Do you?
2006-12-18 03:04:35 · 21 answers · asked by transitangst 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
Edit: I'm talking about words that come naturally from your mouth, not "ooh I'm going to try and make myself smarter by using this word I learned in the thesaurus yesterday!"
2006-12-18 03:23:26 · update #1
My sister used to accuse me of doing that, but fortunately most of my friends are intelligent enough that it seems normal to them.
Sometimes I wonder if being able to spell correctly, and use proper grammar, will someday be called 'showing off'!
2006-12-18 03:08:25 · answer #1 · answered by KC 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, all the time, and I find it really annoying. Usually, the words people think are so "big" simply have more than three syllables (most likely mispelled that - so much for being smart). The fact is I read things other than romance novels and People magazine and my parents insisted that I speak standard written English when I was a child. Interestingly, when I have to turn in written reports for work they are rarely returned to me with anything more than a few minor grammatical edits and when I have to give an oral presentation I am routinely praised for sounding professional, knowledgable and credible. Don't let the criticism get you down.
2006-12-18 03:16:11 · answer #2 · answered by kvcar2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Honestly, it's not so much the "big words" that I utilize, but the way I speak. A lot of people take it as snobbish or one-uppish, but that's just how I am. I was born and raised into a white family in a predominately white town in Connecticut. I had a good education, and I consider myself somewhat of a grammar-phreak. That's not to say that I am the smartest person around, just that I happen to use different words to get my point across. The American-English language is vast and full of twists and turns that can make one realize that they are not saying what they truly want to say. I, for one, cannot stand that. I enjoy getting my point across, and using words like "flurries" for snow and "writing implement" for pen or pencil is just less confusing. If it was snowing, people would be scared to drive on the highway, so I use "flurries" to describe that it is, in fact, snowing, but not heavily. I use "writing implement" to imply that I need something to write with, but am open to either a pen or a pencil or a crayon. I use different words to generalize or to specify what it is I want to say!
2006-12-18 03:16:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes I have had that problem in the past and in fact found myself "dumbing down" my vocabulary trying to rectify the situation. I would rather be able to speak freely and not be judged for the words I use.
I believe if you speak without using a haughty or pompous tone of voice it helps a lot in any situation.
2006-12-18 03:11:47 · answer #4 · answered by bravokardia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My ex boyfriend was always accusing me of talking "big words" then I had to think back which word was the big word. I don't know It seems like what I said to him he didn't understand a lot but If I started talking like his "boys" everything was "all good". Yeah that didn't work out as you can see he's my "ex" boyfriend.
2006-12-18 03:11:25 · answer #5 · answered by passion 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes I accuse myself of using big words to sound smart and then realize that it just makes me sound stupid, because the words seem to not fit my character and personality. Am I alone on that one? I try to catch myself before others do.
2006-12-18 03:10:25 · answer #6 · answered by Goober W 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not "normal" vocab if you are EVER accused of such thing.
I accuse my wife of that ALL the time. She says that people think of you higher if you do that. Well, she's wrong...People think of you as stuck up.
The TRUE speaker knows how to talk TO their audience and not ABOVE them. The second you use a "big" word, you loose their interest.
2006-12-18 03:11:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's the problem, normal society.
Newspapers are printed with an 8th grade education in mind, so normal, simple people can read them.
Talking smart will make you "sound smart" because most of the people your talking to are idiots.
2006-12-18 03:08:16 · answer #8 · answered by franktowers 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you hang around with different kinds of people, the vocabularies of the various communities can differ, as well. Someone who says that you are showing off may have some insecurities about their own ability to be as flexible as you are.
It may help to remember your audience when you're speaking. It may not always be easy, but it could help them to feel more at ease around you.
2006-12-18 03:08:37 · answer #9 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes. It's annoying since sometimes one big word is much easier to use than ten small ones when you're trying to quickly get a point across.
2006-12-18 03:10:13 · answer #10 · answered by Pico 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋