griffin]

I've always had a pretty expansive vocabulary, I think due to the fact that I've been an uber nerd PC gamer since I was 11 years old, especially when it comes to MMO's, I did a lot of typing but I typically only pull it out when writing papers for school and shyt like that. In terms of how I speak, when I'm talking about something scientific I'm going to use the proper terms. I used the term "bipedal" today at work and this dude was straight even after I explained to him how simple the meaning of the word was he was still

Every so often I use some crazy word like lugubrious or something in conversation but I typically talk like normal folks and use a lot of slang.

 

[godkiller]

I think a better indicator of intelligence is using that intelligence to help humanity instead of just having an indicator, friend. There is a time and a place for everything. The purpose of communication is to get a message across to an individual as effectively as possible not showcase how intelligent you are. Strong vocabulary words act as shortcuts to lessen the amount of time used to get across a message. Overt verbal gymnastics arent seen as intelligent, they're often seen as

A higher level vocabulary is an extra added virtue of greater intellect. It isn't necessary to always use the vocabulary, but it's useful to have it. Many concepts and ideas can't be easily or sufficiently expressed using simple and trite words. These concepts and ideas require a greater mastery of language to properly communicate nuance and complexity

 

[Mr. Somebody]

A higher level vocabulary is an extra added virtue of greater intellect. It isn't necessary to always use the vocabulary, but it's useful to have it. Many concepts and ideas can't be easily or sufficiently expressed using simple and trite words. These concepts and ideas require a greater mastery of language to properly communicate nuance and complexity

Showcasing this mastery when it isnt necessary or in the face of a friend you know does not understand, is a demonic red flag.

 

[godkiller]

Showcasing this mastery when it isnt necessary or in the face of a friend you know does not understand, is a demonic red flag.

It doesn't matter whether you think it's "necessary". The point is that having the ability to articulate is an indicator of intelligence. Moreover it is necessary so long as the professional world goes. Beyond a certain level everyone can articulate, and if you can't, you're at risk for embarrassment and confusion.