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Old 12-30-2012, 10:09 PM   #24
BadBilly
Nodding at stupid things
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HarleyB View Post
Harry my flippant reply was in response to BadBilly's comment which I felt was rather condescending to those who don't routinely use dictionaries while reading. I don't really pity those who use a dictionary - hence the smiley poking out its tongue.

I appreciate that there are many people who love nothing better than reading books full of obscure words however if I can't work out the meaning of a word from its context then I do question its use.
To be pedantic about it, I was being condescending to people who never read anything that challenges their vocabulary. If you need to guess at words, you're not doing that. That's how I used to read, as I usually didn't have ready access to a dictionary. Sure, it's often possible, but I've got the tools right there to confirm if my inference is right. I choose to be certain.

Reading, to me, is a way to go places I haven't been, to open up new ideas. I read stuff that doesn't challenge my vocabulary much, if at all, but I also read things that stretch what I know. One can live one's entire life on the same block, never venturing beyond the familiar and some are quite happy to do so. I would find that stultifying, just as I'd find only reading things that never challenged me a sad existence.

I also find the rather anti-intellectual view that anyone using words the reader doesn't already know is "pretentious" pitiably arrogant. Certainly there are authors who shouldn't be allowed near a thesaurus, those who try to inflate their work with less common words, who try to hide deficiencies in thought with dense verbiage. Still, I don't find that as objectionable as the attitude that "if I don't already know it, it isn't worth knowing." I know you didn't suggest this, Harley, but it has also been expressed in this thread.

HarryT, in further reply to your original post, I've just found myself looking up a few words while reading The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester:

raffle: : rubbish; especially : a jumble or tangle of nautical equipment
I was able to infer it from context, but was interested in this new meaning for a familiar word.

puissant: having puissance : powerful
Learned how to pronounce it as well as the definition.

animalcule: a minute usually microscopic organism.
That's a new one on me.

I've read the paper version of this book a few times and I don't remember looking up any of those. I love this book and not looking those words up before didn't ruin it for me, put knowing them increases my appreciation for it. In 232 pages (paper), Bester delivers an epic tale with great economy. His choice of words helps this, conveying nuance and setting tone.
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