People that use language above the level of the receiver.

HomeLAN said:
I refuse to act stupid for the benefit of others. I find supidity and ignorance irritating, and generally don't deal with it well. Regularly limiting your own intelligence to accomodate someone else's ignorance quickly becomes a habit, and it's one you do NOT want. I'd much rather prod my fellow human to increase his or her knowledge base. That way, we both gain.

If the other person can't handle that and stops associating with me, I really haven't lost much.
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For the benefit of Mr. Kite (Prof), there will be a show tonight...

Acting as if you're stupid??...harldy the case when all we're really discussing is the vocabulary being used and not the logic being bandied abouts.

It's all well and good that I understand the term "lexicon" and its use, but what use is it utilizing a word that causes more confusion than illumination?

I can still discuss stem-cell research and it's potential for the good of mankind while making myself understood providing that I don't use my "Socio-speak" vocabulary or delve into Latin Biological terminology. I gained a chunk of it in University, but I can't assume that everyone around me will understand. If I'm amongst my peers...that's fine. If I'm chatting with someone at the water cooler and they don't happen to have a degree in Sociology, they won't get it, and more than I would get it if you started talking about programming language or AS400s.

I'm hardly stupid, but I can't possibly know everything, nor could I possibly know every word in the dictionary. I'd assume that if you and I were talking and you insisted on using geek-speak at every turn that we wouldn't be talking for a long time...and it wouldn't be because I was stupid. I'm not a techy... I'm not likely to become one overnight either regardless of your desires to improve my vocab to both of our benifits or not.
That's not to say that I wouldn't enjoy talking about LANs, or WANs or VoIP etc...but I'd need time to accustom myself with the terminology.

If you're not willing to give me this time...is it my ignorance that's getting in the way or your impatience with what you define as ignorance?
 
That's not to say that I wouldn't enjoy talking about LANs, or WANs or VoIP etc...but I'd need time to accustom myself with the terminology.
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As long as that willingness is there, we don';t have an issue, do we? Read my last line again.
 
MrBishop said:
For the benefit of Mr. Kite (Prof), there will be a show tonight...?
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I'm not quite sure what your point is, or what Mr. Kite is all about. Frankly, I'm not particularly interested in knowing either. Your tone is insulting and offensive. You of all people should know that I'm capable of geek talking any number of subjects, from astrophysics to animal husbandry. Most of the time I'm speaking to someone, I am dumbing it down. If you're still getting lost, ....:confused:

If you'd like to have a real example of me geeking you, call me. I'd be happy to oblige.
 
Professur said:
I'm not quite sure what your point is, or what Mr. Kite is all about. Frankly, I'm not particularly interested in knowing either. Your tone is insulting and offensive. You of all people should know that I'm capable of geek talking any number of subjects, from astrophysics to animal husbandry. Most of the time I'm speaking to someone, I am dumbing it down. If you're still getting lost, ....:confused:

If you'd like to have a real example of me geeking you, call me. I'd be happy to oblige.
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OK..point by point. Mr.Kite...it's the first line of a Beatles' tune. (which I figured that you'd get pretty much right away) and is a song taken directly from a Circus show poster...it's aimed at 'spectators'...which you stated that you were. :lurk:

It was a comment about you watching the battle...absolutely nothing said, nor implied by it re: your vocab or intelligence, nor was I involving you in the argument in any way, shape or form.... but thanks for playing!

ps. who pissed in your Cornflakes this fine morn?

Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!

by Unknown
For the benefit of Mr. Kite
There will be a show tonight
On trampoline.

The Hendersons will all be there.
Later Pablo Fanques Fair;
What a scene.

Over men and horses, hoops and garders,
Lastly, through a hog's head of real fire;
In this way Mr. K will challenge the world.

The celebrated Mr. K
Performs his feat on Saturday
At Bishop's Gate.

The Hendersons will dance and sing
As Mr. Kite flies through the ring.
Don't be late!

Misters K and H assure the public
Their production will be second to none
And, of course, Henry the horse dances the waltz.

The band begins at ten to six
When Mr. K performs his tricks
Without a sound

And Mr. H will demonstrate;
Ten summersets he'll undertake
On solid ground.

They've been some days in preparation.
A splendid time is guaranteed for all
And tonight Mr. Kite is topping the bill.
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I use the words I have in my vocabulary, and if I come across words I don't understand, I look them up and make them part of my vocabulary. I don't think I use all that many difficult words though, especially when I write in english.
 
Bish, that song's not written by "Unknown." If the translator had just bought the CD, he'd not only know that it was written my John Lennon, he'd also know that it was recorded in studio two at Abbey Road on February 17, 1967, and the final version on the album was the ninth take. They put a lot of info in that little booklet.
 
Inkara1 said:
Bish, that song's not written by "Unknown." If the translator had just bought the CD, he'd not only know that it was written my John Lennon, he'd also know that it was recorded in studio two at Abbey Road on February 17, 1967, and the final version on the album was the ninth take. They put a lot of info in that little booklet.
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I think that they meant whoever wrote the poster that the lyrics are taken from. :D In either case... the point was that Prof thought that I was insulting him in some way...I wasn't..and... aw fuckit'!

Thanks for the musical lesson Inky! :D
 
ClaireBear said:
Hmmmm...

I read the dictionary when I was ten... it was a long summer and I'd ran out of books and the library was closed for redecoration.
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And I thought my sister was the only one in the world that did that. :D

Most of the time, if I don't know what a word is, I can guess by the
context it's used in. I do have to look up words from time to time even now,
and I think I have a fair vocabulary.
I agree with HL. I like learning new words, if they are good words.
I don't purposefully "try" to talk over someones head just to look 'good'.
I do find myself talking over some of my customers head when explaining
some of what I did to fixed their comp. I can usually tell when they aren't
getting what I'm say when their eyes start glazing over. :lol2:

In normal conversation, I usually talk pretty low-keyed I think, unless there's
a word that just fits the situation better that anything else.

As far as the workplace, I think it largely depends on the actual type of work
being done there. Using big words when your digging a ditch next to someone
could get annoying. On the other hand, not using correct terminology when
talking to your fellow IT admin. could prove not to be so good.
 
If I may add my two cents, as a person who wrote a master's thesis on language acquisition ...

I see nothing wrong with using vocabulary that's above the level of the receiver. That's part of acquiring language. What's so hard about hearing an unknown word and using context to construe its meaning?
 
Like most others here, I don't see the problem with using vocabulary that is above the level of the receiver. As teachers, we are expected to do so in order to build the vocabulary of the student. I mean, if I speak to them the way their friends and, sadly, many of their family members do, how will they learn?
 
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