in the mail, recently, i received the newest issue of remark. (issue #46). it features great poetry by Christopher Cunningham, Michael Estabrook, William Taylor, Jr., Brian McGettrick, Karl Koweski, and David J. Thompson.
also, i received issue #36 of the French-language, Belgian journal Microbe featuring the authors of Bottle of Smoke Press. i have three poems featured, both in English and translated into French by the editor, Eric Dejaeger. Other poets featured are C. Allen Rearick, Henry Denander, Nathan Graziano, Glenn W. Cooper, Owen Roberts, David Barker, Matt Smith, A.D. Winans, Adrian Manning, and Robert L. Penick.
08 July 2006
07 July 2006
the fallacy of vocabulary condescension
i attended a small, in-house training course on learning how to proofread, today. the instructor was not all that good, as seminar-ing goes, but he said something that made me think. he used an aphorsim i'd never heard: "Easy to read is easy to proofread." this is probably true.
but, he then said that "easy to read" meant using "familiar, easy-to-understand words" and avoiding "elegant variation" in our word choices. he claimed that using such unfamiliar and elegant words sounds pedantic (actually, he said arrogant, but i'm certain he meant pedantic and didn't want to sound exactly that, so used the "easier-to-understand" arrogant) and amounts to a form of condescension (he actually used "talking down to" because "condescension" is merely an "elegant variation").
i take exception to this. i'm one of the people who uses high-falutin' words in everyday speech (like high-falutin' and -- apparently -- condescension). and i don't think it's condescending at all to use them. here's why:
1) if you were dumbing down or talking down to a person you wouldn't use big words, would you? so, why is it talking down to when you do? is it maybe because you don't know the big words and you feel as if you are being talked down to. that's not my fault, Skippy. read a book. expand your vocabulary.
2) there's a reason these words exist in the first place. if pedantic were perfectly synonymous with arrogant, then there would be NO need for pedantic. but, yet, there is a need, because it isn't perfectly synonymous. just because the word is polysyllabic (long) or unfamiliar doesn't mean it shouldn't be used for concision's sake. the words exist, so use them.
3) i put a certain amount of expectation and respect in the people i'm talking to. i respect them enough to NOT talk down to them by using trite, plain language. i would hate if someone wanted to use the word pedantic, but didn't think me savvy enough to figure it out, so instead censored themselves and chose arrogant. likewise, i expect the people i talk to to have a certain level of intelligence and vocabulary. if not, sorry, but why should i dumb myself down so that someone else doesn't feel insulted by such high-falutin' language?
now, there are definitely some cases where dumbing down is necessary, or preferable. when in business, assume the person you are dealing with is a moron. you'll be right nine times out of ten. when dealing with a salesman, that percentage goes up to 99 times out of 100. but, when dealing with writers, we should be able to speak freely, using the correct (possibly larger) word when necessary. same goes for professionals. doctors, psychiatrists, lawyers (just kidding, lawyers are in the salesmen category!).
and there are times when certain pedantic people DO use unnecessarily "elegant" words in their speech. but, you'll find that most of the times the words they choose are used incorrectly merely to make themselves sound smart. THAT'S the definition of pedantic. NOT someone who uses big words correctly because their more familiar counterparts just aren't descriptive enough.
that's the end of my rant. words are important. there's a reason we have created so many of them. it's a shame to NOT use some because someone else doesn't know them. if that's being condescending, then i'm sorry.
but, he then said that "easy to read" meant using "familiar, easy-to-understand words" and avoiding "elegant variation" in our word choices. he claimed that using such unfamiliar and elegant words sounds pedantic (actually, he said arrogant, but i'm certain he meant pedantic and didn't want to sound exactly that, so used the "easier-to-understand" arrogant) and amounts to a form of condescension (he actually used "talking down to" because "condescension" is merely an "elegant variation").
i take exception to this. i'm one of the people who uses high-falutin' words in everyday speech (like high-falutin' and -- apparently -- condescension). and i don't think it's condescending at all to use them. here's why:
1) if you were dumbing down or talking down to a person you wouldn't use big words, would you? so, why is it talking down to when you do? is it maybe because you don't know the big words and you feel as if you are being talked down to. that's not my fault, Skippy. read a book. expand your vocabulary.
2) there's a reason these words exist in the first place. if pedantic were perfectly synonymous with arrogant, then there would be NO need for pedantic. but, yet, there is a need, because it isn't perfectly synonymous. just because the word is polysyllabic (long) or unfamiliar doesn't mean it shouldn't be used for concision's sake. the words exist, so use them.
3) i put a certain amount of expectation and respect in the people i'm talking to. i respect them enough to NOT talk down to them by using trite, plain language. i would hate if someone wanted to use the word pedantic, but didn't think me savvy enough to figure it out, so instead censored themselves and chose arrogant. likewise, i expect the people i talk to to have a certain level of intelligence and vocabulary. if not, sorry, but why should i dumb myself down so that someone else doesn't feel insulted by such high-falutin' language?
now, there are definitely some cases where dumbing down is necessary, or preferable. when in business, assume the person you are dealing with is a moron. you'll be right nine times out of ten. when dealing with a salesman, that percentage goes up to 99 times out of 100. but, when dealing with writers, we should be able to speak freely, using the correct (possibly larger) word when necessary. same goes for professionals. doctors, psychiatrists, lawyers (just kidding, lawyers are in the salesmen category!).
and there are times when certain pedantic people DO use unnecessarily "elegant" words in their speech. but, you'll find that most of the times the words they choose are used incorrectly merely to make themselves sound smart. THAT'S the definition of pedantic. NOT someone who uses big words correctly because their more familiar counterparts just aren't descriptive enough.
that's the end of my rant. words are important. there's a reason we have created so many of them. it's a shame to NOT use some because someone else doesn't know them. if that's being condescending, then i'm sorry.
06 July 2006
update on the house
it's been awhile since my last update.
it appears we will be closing with the mortgage company this coming Tuesday. usually, people close AFTER their final walk-through and inspection, but we will be having that next Thursday. we are closing early -- a big risk, to be sure -- on purpose because otherwise it will be strung out indefinitely by the builder. we NEED to move in. we've got address forwarding already set up with the Post Office and a date and time (next Thursday) set for the movers.
anyway, that's where we stand.
once we move in, get everything situated, and i hook up my scanner, i'll post a series of photos detailing this long, strange trip.
it appears we will be closing with the mortgage company this coming Tuesday. usually, people close AFTER their final walk-through and inspection, but we will be having that next Thursday. we are closing early -- a big risk, to be sure -- on purpose because otherwise it will be strung out indefinitely by the builder. we NEED to move in. we've got address forwarding already set up with the Post Office and a date and time (next Thursday) set for the movers.
anyway, that's where we stand.
once we move in, get everything situated, and i hook up my scanner, i'll post a series of photos detailing this long, strange trip.
05 July 2006
both right and wrong
i agree with this, but with one minor change:
don't just copy what you like. improve upon it. make it your own. make it something new.
don't just read the myths of those who came before us; rewrite them altogether.
don't just copy what you like. improve upon it. make it your own. make it something new.
don't just read the myths of those who came before us; rewrite them altogether.
a declaration
have you ever actually read the Declaration of Independence? or, at least, have you read it since you were forced to (and most likely forced to memorize certain key passages) back in 8th grade?
if not, here it is. give it a gander. pretty powerful stuff. so is the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Jefferson was one helluva wordsmith.
and speaking about wordsmith presidents, check out some writings of Abraham Lincoln.
if not, here it is. give it a gander. pretty powerful stuff. so is the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Jefferson was one helluva wordsmith.
and speaking about wordsmith presidents, check out some writings of Abraham Lincoln.
04 July 2006
a clear sign the end of the world is nigh
if this doesn't make you squeemish or sick to your stomach, then there's no hope for you.
that being said, i can't wait to purchase one. i'm gonna name him Gene. i'm so excited.
that being said, i can't wait to purchase one. i'm gonna name him Gene. i'm so excited.
happy 4th
have a happy and safe 4th of July, all you American friends of this poet's life. for those non-Americans among us, you're welcome to celebrate the independence of America, too, but i doubt you'd want to. most of us here aren't really up for celebrating it ourselves, what with all the bullshit that's been going on: a moron for a president hellbent on eradicating the constitution, a war being waged under false pretenses and for no good reason, children starving to death every day in the wealthiest country in the world, a significant portion of the population WITHOUT access to basic health care. what is there to celebrate?
all we care about is watching fireworks bloom in the night sky. fireworks never let us down.
all we care about is watching fireworks bloom in the night sky. fireworks never let us down.
03 July 2006
new post
i've uploaded, a day late, the newest installment of my column, Background Noise, on Christopher Cunningham's blog Upright Against The Savage Heavens. this week i discuss the importance of poets honing their craft so as to create the best work possible. i even quote the late, great William Carlos Williams to bolster my argument.
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