Size Matters


Why is it that using big enormous words is considered a sign of better English? Going out of your way to select large words is just a sesquipedalian way of doing things. Odds are you don’t know what that means and you aren’t about to look it up. Anyway, here is what it means.



1. tending to use very long words

2. (of words or expressions) long and ponderous; polysyllabic

I’ve seen people try to substitute synonyms for every single word in their sentence just to make it appear like they speak “better” English. I don’t find it undemanding to decipher sentences resembling this. I will gladly give them credit for their skill at inducing headaches but that is about it.

That being said I don’t want the English language to get limited to 2000 words. Working at a job where I regularly have to communicate with people based in Saudi Arabia I could not be more in favour of people speaking better English. I’m not saying they don’t try. And I’m not saying I don’t get amused when they spell concealer as ‘knsyler’ or lowlights as ‘alloleat’.

It’s just hard to find a decent balance between pretentious people trying to claim they have exemplary language skills and individuals who are adept at massacring the language. And it’s perhaps a scary thought to know that there are possibly people who are placing me in 1 of those 2 categories.