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XI. Misc
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'vocabulary building' reading experiences
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![Ryder Islington (ryderislington) | 31 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1375318110p1/4778532.jpg)
I did really enjoy Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, which had rich historial English, but I don't recall stopping on a word because I didn't know what it meant. Maybe there aren't that many books that challenge readers. At least from contemporary authors. But if you know of some, I'm game. Let's hear some recommendations.
![R. (rholland) | 102 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1448687654p1/19458717.jpg)
Books that I write, may have one or two challenging words in them, but I started writing with the average working mother with no time to read in mind. The ones that say they don't read because it's boring. So, I think not everyone reads or writes for the same reasons. I think it's great that you have always enjoyed enhancing your vocabulary. No offense and very good point.
![Feliks (dzerzhinsky)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1445015906p1/5085729.jpg)
Thanks. Its perhaps hard to speak of vocabulary without inadvertently sounding 'exclusive'. But like I stated, I crave the books which throw words at me I've never seen before; its a kind of thrill; and a good reminder to me that I should not get too comfortable and lazy with my lexicon. One can always improve. I agree with you when you point out, that its sometimes a luxury depending on life-circumstances. I can indulge myself as a vocab-geek; but its not for everyone.
I do wonder lately though: how often new authors (the authors we all read) rely on less-familiar terms from older english. Are we all being encouraged to write only in a fashion colloquial to today; a faster-paced era when many people read for leisure rather than for improvement?
![Feliks (dzerzhinsky)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1445015906p1/5085729.jpg)
Well like I said I (often) routinely feel that I myself have a long way to go. For example, I have a buddy who not only matches me in written English but also speaks high-level Japanese. I can't even imagine that kind of acumen.
Recommendations: try some Evelyn Waugh. He's erudite (Oxford tradition and all that) and he's also one of Britain's best humorists. His works are invariably short--300 pages or so--but often rollicking, slapping-your-leg funny. I just finished 'Black Mischief' which was an absolute scream. But I also noticed his proficiency with words; and so it was a double treat.
Nonfiction: perhapsThe Long Week-end: A Social History of Great Britain, 1918-39by Robert Graves.
![Feliks (dzerzhinsky)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1445015906p1/5085729.jpg)
desultory
interim
interval
affable
poignant
miffed
piqued
rash
churlish
truculent
umbrage
arduous
implacable
placate
tenuous
imperturbable
intervene
adroit
discern
replete
prosaic
pragmatic
reification
acquiesce
subsequently
diffident
Some toadie in school used to drive me batty with his (what I thought pompous) use of the word,'stochastic'.I still can't keep a grip on what it means, no matter how many times I re-learn it. But the above-list would seem to me, pretty common to any regular reader of English lit.
![Angela (loveisamystery) | 5 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1442895528p1/11341850.jpg)
I love words and have many books I enjoy for increasing my vocabulary. But as an author, I am discouraged form using "erudite" words. I am told to "dumb things down" and "use ten cent words". Maybe that's what is wrong with some of the writing today? Many say it's because it takes readers out of the story if they come across a word they don't know. Or because it makes writers seem haughty if they use such words. I, for one, love coming across a word I don't know. I'll mark it to look up later. I love to be a lifelong learner.
It's great to hear from others, especially readers outside the professionalism of writing, to see how they really feel. Thanks for the post! I look forward to seeing the answers.
![Shaun Horton | 248 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1526156258p1/16584876.jpg)
desultory
interim
interval
affable
poignant
miffed
piqued
rash
churlish
truculent
... "
I must confess to being one of the ones who had to look up 'concomitant'. I do enjoy learning new words, though in pieces of fiction I prefer not having to pause for that reason too often.
Growing up, my grandparents commonly had issues of Reader's Digest in the bathroom, and I always liked the section "Expand your word power" where they had a list of words that you guessed the meaning to in a multiple choice set-up. You could then turn the page to see the answers.
I'm actually rather proud to say that of the words you listed, about half I know, a quarter I'm familiar with even though I don't know the exact definition, and the last quarter are words I don't know. There's always more to learn.
Unfortunately, I believe there is a lot of "dumbing down" going on, in order to not ostracize the lowest common denomination. This is leading to a lot of books which use a simpler vocabulary, which leads to readers having smaller vocabularies. (While deserving of a mention, I'm not even going to get into the horrors of text and net-speak.) I wrote a story in high school for a friend of mine and it eventually made it's way around the classroom. I then had one guy come up to me confused and inquire as to what a globe was...
![Feliks (dzerzhinsky)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1445015906p1/5085729.jpg)
I'm not sure I can explain the thrill of finding a word I'm unfamiliar with, in a book. Its rather a secret language; a 'hidden communication' going on under the surface between the author and the reader. When you find you can 'follow along' with an author-- no matter what curve balls he tosses at you--its a special pleasure. Knowing that you are getting his exact meaning 'on the first try'; that you are hanging with him no matter how tight the hairpin pirouettes he turns...
![R. (rholland) | 102 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1448687654p1/19458717.jpg)
![Feliks (dzerzhinsky)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1445015906p1/5085729.jpg)
![Feliks (dzerzhinsky)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1445015906p1/5085729.jpg)
![G.G. (ggatcheson) | 491 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1539227078p1/5161183.jpg)
Ok, seriously, many of the words mentioned in the list you provided derive from French rather than German, which is, as we all know, the base of the English language. Since every tip given to new writers tends to push towards the use of the German root for a clearer more concise text, it is not surprising that you don't see these too often. Do not take umbrage (Hey I found another place to use one of these words!) if I add that your list is composed of many adjectives and adverbs, which are also supposed to be avoided at all cost.
![Sharon (fiona64)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1672871537p1/1757121.jpg)
I, too, have been criticized for vocabulary that was beyond the reach of a reader (my favorite example was "this book has too many horse terms, which the author only uses to make her self look smart" -- in a book about an equestrienne). I think that if the word is the best fit for a situation, then it's the one to use. I will use "analogy" instead of "example" when speaking of something that is, well, analogous... as opposed to representative.
Like you, I've always been delighted to discover a word with which I was unfamiliar and going to look it up. Maybe reference library-type skills, such as how to use a dictionary and thesaurus, are no longer in vogue... and that is a pity. I don't say this to sound snotty; I have friends who are teachers, and several of them have told me they've had to tell their students that no, in fact, text-speak is not the appropriate language in which to write a term paper, and that Wikipedia is not a primary source.
![Feliks (dzerzhinsky)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1445015906p1/5085729.jpg)
Eh. Its just for convenience that I lumped them all together under the term, "English". Thats how we know them and encounter them, after all. Plus, I already 'set aside' all questions of etymology and translations in the footnote to my OP!
Good job with your paragraph though..
--but whats this about?
"if I add that your list is composed of many adjectives and adverbs, which are also supposed to be avoided at all cost"
Why would anyone avoid these or any other words? Especially ones as beautiful as these?
![G.G. (ggatcheson) | 491 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1539227078p1/5161183.jpg)
Oh, I am not arguing with you about that. I think that these so-called tips are generalized because too many useless adverbs or adjectives are employed instead of the constructive ones.
![Shomeret | 138 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1287428998p1/1842352.jpg)
![Arabella Thorne (arabella_thornejunocom) | 354 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1412652035p1/3170492.jpg)
I wrote them down: there were like eighteen words I did not know. Several I had to look up in the OED....because they were NOT in the Websters on my desk. (This while working at the newspaper) Luckily I had access to the OED but all I could think of is all the people who didn't....and this was before the Internet.
.
My point is you can go a leeeetle too far with arcane obtuse language! It becomes a stumbling block and halts the smooth flow of your story. One of the words I remember was "levin" an archaic form of lightning....and by the context I was even confused because hey, we're dealing with a made up world!
![Feliks (dzerzhinsky)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1445015906p1/5085729.jpg)
![Arabella Thorne (arabella_thornejunocom) | 354 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1412652035p1/3170492.jpg)
![Jenelle](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1442438882p1/4241738.jpg)
desultory
interim
interval
affable
poignant
miffed
piqued
rash
churlish
truculent
... "
The only word on this list I wasn't familiar with was "reification" - but I like it, very useful.
![D.J. Edwardson | 63 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1360985328p1/560780.jpg)
![The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328863643s/13624.jpg)
I loved the book, but it was written in Jacobian English and many of the words frankly were not even in my dictionary. I actually got a kick out of that though. Brilliant writing.
![Jenelle](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1442438882p1/4241738.jpg)
![Ginger Myrick (gingermyrick)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1338678356p1/7380177.jpg)
"... Also she used a Thesaurus too much - either that or she chose words that made the reading a bit slower in that the reader needed to stop and analyze why she would choose an unusual word when a plain one would do. The plot, however, kept me reading to the very end. A charming story, if you take the time to read it."
While contemplating my word choice, I did not take into consideration that "... a plain one would do..." because I don't want my books to be plain. Suffice it to say that I don't plan to change my writing style anytime soon.
![Jenelle](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1442438882p1/4241738.jpg)
"... Also she used a Thesaurus too much - either that or she chose words that made the reading a bit slower in that the reade..."
Sometimes plain words are best. But in most cases, I heartily concur with you - I want my books to stretch my readers' vocabularies (particularly as I write for young adults and was a former English teacher... I just can't move away from the idea that young readers ought to have their minds expanded a bit, even when reading for pleasure):)
![Ginger Myrick (gingermyrick)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1338678356p1/7380177.jpg)
![Ginger Myrick (gingermyrick)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1338678356p1/7380177.jpg)
![Feliks (dzerzhinsky)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1445015906p1/5085729.jpg)
![Ginger Myrick (gingermyrick)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1338678356p1/7380177.jpg)
You misunderstand my twisted sense of humor, Feliks. I have come to understand that my target readers (audience) completely get it, and I am good with my niche. It is ALL about finding that audience. Now if I can just round up a bunch of misanthropes with a decent vocabulary who are also interested in sweeping historical love stories with no sex... oh, and win the lottery... I'll be set!
![Jenelle](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1442438882p1/4241738.jpg)
That is awesome:)
![Ginger Myrick (gingermyrick)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1338678356p1/7380177.jpg)
Feliks wrote: "No need for backlash."
And Feliks, just for the record, you are not the only one to ever misinterpret my playfulness for backlash. I find it a much more enjoyable way to go about voicing my opinion than my husband's profanity-laced rants. (Although concise and expressive, they can sometimes be construed as lacking imagination.) Ironically, most of my family sees me as the Mary Poppins of the bunch! Go figure.
None of you should take ANYTHING I say seriously! I will now go back to my cave. Lovely meeting you all! Have a terrific day!:D
![Vanessa Eden Patton (vanessaeden) | 509 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1468573253p1/22078243.jpg)
![Arabella Thorne (arabella_thornejunocom) | 354 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1412652035p1/3170492.jpg)
My mother was a journalist, my oldest brother had a degree in English and I worked at the LA Times for almost nineteen years...all theses things added to an expanded vocabulary
![D.L. Hodges](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_25x33-ccd24e68f4773d33a41ce08c3a34892e.png)
When I talk to people about my writing I do not apologize for using an elevated vocabulary. I tell them there are correct words then there are the right words. When I find the right word it's like a sweet taste in my mouth. I will, literally (and not in the figurative way), get a shiver.
@Feliks seven of the words on your list were in my novel, Fissures. And each one tasted sweet.
Books mentioned in this topic
The Worm Ouroboros (other topics)V. (other topics)
The Name of the Rose (other topics)
The Long Week-End: A Social History of Great Britain, 1918-39 (other topics)
The Anatomy of Melancholy (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Michel de Montaigne (other topics)Thomas Browne (other topics)
The thread started me thinking. I love cracking open a new novel and finding an author wielding a vocabulary which gives me pause; gives me some new terms-to-assimilate. It doesn't happen often anymore; (I was the proverbial 'kid who swallowed a thesaurus'). But I love it when it does. In fact its a pleasure I crave.
This year, I was lucky enough to stumble over three books which had this kind of vocabulary-boosting dimension.
Andersonville(great repository for antebellum words & phrases)
Black Mischief(Evelyn Waugh has a phenomenal command of the King's English)
Little DorritCharles Dickens.
But even though this is a welcome return to my old, incorrigible habit of vocab-hunting; I can say the last few years I have not found many books of this ilk. I don't know what I've been reading but it hasn't been by any authors of similar caliber to the above.
Thinking back--and this is what I want you to do in this thread if you respond--I would say that the primary books which formed my adult vocabulary are these, which I read in my late teens:
In Search of Lost TimeMarcel Proust displays an amazing dexterity with words.
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Edward Gibbon, colossal vocabulary; and never afraid to use it
Others which I think, had an indirect effect were writers from more archaic periods in western tongue*:Montaigne,Sir Thomas Browne.That is to say that you encounter (in their texts) 'older english' words like:physicke; grippe; catarrh; dropsy--which are interesting but you're never going to get a chance to use them in today's speech. A book like that which I'm reading now is Burton'sThe Anatomy of Melancholy.
Again: what were the books you feel presided over your adult writing/speaking skills? What recent books have you come across that possess this same quality(e.g., books that make you halt reading, dog-ear the page; sticky-note it because you discovered a word utterly new to you)?
*set aside all questions of translation & translators; in my remarks above