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WebWord Weblog Posting Posting Date: March 13, 2003 100 words everyone's gotta know to be smart -- "You may be well-read.
Reader Comments...
Me agree. Ivy talk never got me no where. Posted by: on March 13, 2003 03:51 PM
How many epiphanies do you need to have to be determined smart? Posted by: JB on March 13, 2003 04:25 PM
"It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure."
Good quote, Daniel! What I don't understand is, what was their criteria? How does nanotechnology fit into that list? Whatever. Posted by: Lydia on March 13, 2003 08:59 PM
Dictonary editors are in the business of deciding which words are in and which words are out of dictionaries. This list is just a more intense version of what the editors do all the time. It's their job. Give 'em a break, Madman. And it was probably a slow news day at the Des Moines Register, so the reporter wrote up a little story based on the press release. And Lydia, I'd say the chief critera was probably putting together a list that would convince people to buy new dictionaries. Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz on March 14, 2003 12:59 AM
What words to use, and how to use them, always depend on your audience. Most of the words on the list would be a definite no-no if you were writing copy for a website such as Amazon, which needs to hit the widest possible audience. In fact, writing to that level is possibly more difficult than writing to the level that the editors of this dictionary are obviously concentrating on. And they can't even spell bowdlerize - it's -ise, not -ize. How many times do you have to be told? Before the insults start flying, I'm only joking.... Posted by: Alan Fisher on March 14, 2003 03:56 AM
With big words, you can get away with small ideas. Almost preferable to the norm in technology, which is made-up buzzwords with no meaning.
Good point about selling dictionaries, Dennis, and thanks for the link - it clearly states what the purpose of the list is. I found the Des Moines Register article to be confusing on that point. -----quote----- The quality of a person's vocabulary has a direct effect on his or her success in college and in the workplace. In response to parents' misgivings over the quality of their children's education, the editors of The American Heritage® College Dictionary have compiled a list of 100 words they recommend each high school graduate should know. "The words we suggest," says The American Heritage® College Dictionary senior editor Steven Kleinedler, "are not meant to be exhaustive but are a benchmark against which graduates and their parents can measure themselves. If you are able to use these words correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of the language." -----endquote-----
I'd settle for people using "it's", "its", "lose", and "loose" correctly. Forget "circumlocution". Using common words correctly is of more benefit than using rare words at all.
tautology - n., science of tightness
chicanery - n., the science of racing track design.
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