Quote:
Originally Posted by BelleZora
I'm with Harry on this one. I love coming upon unfamiliar words, and I never think of them as pretentious. If a word exists and is appropriate, then I welcome its usage.
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... which is basically what I said. Why would anyone think them pretentious unless they were? In my previous post I said "
When such a word is needed to clarify an idea or beautify the sounds of the writing, then of course its usage serves a definite purpose. But all too often it's just pretentious." which is quite different from saying that
all use of unusual words is pretentious...
Learning new words, increasing one's vocabulary, (the two not necessarily the same,) expanding boundaries, discovering new ideas, people, places, and things... these are all what make reading so enjoyable. As well as the smooth flow of the writing or story... for me. I can't imagine trying to read 'The Song of Hiawatha' and stopping every few paragraphs to look up a word. It would be like stopping a Bach concerto every few measures to clean my ears!
Stitchawl