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Vocabulary words--Distraction or Opportunity?

Incanus

Auror
I see this complaint by readers from time to time: coming across an unfamiliar word in a story is a distraction because it forces you to either look it up, or forgo a complete understanding of the sentence, thus breaking the flow of reading.

As is often usual, I seem to take the minority view. I see every vocabulary word I come across as an opportunity to learn and grow. I’m happy to learn a new word and sometimes get a little excited about it even. I’ve been stopping and looking up words for years and years with the result that I encounter unfamiliar words less often as my vocabulary increases. I think this a good thing.

The way I see it, a writer who isn’t interested in words is rather like a mechanic who is not interested in engines, or a chemist who can’t be bothered with the periodic table of elements, etc., etc.

So, I’m just wondering why some folks interested in writing seem to dislike, or are intimidated by, vocabulary words.

Is there something I’m missing? Is my attitude really that odd?
 

Trick

Auror
I think people fear "dumb readers." The funny thing is, the very name "reader" implies a certain level of intelligence and I simply don't believe that most readers are all that dumb. Uncommon words can usually be sussed out through context anyway, if the reader happens to not know their meaning. If not, and your writing is poor, I suppose they may put the book down to look it up and then never finish the book. Doubtful though, IMO, if the writing is good enough. I rarely look up words I don't know the meaning of when I come across them in a book. I either get the gist well enough or keep reading, hoping that one word doesn't act as a lynch pin for the whole story. I haven't come across that situation yet so I keep doing it. I keep writing that way too. Though I try to use the best word, not the biggest word, that may mean I use uncommon words from time to time and I'm okay with that.
 
I think it was a high school teacher that told me once to only use words that are part of your vocabulary, don't dumb it down and don't go looking in the thesaurus to make yourself sound more smart, people will notice. Use the words that come to you naturally. I've never felt it was a distraction unless it is in one of those situations where it feels like the author picked up a thesaurus and found the most obscure synonym for a word they're looking for. Besides, every time I see a new word and I look it up, it helps expand my vocabulary. So I agree, I don't really see it as an issue.
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
To me, it's as simple as the right word for the situation. You don't want a character who is generally monosyllabic to suddenly drop a fifty-cent word. Also, IMHO, you don't want to make the prose so dense that every other word sends someone to the dictionary.

Personally, if it fits the story, and it's not so frequent as to be annoying, I don't mind having to look up a word during a story. In fact with e-readers it's just a matter of tapping on the word and letting the reader do the rest.

Topics like this always remind me of a famous exchange between Faulkner and Hemingway.

Faulkner: "[Hemingway] has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."
Hemingway: "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"

To me, it's a nice reminder that it's about the right words, not big words or simple ones.
 

T.Allen.Smith

Staff
Moderator
Thanks for this post. I've been thinking a lot about this very topic.

In one of my critique groups, I submitted an excerpt recently that has a boy working with a medieval-style training dummy. You know the kind. It's wood with a head to place a helm, arms that stick straight out from each side which can have a shield or blunt weapon attached, a single post in lieu of legs, and it spins. The force of a blow can make it spin to strike the attacker with the opposite arm.

That dummy is called a pell. However, I simply described the dummy and had one character make mention of it as a training dummy. One reviewer, who is fairly well read in fantasy and SciFi, thought I was intentionally avoiding the use of the word pell. He was correct. My fear is that 90% of readers will not know what a pell is and that may affect their understanding, or at least make the scene less clear for them. Clarity is always my primary concern. I still havent decided what I will do with that information.

Another issue can arise when you use words that are both homonyms and homographs. For example, I recently made a thread in this forum concerning the word bit, which has a ton of potential meanings. In the context, I meant the sharpened edge of an axe. However, in the way the scene was written, it could've been understood as a small section. The reader, understanding it as a small section could've easily gone on unaffected by the difference because it didn't drastically change the meaning. However, it wasn't as I intended.

When I posed the issue here, I discovered that virtually all scribes were not aware of the word bit being a sharpened edge, and that's in a forum of fantasy readers and writers. In the end, I decided to use other ways of mentioning the axe's edge. I don't want my readers to need an understanding of technical axe terminology to understand my meaning.

That being said, I agree with the notion that we, as writers, should write to the top 10% of our intended audience. In other words, don't dumb it down when it feels right, or when the words you've chosen are precise and create an intentional effect. Further, I also agree with the earlier post that advised against using words found in a thesaurus meant to showcase your authorial intelligence. That will always ring false because it stands out like a sore thumb against the rest of your prose.
 

Incanus

Auror
Interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, TAS. Yeah, that’s another interest of mine: the lesser-known definitions of more common words, such as ‘bit’. It certainly raises some difficulties. I’d almost like to see you figure out how to include that bit after all—because I like to learn things when I read, in addition to being entertained.

For myself, I’ve been using slightly different levels of vocab for my different stories. I strongly believe that at least some of the style of a particular work is informed by the content and the POV. I like to have all three of these things working together, on the same page so to speak.

I use a thesaurus for pretty much just one thing: when I’ve just used a fairly uncommon word, but end up writing it again only a sentence or three later. If an alternate doesn’t come to mind immediately, I’ll pop open the thesaurus. Many of the fancy words I used in my novella came naturally, and probably wouldn’t be listed in a thesaurus anyway.

The ‘thesaurus’ complaint has never made much sense to me anyway. How the hell would anyone know whether or not a thesaurus was used by a writer in a particular case? That’s a HUGE assumption and totally unprovable. I’m sure some readers of my novella will accuse me of this. But they’d be wrong.

On the other hand, my novel will be more on the lean side. Lot’s of fancy words won’t fit the content or POV very well at all.
 

T.Allen.Smith

Staff
Moderator
I use a thesaurus for pretty much just one thing: when I've just used a fairly uncommon word, but end up writing it again only a sentence or three later. If an alternate doesn't come to mind immediately, I'll pop open the thesaurus.
Same here, but I use a book called The Wordfinder.

Many of the fancy words I used in my novella came naturally, and probably wouldn't be listed in a thesaurus anyway. The 'thesaurus' complaint has never made much sense to me anyway. How the hell would anyone know whether or not a thesaurus was used by a writer in a particular case? That's a HUGE assumption and totally unprovable.
In my experience, this reaction comes about when the rest of the prose is rather mundane or simple (I don't mean simple as a bad thing) and every so often the reader gets slapped with a million dollar word.
 

Russ

Istar
I think it is a matter of a few things, period words, balance, weight and impression.

I like learning new period words so bring them on. I know what a pell is but if I didn't go for it.

It depends how important the word is. If it is the edge of an axe blade, unless it is real special I really don't want to have to look that out. I want to just move on. As a reader I don't want to bother as a reader to have to look up something insignificant, that just slows me down from getting to the stuff I want to read about. Like does that axe take off George's head or not.

In dialogue the whole equation changes. If the character is the kind of person who uses that language, I think it is all fair game. I know people who use big words to try and impress and there is no reason characters should not do so from time to time.

But if I think the writer is using unique words to impress me or prove themselves erudite, woe betide them. That book is getting thrown across the room. Which to me means if you are going to use unique vocabulary in your exposition, due it rarely.

As an aside, two continuous NYT bestseller friends of mine suggest grade 6-8 vocab is the norm with Grade 10 about as far as you can go. As a genre snob I think fantasists are safe in going a little farther.
 

Incanus

Auror
I find this interesting, and at least a little incompatible:

In my experience, this reaction comes about when the rest of the prose is rather mundane or simple (I don't mean simple as a bad thing) and every so often the reader gets slapped with a million dollar word.

if you are going to use unique vocabulary in your exposition, due it rarely.

I'm leaning towards the first sentiment. If you don't establish a more advanced vocab from the get-go, then the sudden appearance of a fifty-center would probably be jarring.

My novella features an over-the-top bombastic, pompous first-person narrator, from beginning to end. I think it's fully justified here and those who have read it seem to take it on board OK. My other stories are far tamer.
 

T.Allen.Smith

Staff
Moderator
My novella features an over-the-top bombastic, pompous first-person narrator, from beginning to end. I think it's fully justified here and those who have read it seem to take it on board OK. My other stories are far tamer.
I agree. A pompous or haughty POV would certainly justify that choice.

Consider Joe Abercrombie's minor POV character Vermeer. He's as conceited and pompous as they come. He considers himself everyones superior...a flaw that leads to bad happenings for poor Vermeer.

That character speaks differently than the others. He uses words meant to impress & it works well.
 

Svrtnsse

Staff
Article Team
I'd like to think of myself as a proponent of simple language. ;)

To me, escapism is a big deal, and once I'm in the zone, anything that brings me back to the real world is a nuisance. This includes words I'm not familiar with. My vocabulary is far from excellent, and while it sure could do with improving, I'm not in the habit of looking up unfamiliar words that I encounter while reading.
If the meaning of the word can be gleaned from context, that's good enough for me. If it can't, and if it seems to be important, I'll get annoyed, but probably not annoyed enough to stop reading.

One way I like to see it is that the text is a barrier between the reader and the story. Ideally I'd like to just float over it and get to the good bits on the other side, and that's the reading experience I would wish my readers to have.
I try as much as possible to use only words I'm intimately familiar with and that I'm comfortable I am able to use correctly. That way, I think, I'm able to string them together as smoothly as possible. That way I can achieve a rhythm and a flow that makes for easy reading.

All that said, I'm not consciously trying to dumb down my language. I use a language I'm comfortable with and that I believe I can handle.
I think it's also dependent on writing style. Personally, I'm not too concerned with pinpoint accuracy, which means my need for an expansive vocabulary isn't as great. My focus is on impressions and images and I tend to use very generic building blocks to create those.


---
This may be tangential at best, but I'd like to bring it up anyway. I've been working in customer support for well over ten years. Almost daily I'm chatting (writing, not voice), with people whose native language isn't English. It's not uncommon that I'm in touch with people who are using online translation tools to translate their native language into English (http://google.translate.com).
This has likely had a very big impact on my opinions on language, writing, vocabulary, and clarity.
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
Here's a thought. If there's a word like say bit as TAS had used it, perhaps when possible one could/should try to introduce it earlier in a slower part of the story and in a context where it's a little more obvious what it means. At the very least it doesn't interrupt a fast pace scene. Instead if it's in a more contemplative scene, maybe the reader won't mind pausing to look it up as much.

So instead of bit being first seen in a combat situation, where there's little time for explanation, one could have a character absently running their finger over the bit of their axe the night before battle while they're sharing drinks with their comrades.

Just a thought.
 

Incanus

Auror
@Svrtnsse--I can't say I'm an advocate one way or the other, at least not all the time. I'm an advocate of matching the vocabulary to the content and the target audience. I'd never recommend a horde of fancy words for a piece intended for YA. Also, I'm an advocate of learning and knowing words, whether or not you use them. For example, I'm also a musician who works on original material, but I've always found it difficult to find a use for an 'augmented' chord (a major chord with a sharpened fifth). I use all kinds of other tension chords, but that one seems to have a very limited use. Still, I know how to make one in any key.

@Penpilot--something like your idea occured to me as well. I suppose its a matter of how far you're willing to go to set something like that up. In this case, it shouldn't be too much of a pain--still it'd be easier just to blow it all off. Of course, blow off too many of these kinds of things and the story could get a little over-simplistic.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
To me, vocabulary is just a part of your writing voice. If the word comes naturally to you, then use it, and people will either like it or not.

You can learn to change your voice, but you can't force it. If there's one word you think you've used that might be too high a reading level, there's probably six more that you're not aware of. And you can't spend that kind of time bickering with yourself over every word - that's what an editor is for.

And in general, I feel, very strongly, that people talk too much about what not to do. Even on this topic, forget vocabulary, and focus on I want this to be clear. If you focus on the affirmative side, you'll get a lot further, and you'll pick up the what not to dos more intuitively.
 

Guy

Inkling
I see this complaint by readers from time to time: coming across an unfamiliar word in a story is a distraction because it forces you to either look it up,
Anyone so averse to learning a new word has absolutely no business picking up a book.
 

Incanus

Auror
You raise good points Devor.

I just wanted to state that I consider vocabulary to be only one of many ingredients that make up what I think of as 'style' or 'voice'. Pacing, sentence structure, sentence variability, paragraph arrangement, syntax, phrasing, punctuation choice--there's lots to it other than word choice, but word choice is important.

Also, I was thinking about what Trick had to say early on, and I believe, in the case of my novella (sorry I keep bringing it up, but I've been working on it and it's relevant), most any reader should be able to follow the story without knowing any of the fancy words. It's sort of icing on the cake.

I think it actually has a lot in common with Star Trek's 'techno-babble'. You don't need to follow the speculative science to understand what's going on. They'll often have someone conclude with an easy-to-understand analogy:

Techno-babble, techno-babble, techno-babble; then someone says something like, "so in other words, we're like a fly caught in amber."

OK. Just wanted to clarify a little. Writing's a complex topic, it's hard to cover every point in a single post.
 

T.Allen.Smith

Staff
Moderator
Anyone so averse to learning a new word has absolutely no business picking up a book.
Some readers simply want entertainment. They may not want to work out meaning in context or thumb through a dictionary to continue.

That's one of the reasons I think YA has become so popular among adults. It's easy reading.

Writing that makes reading easy is hard work.
 

goldhawk

Troubadour
I believe it was Robert A. Heinlein who said: When writing for adults, use everyday language because they are too busy to look up words. But when writing for teenagers, use big words because they cannot help but look them up. (And he should know.)
 

Guy

Inkling
Some readers simply want entertainment. They may not want to work out meaning in context or thumb through a dictionary to continue.

That's one of the reasons I think YA has become so popular among adults. It's easy reading.
Makes me think of that commercial in Amazon Women in the Moon "First Lady of the Evening" Available in bus terminals everywhere, in large, easy-to-read print, with no big words."
 

Cambra

Minstrel
I believe it was Robert A. Heinlein who said: When writing for adults, use everyday language because they are too busy to look up words. But when writing for teenagers, use big words because they cannot help but look them up. (And he should know.)

Yes, but that's no longer the case is it? Now I do most of my reading on my Kindle and if someone drops an exotic word on me all I have to do is place my finger upon it and I will be offered the definition or even an entry from Wikipedia... It will be interesting to see if this actually has an effect on the way some contemporary writers will write.
 
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