As writers, words are our stock in trade and we are expected to know how to use them effectively in our work, so when I came across this bit of 411, it made me think about the number and types of words that I use. Out of the 600,000 words in the English language 99 percent of what we say is made up of 1,500-2,000 words. If this figure is right, then we are only using a very small portion of the words available to us. This seems like a real shame to me. Words are wonderful things, to my way of thinking. Look at all the things they can do:
The right words can cause us rally around a cause or think about things in an entirely different manner. They can comfort us, or they can be used as a sword. Words are part of our important life events (think wedding vows and the eulogy delivered at a funeral). Think of all the greeting cards we buy to tell someone that we are thinking of them – using someone else’s words – at that. The right combination of words delivered by an impassioned speaker can change the world – whether that person actually composed the speech or not. All of these things can be accomplished by something that Dictionary.com defines as “a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning.” As writers, we owe it to ourselves to take advantage of all the tools at our disposal, including adding more words to our respective vocabularies. Instead of using the same words and word patterns that we have grown used to using, why don’t we take a fresh look at our writing: Are we using the right words to convey what we want to say? We need to open our minds to more possibilities by:
- Not only reading what other writers have written, but by considering why they chose to use the words they did
- Reaching for a thesaurus more often, or using one of the online versions available
- Instead of skimming over unfamiliar words when we are reading something, stop to look them up in a dictionary. That new word may be something you can incorporate into your own writing.
Since the English language is constantly growing through the introduction of new words and phrases (Brangelina, anyone?), some people must think that we don’t have enough words to express ourselves as it is. Do you have any strategies you use to increase your vocabulary or do you feel comfortable with the number (and quality) of words you currently use in your writing?