In Defense of Vocabulary
I meet people every week who seem intent on keeping their vocabulary as small and simple as possible. As a public speaking guide, I understand the need for the right word at the right time. Sometimes, the simplest of words can have the greatest impact.
"I'm sorry for your loss," holds far more empathy in its pure simplicity compared to "I'm sympathetic to the passing of your loved one." Succinctness during times of pain is often the most compassionate thing we can offer.
Yet, we're holding ourselves back if we keep to using only the most simple of words and grammatical tools.
Over my numerous years of studying English and other languages and of teaching people to be better public speakers, I'm concerned that to many people are limiting themselves to echoing words rather than using the tools of vocabulary.
"Echoing" is an apt verb for discussing the problem. Just listening to the radio or watching a YouTube video and consider how often the phrases like "really, really" and "very, very" are used. English is a rich, nuanced language, yet we have an incessant habit of using repetition to get our point across.
Enter vocabulary & grammar as tools to greatly enhance your speaking skills (notice how I didn't write "really, really improve" your speaking skills?).
The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
Mark Twain
As public speakers, we have seemingly innumerable choices of words to present to our audience. Which word will work best in this sentence, in this paragraph, for this circumstance? We will we get our point across? Will we "talk over" the level of our audience? Should we "dumb it down?"
With so many options of words in the English language; with so many cultural idioms, and with having to deal with the seemingly inscrutable grammar that English foists upon on us, it's often just easier to use the smallest set of words, each word with a minimum number of syllables and then simply repeat those words in order to add emphasis.
It's the difference between
"It rained really, really hard last night."
and
"The rain was torrential last night."
Which has more power? More impact? Which conveys a better sense of how the weather was the previous night?
The difference is in vocabulary. The word "torrential" is more concise and more descriptive. A word like torrential lays on a spectrum of words that are useful not only in describing the weather, but a myriad of other situations. On the heavy end of the scale: torrential, relentless, severe. More moderate: heavy, continual, shower. Lighter: sprinkle, misty, drizzle, patter.
"But," you're thinking, "what if my audience indeed only relates to so-called 'small words'?"
You're not giving your audience enough credit, then. You're contributing to this small word - small thinking problem by assuming your audience won't understand what you're saying. Give them more credit. Give yourself more credit for being an intelligent, creative, human. Expressing yourself does not mean limiting yourself or not challenging your listeners/readers.
Yes, it's absolutely true that a conference of scientists will have access to a different vocabulary than that of real estate agents. Each domain of listeners will require you to be considerate, to adapt and be flexible. But there's s difference to customizing your speech to the needs and awareness of the audience, rather than simply "dumbing down" to the lowest common denominator. In dumbing down, you're assuming the nature of those people who occupy the seats before you; who are waiting for you to impart knowledge, entertainment and wisdom, rather than just chatting with them like children (who, in turn, also deserve more credit than they are often given for being thinking, reasoning, beings)
Regardless if you're a seasoned public speaker on stage, or someone who is taking time to watch the latest TEDx talk on YouTube, I encourage you to speak and listen, both, with greater acceptance for words that might normally be considered "big." Consider new vocabulary words as an opportunity for growth. Find ways to use them in your daily life. Read more literature. Keep a dictionary nearby. Google synonyms and antonyms for those word choices you find you're using too often. Challenge yourself to re-write your speech, your book report, your technical analysis differently -- differently, with new words that enhance the reading or listening experience for your target audience. New phrases, creative idioms, interesting turns of phrase. Contribute to a better, more nuanced, wider ranging, vocabulary.
For all my defense of the use of more complicated, nuanced and powerful vocabulary, there is one quote I think best sums up how we should use the English language on stage, in writing, and in daily life:
It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience.
Albert Einstein
However, music composer Roger sessions re-phrased this comment from Einstein, in a quote that is more often attributed to the grand master of science than the neo-classical composer:
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.
Roger Sessions
(I think he said it better — and more simple — than Einstein.)
Like a hammer or a surgical blade, vocabulary is a tool. Make use of the right tools for the right situation and grow not only your own skills, but also enhance in enlighten the world of those around you. Go out and speak your truth!