People's vocabularies. - Page 3

Glice · 01.20.2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypertonic

...Noam Chomsky...

Does anyone else hear the Family Fortunes "Errr URRRR" as soon as Noam [who mysteriously pronounces HIS OWN NAME as 'nome' rather than 'no-am'] is mentioned?

greedrex · 01.20.2009, 06:09 PM

yeah people have no clue.
Little shits.

!@#$%! · 01.20.2009, 06:24 PM

people who react with fears at words they don't know are just insecure fucks. "what did you mean by that?" or "i don't know that word" is a fine thing to say.

btw the first thing i did when i saw the OP was to google "pithy"-- i've spotted that word but never heard it.

then again, eeengleesh is my 2nd language and i'm not afraid to ask questions-- i got cover i guess.

but still-- what the fuck. don't know or don't understand? don't blame the other and fucking find out.

but people never heard of the word "transgression"? for real? weird... must live in a bubble.

on the other side of the coin-- often people couch bullshit arguments in flowery words just to cover up the fact that they are talking out of their ass. learn those terms and call them on their bullshit. a good dictionary (many are online these days) is your friend.

Sheriff Rhys Chatham · 01.20.2009, 10:31 PM

I think i have a decent vocabulary. Well enough express whatever it is that needs to be said. I find I have no trouble getting things across using small words though, and not many of them.

When I was still in school I always had trouble writing essays and reports to the designated length but I always got my point across and defended it.

Alex's Trip · 01.20.2009, 11:15 PM

I was grading sophomore vocab tests. They're so dumb. There is no hope for the world.

Sated became "saytid" and munificent became "magnanificent"

As for pithy, my past speech/sophomore English teacher used it all the time.

Alex's Trip · 01.20.2009, 11:38 PM

And this test reminded me I have a vocabulary test tomorrow. Here are the words if anyone is interested in what high school seniors are learning these days.

Curates
Reverie
Nascent
Nonplused
Confound
Gambol
Quail (verb)
Ethereal
Pedantic
Pernicious
Fatuous
Writhe
Incredulous
Furtive
Interminable
Obliquely
Acute
Obtuse
Febrile

Some are really easy, and some are useless and bombastic.

pbradley · 01.21.2009, 12:10 AM

Nascent and pedantic are two favorite words of mine.

Alex's Trip · 01.21.2009, 09:17 AM

Pedantic is a favorite word of mine too. Though I wasn't sure of Nascent. I figured it had something to do with beginnings, or birth because of my (quickly forgotten) Spanish education over the last three years.

!@#$%, Como se dice "to be born" Nacir? something like that...

!@#$%! · 01.21.2009, 09:45 AM

nacer

demonrail666 · 01.21.2009, 10:39 AM

Some people use 'difficult' words in order to deflect attention away from the fact that what they're saying is actually quite insignificant and banal.

EG: when 'Tarantino's auterist bid to appropriate tropes eminating from minor texts' simply means that Tarantino likes to reference B-Movies.

afterthefact · 01.21.2009, 10:51 AM

I think there is a fine balance. Of course, the better your vocabulary, the better you will be able to clearly express your thoughts. However, if you overuse big words, and do it only for the sake of using them when a more simple word would suffice, then it will not only come off as somewhat arrogant, but it will also alienate some, if not most, of your audience. It requires discernment to know what vocabulary they have, and are expected to have. Remember: having a limited vocabulary, to a certain degree, is not a sign of limited intelligence; most people have no need for big words, so they very well may have spent their time on learning things more pertinent to their needs and desires.

demonrail666 · 01.21.2009, 10:57 AM

It's all about context. If I use the word 'verisimilitude' in a lecture about Ingres, I'm doing my job. If I use it in a telephone conversation with my mum, I'm a cunt.

Sonic Youth 37 · 01.21.2009, 01:14 PM

^correct

I can use "tantamount" in history papers all I want, but when talking to someone I feel like a prick, unless our conversations often delve into obsolete vocabulary. I often am commended for my use of "headlong" in reference to almost walking "right the hell into" something.

!@#$%! · 01.21.2009, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Some people use 'difficult' words in order to deflect attention away from the fact that what they're saying is actually quite insignificant and banal.

EG: when 'Tarantino's auterist bid to appropriate tropes eminating from minor texts' simply means that Tarantino likes to reference B-Movies.

YES. exactly. holy shit it drives me nuts. useless professional lingo to keep outsiders in the dark.

this reminds me of the wonderful sokal affair-- ever heard of it?

demonrail666 · 01.21.2009, 02:17 PM

I think the Sokal report provided a necessary expose of academic fraudulance, but I have mixed feelings about its broader message: that the ideas of writers like Derrida, Barthes, etc (upon whom a number of quite substance-less academics have built careers upon) are, themselves, without substance. In the end, I thought Sokal just ended up promoting a kind of anti-intellectualism aimed at contemporary humanities in general and seemed based on a misunderstanding of what those key figures were actually trying to do in the first place.

!@#$%! · 01.21.2009, 02:25 PM

i thought he gave bullshitters a good flogging. if intellectualism is devoid of honesty and integrity, then it's worthless posturing. sokal is my fucking hero. did he ever criticize barthes, though?

demonrail666 · 01.21.2009, 02:33 PM

did you read his book, 'Beyond the Hoax'? That really aggravated me. This whole schtick about the humanities misunderstanding the sciences that only ended up showing his own misunderstanding of the humanities.

I'm all in favour of giving bullshitters a good flogging, but Sokal just comes across as a rather misinformed critic of a discipline he doesn't know very much about. C.P. Snow's book 'The Two Cultures' is a great account of the divide between the sciences and the humanities that allow those that Sokal criticises to flourish, as well as people like Sokal himself.

Glice · 01.21.2009, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

i thought he gave bullshitters a good flogging. if intellectualism is devoid of honesty and integrity, then it's worthless posturing. sokal is my fucking hero. did he ever criticize barthes, though?

The problem is the logical corrolaries - YES, there are some sections of academia that are not concerned with verificationist schemas. Can you draw a broader conclusion about a whacking great slew of acadmia, including many diverse individuals, on the basis of one magazine? It seems to me like the magazine was looking for good, provocative copy, not something (yawn) academically rigorous.

My understanding of the affair is that he's highlighted some gaps in a flawed, incomplete system and drawn conclusions to the effect that all of that system is flawed. Bad logic.

Anything that threatens to apply an alien logic to Derrida is going to have a hard time, methinks.

demonrail666 · 01.21.2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glice

The problem is the logical corrolaries - YES, there are some sections of academia that are not concerned with verificationist schemas. Can you draw a broader conclusion about a whacking great slew of acadmia, including many diverse individuals, on the basis of one magazine? It seems to me like the magazine was looking for good, provocative copy, not something (yawn) academically rigorous.

My understanding of the affair is that he's highlighted some gaps in a flawed, incomplete system and drawn conclusions to the effect that all of that system is flawed. Bad logic.

Anything that threatens to apply an alien logic to Derrida is going to have a hard time, methinks.

exactly!

!@#$%! · 01.21.2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by demonrail666

did you read his book, 'Beyond the Hoax'?

no

i read his very funny paper published in some magazine-- the bullshit one

supreme fucking comedy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by demonrail666

That really aggravated me. This whole schtick about the humanities misunderstanding the sciences that only ended up showing his own misunderstanding of the humanities.

I'm all in favour of giving bullshitters a good flogging, but Sokal just comes across as a rather misinformed critic of a discipline he doesn't know very much about. C.P. Snow's book 'The Two Cultures' is a great account of the divide between the sciences and the humanities that allow those that Sokal criticises to flourish, as well as people like Sokal himself.

i guess so, or i'll take your word for it, is what i mean, but i've read enough pseudo-scientific crap in the humanities, as well as absurd critiques of science, that i'm willing to cut him some slack just because.

now that c.p. snow book-- that sounds like something i'd read. i'll look for it.

01.20.2009, 06:09 PM	#42
greedrex invito al cielo Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: in yr fotobukit Posts: 6,588	yeah people have no clue. Little shits. __________________ Greed Recordings bandcamp ~The Rex~, stalkin' yr shit since 2008.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.20.2009, 06:24 PM	#43
!@#$%! invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mars attacks Posts: 42,648	people who react with fears at words they don't know are just insecure fucks. "what did you mean by that?" or "i don't know that word" is a fine thing to say. btw the first thing i did when i saw the OP was to google "pithy"-- i've spotted that word but never heard it. then again, eeengleesh is my 2nd language and i'm not afraid to ask questions-- i got cover i guess. but still-- what the fuck. don't know or don't understand? don't blame the other and fucking find out. but people never heard of the word "transgression"? for real? weird... must live in a bubble. on the other side of the coin-- often people couch bullshit arguments in flowery words just to cover up the fact that they are talking out of their ass. learn those terms and call them on their bullshit. a good dictionary (many are online these days) is your friend.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.20.2009, 10:31 PM	#44
Sheriff Rhys Chatham invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New England. Posts: 4,027	I think i have a decent vocabulary. Well enough express whatever it is that needs to be said. I find I have no trouble getting things across using small words though, and not many of them. When I was still in school I always had trouble writing essays and reports to the designated length but I always got my point across and defended it. __________________ My Music(grunge rock) A part of this blue shit since June 24th, 2004
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.20.2009, 11:15 PM	#45
Alex's Trip invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 5,608	I was grading sophomore vocab tests. They're so dumb. There is no hope for the world. Sated became "saytid" and munificent became "magnanificent" As for pithy, my past speech/sophomore English teacher used it all the time. __________________ KALOPSIA
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.20.2009, 11:38 PM	#46
Alex's Trip invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 5,608	And this test reminded me I have a vocabulary test tomorrow. Here are the words if anyone is interested in what high school seniors are learning these days. Curates Reverie Nascent Nonplused Confound Gambol Quail (verb) Ethereal Pedantic Pernicious Fatuous Writhe Incredulous Furtive Interminable Obliquely Acute Obtuse Febrile Some are really easy, and some are useless and bombastic. __________________ KALOPSIA
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01.21.2009, 12:10 AM	#47
pbradley invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: SoKo Posts: 10,621	Nascent and pedantic are two favorite words of mine.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.21.2009, 09:17 AM	#48
Alex's Trip invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 5,608	Pedantic is a favorite word of mine too. Though I wasn't sure of Nascent. I figured it had something to do with beginnings, or birth because of my (quickly forgotten) Spanish education over the last three years. !@#$%, Como se dice "to be born" Nacir? something like that... __________________ KALOPSIA
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.21.2009, 09:45 AM	#49
!@#$%! invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mars attacks Posts: 42,648	nacer
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.21.2009, 10:39 AM	#50
demonrail666 invito al cielo Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18,510	Some people use 'difficult' words in order to deflect attention away from the fact that what they're saying is actually quite insignificant and banal. EG: when 'Tarantino's auterist bid to appropriate tropes eminating from minor texts' simply means that Tarantino likes to reference B-Movies.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.21.2009, 10:51 AM	#51
afterthefact invito al cielo Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 3,886	I think there is a fine balance. Of course, the better your vocabulary, the better you will be able to clearly express your thoughts. However, if you overuse big words, and do it only for the sake of using them when a more simple word would suffice, then it will not only come off as somewhat arrogant, but it will also alienate some, if not most, of your audience. It requires discernment to know what vocabulary they have, and are expected to have. Remember: having a limited vocabulary, to a certain degree, is not a sign of limited intelligence; most people have no need for big words, so they very well may have spent their time on learning things more pertinent to their needs and desires. __________________ "She hated people who thought too much. At that moment, she struck me as an appropriate representative for almost all mankind." - Kurt Vonnegut Cat's Cradle
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.21.2009, 10:57 AM	#52
demonrail666 invito al cielo Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18,510	It's all about context. If I use the word 'verisimilitude' in a lecture about Ingres, I'm doing my job. If I use it in a telephone conversation with my mum, I'm a cunt.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.21.2009, 01:14 PM	#53
Sonic Youth 37 invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: if there is a bright spot in the universe, the farthest point from it Posts: 9,443	^correct I can use "tantamount" in history papers all I want, but when talking to someone I feel like a prick, unless our conversations often delve into obsolete vocabulary. I often am commended for my use of "headlong" in reference to almost walking "right the hell into" something. __________________ "One: Where's the fife? and Two: Gimme the fife."
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.21.2009, 02:17 PM	#55
demonrail666 invito al cielo Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18,510	I think the Sokal report provided a necessary expose of academic fraudulance, but I have mixed feelings about its broader message: that the ideas of writers like Derrida, Barthes, etc (upon whom a number of quite substance-less academics have built careers upon) are, themselves, without substance. In the end, I thought Sokal just ended up promoting a kind of anti-intellectualism aimed at contemporary humanities in general and seemed based on a misunderstanding of what those key figures were actually trying to do in the first place.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.21.2009, 02:25 PM	#56
!@#$%! invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mars attacks Posts: 42,648	i thought he gave bullshitters a good flogging. if intellectualism is devoid of honesty and integrity, then it's worthless posturing. sokal is my fucking hero. did he ever criticize barthes, though?
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.21.2009, 02:33 PM	#57
demonrail666 invito al cielo Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18,510	did you read his book, 'Beyond the Hoax'? That really aggravated me. This whole schtick about the humanities misunderstanding the sciences that only ended up showing his own misunderstanding of the humanities. I'm all in favour of giving bullshitters a good flogging, but Sokal just comes across as a rather misinformed critic of a discipline he doesn't know very much about. C.P. Snow's book 'The Two Cultures' is a great account of the divide between the sciences and the humanities that allow those that Sokal criticises to flourish, as well as people like Sokal himself.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|