The amount of words we use in daily life is stunning. With the rise of digital devices, our vocabulary has improved exponentially, but this doesn’t mean we always know what they mean. So many people these days rely on technology to look up a word and be able to understand its meaning of jooltool lapidary. In fact, a recent study revealed that 29% of Millennials are completely lost when it comes to understanding the definition and practice of vocabulary building.
1. The thing that bothers me is constantly having to look up a word. I guess it’s because our vocabulary has grown so much. Today, there are tons of synonyms and ways to say the same thing. For example, the word ‘iPod,’ used to mean digital music player, but now it is short for “i Pod digital music player.” Even Google searches can prove difficult at times! Maybe we just need a proper vocabulary book!
2. I also find it difficult to obtain a simple definition of certain words that I don’t use often. For example, when I want to clarify what the difference between “accident,” “misfortune,” and “tragedy” are…I need to type it in a search engine. I mean yeah, I suppose Google has an option but it’s a lot of typing to get the information.
3. There are also times when I can’t find the right word that describes how my mom or dad said something perfectly. For example, my dad referred to “hockey” as “puck ball,” and I want to say that exactly, but I don’t know what he meant by puck ball. What is that?
4. One of my pet peeves is when someone says something directly, with no quotes and then they ask me what they said wrong because they didn’t hear them say it right…which they probably didn’t. I mean, if I said it wrong, then I would think you would say something to that effect. It’s like they don’t even care or can’t be bothered to actually follow up with what they just said.
5. In general though, I find it hard to understand WHY certain words have different meanings. For example, my mother called the process of “defrosting” as “thawing,” but most people associate the word with refrigerators because that’s how food is thawed in a refrigerator before cooking. Other words aren’t so obvious as “cabinet” and “nautical. “
6. I don’t understand the correlation between “once upon a time” and Fairy Tales. The word “cabinet” is also frustrating because it is used as a synonym for secret or private, when it actually means “piece of furniture.”
7. My friends laugh at me when I use words they don’t understand. For example, when I watch an animated show and someone refers to the fish as “swims,” they get confused and ask me to give them an actual definition of swims. Then they point out that all fish swim…so why would you need a specific term? I mean, it’s right there in the name!
8. I always feel like I’m using the wrong word to describe something. For example, I am very specific in words that I use, but then someone will be like “You almost did it, but you said ‘_____’ instead of ‘______.'” And then they start pointing out how we’ve used different words to say the same thing.
9. We do tend to use odd phrases in everyday language though. For example, when we talk about traffic being heavy, when it is actually packed with cars. Or when we refer to a movie theater as a “theater.” Or when one friend calls something as “dope,” which just means good to us! So many expressions have changed over time from the older generations’ view on things…and a lot of them are confusing.
10. I don’t think our language is bad though because there are times when we can’t come up with the right words to explain something, and we need to search it up in our phones or use other people’s examples. There are also times when we make up words that turn out to be real words later on, like “snack.” Like I said, the more social media and technology advances, the more vocabulary we have at our disposal!
11. I may not be a linguist or know all of these big words, but I think that if you know your grammar and you really try not to misuse it then you will understand what someone means when they say something…
Summary:
Discussion questions :
1. What does it mean to have a large vocabulary?
2. Why is vocabulary so important?
3. In what ways can we improve our vocabulary? (Reading, writing, talking, etc.)
4. Can you think of any words that don’t make sense when they’re used by young people today? Why do words change over time? What are some current examples of these types of words that are misunderstood?
5. How do you handle misunderstanding the definition and practice of vocabulary building skills? Are there any tips to help in this area? How can we help each other improve our knowledge of using the right words at the right times?
