Is English's large vocabulary detrimental

You guys are both going in extreme ends of this. If we used only anglo saxons words many of them would be correct. Most of these archaic words are still in the dictoinary, however if we start using old words no one knows we would sound crazy.
The issue with all these extra words is that theres no logic to them. It makes people less able to make logical conclusions. English almost has two completely(full) different(odd) sets(groups) of words that mean the exact(precisely) the same(identical) thing. If there was a somewhat logical reason for this instead of a historical undertones of elitism in our language we wouldn't have this problem.

I mean we all know in English school you are taught to rotate through synonyms just to make yourself smarter. It's a fact in creative writing. So lets not beat around the bush here.
Just think of beat around the bush we all know what that means through common culture, however if I said " don't flirt with a dogs bone" you would be completely lost.

In my mind we should use some sort of system using compound words to replace alot of Vocabulary(BIGWORDS)

Don't get me wrong i see a huge value in word play in creative writing, but to act like you smart or just being well spoken, when you use words that no one knows your just being foolish.

People in my experience who are most well read have huge issues with basic logic or science. Were raised to believe that this is the way it has to be I believe it's in part influenced by language.


Just think in physics we waste about a week spent learn that speed and velocity are different when if we just said relatedspeed we would be much better off. Of course once the idea is understood you could change it to Relspeed or something like that but it would change how we learn.

English does indeed have a huge vocabulary, yet that's still not enough for some smart-arsed journalists who pepper their articles with foreign terms. In the vast majority of cases, these words add absolutely nothing to the emotive power of the pieces as a perfectly good English term (or several) are readily available.

Arseholes.

<That's not a problem as long as we don't communicate with one another. >
It isn't a problem even if we do communicate with each other. 99% of the words we would use would be intelligible to both of us. Like here, for instance.

<But if someone constantly uses weird words in everyday speach, this would be annoying. >
If people want to use weird words, that's up to them. If you want to get annoyed, that's up to you. It isn't a big deal in either case.

The problem is that it can completely get in the way of reason in many cases. It's a problem that is throughout society. Just look at George carlin on Post tramautic stress disorder. It was once called Shell shocked, but politians used it to create a form of language that is used to cloud the truth.

You gotta realize we need to make a value judgement, due we favor how nice we sound, over logic, I think in a world were people invade crountrys based on ideas such as terrorism(when there are none to be found) really would gain alot by learning logic.

That being said I was for the war :P

If one were to use weird words, then it would be their obligation to provide some creative means by which the listener (who they should obviously *know* will not readily understand the word) can glean the meaning of the word either by context, or by some sort of explanation/alternate synonym given.

It's only polite.

Is Uriel a nigger?

Yes.

I don't get the big deal here. How often do you see words in newspaper or magazine articles, or hear words in speeches or lectures, that you don't understand? For me, it's pretty much never. I only ever see these rare words in high literature, where I expect them, and when I have the time to look them up. Most writers know that there is a time and place for obscure vocabulary. If they don't, then they are an ass, and this vocabulary serves the useful purpose of pointing out their ass-ness to us.

Another thing: these kinds of words are not unique to English. I can attest that French and German are both full of obscure synonyms. It's normal; English doesn't need to change.

Uriel is a nigger????

Oh my god I was talking to a nigger.....

What if someone saw? I have a reputation to uphold.

Don't worry your pointy little head about any chance of being associated with me, Ed; I rarely condescend to speak to you. Consider yourself fortunate now, in fact.

YESSUH BOSS! AINT DAT DE TROOF?

YESSUH BOSS! AINT DAT DE TROOF?

Foreign women are attracted to English because of it's has a well hung wordstore.

<<The problem is that it can completely get in the way of reason in many cases. It's a problem that is throughout society. Just look at George carlin on Post tramautic stress disorder. It was once called Shell shocked, but politians used it to create a form of language that is used to cloud the truth.>>

Personally, I find "shell shocked" less clear. If I didn't already know what it meant, I would be forced to look it up in a dictionary because the name isn't very descriptive. What kind of "shell" is it talking about? A snail shell? What kind of "shock"? An electric shock? It really is unclear.

On the other hand, "Post traumatic stress disorder" clearly means a disorder in which someone suffers from stress after experiencing trauma. I have no trouble understanding that. However, the tendency to refer to it by its acronym PTSD does obfuscate its meaning.

Is it just me, or does "pulchritudinous" sound like it should mean the opposite of what it means? It just sounds ugly to me.

Insufferable :
<<That just emphasises the stupidity of such words.>>
Speaking of subjective feelings about words, "emphasises" looks really silly to me, even more so than other Britishisms.

"Shell-shock" belongs in the context of the First World War. "Post traumatic stress disorder" belongs in the context of more recent conflicts.

You couldn't talk about a Renaissance soldier with shell-shock or PTSD, unless you wanted to appear ridiculous.