• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Does having a big vocabulary make u seem more smart/better?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Originally posted by: Chronoshock
Depends...if someone speaks that way for the hell of it, then they're being pretentious @ssholes. If they use those words because they are simply the best words to use in that situation (ie a lesser word would not describe what they want precisely or correctly) then that is an example of true intelligence.
Click to expand...

exactly.

and a lot of the "word of the day" people tend to use the big words out of context 😉
 
I used "propensity" the other day... made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

We call these words "2 dollar words", its an ongoing thing between me and my friends to see who can use big words properly in a sentance without setting it up. its fun!
 
My manager has a very limited vocabulary. What's worse is that she can't spell basic words like "label," "spider," and "hello."

 
Originally posted by: Azraele
My manager has a very limited vocabulary. What's worse is that she can't spell basic words like "label," "spider," and "hello."
Click to expand...


can she spell

watermelon or barbecue?
 
I think using the phrase "more smart/better" generally makes one seem less smart/better.

😉

EDIT: doh -- Balt beat me to it! :thumbsup:
 
truly intelligent people work to communicate effectively with whom they are speaking to. talking down to people is not effective, nor is talking slang in a professional situation.


I agree with ucdnam COMPLETELY.
 
i wonder what happens in the head of those talented rappers who can spit out a whole heart-shaking lines after just a couple seconds/minutes thinking. do they think about it all the time?
 
My thoughts on the levels of IQ when related to vocabulary (1=lowest IQ):
1) Cannot understand basic language.
2) Can speak simple words, but does not have a big vocabulary (Joey on Friends).
3) Uses tons of obscure words that no one understands and doesn't realize that people hate them for doing so (think of the Dr. Cranes on Frazier).
4) Has a big vocabulary but chooses not to use them since he/she knows it makes you look like an ass. These people speak like the people in #2.
 
Extended vocabulary follows a law of diminishing returns. To a point, it makes you seem more intelligent, but after crossing the threshold you look to be a charlatan.
 
stupid SATs. the verbal section was just a giant vocab test. How does that have anything to do with how well you can do college? I hated it. Still did 1500 though!

Next up is the GREs
 
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
A big vocabulary comes in useful, it's not just there to make someone seem smarter or better than someone else. The ability to effectively communicate is getting lost in the age of ebonics.
Click to expand...

word.
 
No. I usually think less of people who use fancy words in most settings. There are exceptions, of course. I find that there is rarely the need to use an obscure word. Which means one of the following is true:

1) The person isn't all that intelligent because truly intelligent people can judge whether the intended audience will understand them.

2) The person is arrogant or self-impressed, and possibly trying to talk down to someone.
 
We must abrogate this epiphany turned discussion that will never be ameliorated due to lack of neurotransmitters firing properly adjacent to the cerebrum.
 
Rule #1:

Never use a word unless you are sure it is the right one. Big or small.

Rule #2:

Use the smallest word possible that precisely expresses your idea.

Rule #3:

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with a higher order law. Heheheh.

When I was a kid I started reading earlier and more than the majority of my peers. My vocabulary expanded much faster than theirs. I started using big words in order to impress peers and adults. Now, this annoying vocabulary is my naturall pattern of speech, and I wish it wasn't. I had a GF who was a poet, and she introduced me to how precise and beautiful simple language can be. Since then I've made an effort to use smaller words, as long as I don't sacrifice meaning. It's a lot harder to do than to spout off multisyllabically. When I'm drunk, I can usually be found alienating most of my friends by spewing unneccessarily long words in order to further my self-satisfying rants about politics, economics and the state of my local's taps. I sound like an asshole. I am much happier with my speech and writing when I can express ideas with simple speech.
 
I read a quote in a Dale Carnegie book attributed to Aristotle: "Think as the wise men do, but speak as the common men do." The most intelligent people I've come across didn't feel the need to trump other people with their vocabulary. Communicating efficiently was far more important than using a big vocabulary.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top