It gets worse the more deviations you get away from the mean:
Scientists and other academics who often pride themselves on their rhetoric act in peculiar ways when they’re challenged on their assumptions with sources.
Normally, you’d expect the open-minded to be like: “Wow, that’s something I hadn’t considered! Thanks for expanding my intellectual horizons!”
Instead its: “You completely invalidated my work, you fuckwit! We’re going to lose funding!”
Always be kind to everyone you meet. C:
I had a political conversation with a right-wing co-worker a while back, and he generally operated in good faith, but he got flustered and tried to do the “why do you use big/pretentious words” scold on me, and he did not handle it well when I responded “I guess home school and Liberty University didn’t land you with much of a vocabulary”.
Is been literally decades, so I’m forgetting, but that particular case had some arguments regarding the turgid state of penises. I read a brief from this case, because my relative was like, this is silly, you’ll enjoy it
Damn, no one ever put it into words like that but this describes me perfectly
I never pontificated like that, but you’re utterly correct.
I find it inconceivable that when I stirred from my bedchamber this morning, that I would find myself with an appeal to my senses that would brighten my day.
obliged
It’s interesting, they used to think that having a big vocabulary or knowing multiple languages delayed having Alzheimer’s. It turns out that family often first become aware that a person is developing Alzheimer’s because the person starts regularly forgetting common words, but people with big vocabularies can come up with alternatives when they can’t remember one, so their family doesn’t recognize it as early. When those people are diagnosed, they end up being further along.
Same energy as “your English is so good”. No, I just don’t know normal words.
I just don’t know normal words.
As an ESL, I felt that in my bones. One time my boss asked me to get the pail to water the plants and my only exposure to that word had been the wailmer pail from the Pokémon games that I misremembered as a “whalepail”. It was awkward trying to explain why I was stumped.
chariots chariots
Oh, good. We’ve got Prime Cave Johnson this time!
An ex once told me her mother wasn’t a fan because talking to me was like talking to a thesaurus.
Yeah, well, Donna, your daughter decided to start fucking me because I was the only person who could consistently beat her at words with friends.
Words with friends with benefits
I had a girlfriend try to make me speak differently because I embarrassed her by using big words in front of others. The company you keep eh?
I both
- do that too, and
- can also see how it comes across as pretentious.
Back then I was a mess socially. I’m still an introvert but I code switch like a pro. I only break out the big vocab with close friends who know I’m not trying to look smart.
There’s an episode of Northern Exposure where a young woman says to Ed “give me your words” in a very sexual way. It’s outrageously funny, and simultaneously insightful.
If you’ve never watched it, the writers are all about studying people, warts and all. Very thought-provoking.
There’s nothing pretentious about having a firm grasp of your native language. Stop dumbing down society so you can feel better about having a 2nd grade reading level.
How many people with ADHD have been lambasted for being a “mush mouth” or someone that relies on filler words too much? Some of us took that to heart and developed more succinct communication styles.
A big part of communication is learning to modulate your language registers. If you speak like a scientic paper is written when talking with your friends, people look strange at you.
Also, sometimes simpler communocation is just more effective communication
I guess we are missing context from this tumblr post. Code switching is important depending on the group you’re with, but if I’m with adults, I expect that mature adult fluency in English is okay.
i like when people use big words cause then i can learn a new word. it’s nice knowing words to say stuff with
i like using big words as an excuse to teach them!
I’m in this picture and i… am ambivalent.
Your specificity here isn’t needless. You did the meme wrong.
Balderdash, the specificity employed in this context was superfluous in comparison to the minimum required for conveying his emotional response to the situation.
🧐
I write a lot of fantasy, and that definitely affects my practical vocabulary. I don’t think the specificity is needless though, especially in English, this Frankenstein of cognates and loaner words. You have so many options because the human experience is so diverse and multifaceted. Clarity helps, and it makes language more beautiful, something we should all strive for
Holy crap, I thought I was the only one.
Consecrated fecal material, I entertained the notion that I had embarked upon this adventure without companions!
There was a Basic Instructions comic about exactly this, but unfortunately the only thing I can remember about it is that the protagonist describes someone’s hair as “turgid” and “basic instructions turgid hair” isn’t getting many relevant results.
Also, is “chariots chariots” related to the rest of the post or am I just oblivious?
edit: s/coming/comic
Reminds me of my lawyer relative talking about defending a case involving undercover cops and strip clubs. “Turgid” is a legal concept, I guess. Honestly I think that’s very stupid.
Apparently it can mean “excessively embellished in style or language,” so I guess if you were to describe a legally contested situation in a … Turgid manner, it could distort any case made based on your testimony? IANAL, so that’s just a wild swing at the appropriate application based on one web search.
Preemptive aside: I’ve seen lots of jokes made, so for anyone not familiar, IANAL is neither sexual nor any kind of innuendo or entendre.
