What is up with all these big words?

I think the bigger problem lies with those of you who assume that large words must really be a hollow attempt by a pretentious idiot to hide his insecurities. I used to cry "pretentious" too; the same cry I'd make when I met someone who studied philosophy. I could recognize the "philosophical person", who spoke through words of better thinkers and didn't seem to have an original thought of their own.

But I learned to differentiate between those who understood the words they were using and those who'd memorized phrases from a book (or words from a thesaurus). And I further realized that I was consoling myself with this word "pretentious", and I was using it to dismiss the possibility that someone knew more than I did.

Suddenly it became idiotic to me that I would reject these dialogues, because to do so was to reject growth and squander the cruel beauties of life - learning, being, expressing! I don't care if I'm not understood. The world is literal enough as it is. Language, like philosophy, is too intricate and beautiful a thing to waste on the literal.

It vexes me immensely when the vocabulary certain personages employ is both verbose and festidious. It seems the epitome of foolhardy vernacular expression.

People do use big words because they think if they show they are intelligent, people are more likely to believe their answer. But if you are wrong, you are wrong. Doesn't matter how intelligent you are.

Sometimes people use big words because there's a subtle distinction between the word they are using a smaller word. The subtlety may be lost on people who doesn't understand it but if we pandered to this and always used small words, subtlety would be lost on everyone. What kind of person says, "Let's find the stupidest person in the world and then all get down to his/her level?"

There's nothing wrong with striving to improve, and there's no merit in blaming people who have. As if it's some bad thing.

I use big words because I did a lot of advanced reading when I was a child and got a large vocabulary that way. I will
unintentionally throw in a few big words when trying to talk casually. It's become part of the way I naturally talk and type. People in real life either laugh and think it's cute or they become annoyed because they think I'm doing it to show off.

People always tell me that I need to stop using big words. I don't do it to seem more intelligent than others, it's simply what I'm used to. I try to speak like a "normal" person, but for the most part I tend to use words most people can't comprehend.

I alter my vocab to accommodate the audience. I believe in plain speaking and would hate to ever make someone feel stupid.

My sister is a high level executive and was in a meeting on one occasion. She texted me under the table saying, "Quick, What does discombobulating mean?" Made me laugh!

The irony of it is that it doesn't make them smart, it just means they know better vocabulary. Think about it. Would someone that's smart communicate with another, using a larger scale of vocabulary that ends with the person not understanding the person using larger vocabulary? Or, does a smart person communicate with the other person on a level of vocabulary that both can understand?
For example.
When you're a child, you get taught the very simple vocabulary. Would they get taught as well if they get taught what the word "Hello" is when the teacher uses a larger scale of vocabulary that the kids don't know yet?

Or say if you're in a class election for something in highschool. Are you going to be able to get more votes from your fellow students if you talk at a level of vocaulary that only you understand or will you get more votes if you communicate with them on their own level so that they understand completely?

Yes, they're smart in things such as vocabulary, but not so intelligent in understanding, presenting a point or convincing everyone else why their opinion is the correct one.

I stumbled upon a Methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamyl once...

(yes real word look it uuuup)

They do it to sound smart. It's a stupid tactic to use in debate. So it normally just has the opposite effect on them.

"You're wrong (subject a) didn't occur until ten years after the event"
"Well... blah blah long words restate what was said earlier."
"You're still wrong, you dumbshit your vocabulary didn't change history!"

the big man... HASS the big word

Ahhaha ermm when people use "big words" it gives me the opportunity to learn another word! X D

Some do it to sound smart and show off their expanded vocabulary, others just pick up words from books that they read and decide to use them. Simply knowing big words, however, does not make you smarter. It just means that you have a large vocabulary.

Some people are just an eloquent orator.

Learn English or die.

People tend to use big words just to feel smarter.

However, usually it just makes me think they're kinda stupid and I tend to treat them accordingly.

sp?

I like to pretend I am clever. I normally use long words that I've heard that day because they are stuck in my head.

Most of the time people use big vocucabulary to show off how intellignet they are when its not always the case. Some people use a wide range of it because they enjoy using big words (like me, when I learn a new odd word I'll overuse it for like a week because it sounds so cool) and others were just raised using big words anyway. Also you can have a shitty range at vocabulary but still be hella smart.

Why yesterday I was in English, talking about one of the characters in Othello, and I was saying how the woman in the play needs to make herself 'unsad' <yes a very silly thing to say, especially in english, but I was correct and everyone understood what I meant. Not to mention the fact that I always contribute accurate, intellectual thoughts in that class but saying 'unsad' clearly didn't show my range in vocabulary.