Language Part 3 - Vocabulary

Disclaimer I am not a linquist and have no knowledge about languages. Even though I am filing this under Linguistic category, it is more of my Insane Thoughts and thus is twin filed under that category as well.

Vocabulary is an essential part of language that refers to the set of words that we use to express our thoughts, feelings, and ideas. It is a key aspect of effective communication, as it allows us to express a wide range of concepts and ideas in a clear and concise manner.

Vocabulary can be defined as the words of a language, including single items and phrases or chunks of several words which convey a particular meaning, the way individual words do. ¹

But why is vocabulary so important in language, and how does it work? Let’s take a closer look at this important aspect of communication.

One of the main reasons that vocabulary is important in language is that it allows us to express a wide range of concepts and ideas. A rich vocabulary enables us to describe and explain complex concepts, convey abstract ideas, and express our thoughts and feelings in a precise and nuanced way. It also allows us to understand and interpret the words and ideas of others, as a larger vocabulary enables us to better grasp the meaning of new or unfamiliar words.

Vocabulary is also important in language because it allows us to communicate more effectively with others. By using a wide range of words and phrases, we can convey our thoughts and ideas in a clear and concise manner, and we can better understand the words and ideas of others. This is especially important in professional settings, where effective communication is crucial for success.

Building and expanding your vocabulary is an ongoing process that requires practice and effort. There are many ways to improve your vocabulary, including reading widely, learning new words and phrases, and using a dictionary or thesaurus to look up unfamiliar words. By making an effort to expand your vocabulary, you can become a more effective communicator and improve your understanding of language.

Like discussed in the last post, the grammar gives identity to the language and vocabulary gives substance to it. Let’s take the same example as in last post about grammar, "इस पार्क (park) में बहुत सारे स्लाइड्स (slides) हैं|" This is ofcourse Hindi but notice that the two most important words, the subject of the sentence - park and slides - are both English words but somehow we ended up writing a Hindi sentence. This is because though we are using foreign words, the structure of the sentence follows Hindi grammar. Notice that the other words - in Hindi - are not as important as the two English words. Thus, vocabulary used enhances the quality of the sentence, and thus the quality of the language.

When native speakers of a language come into contact with a language used by others, they try to incorporate some of the terminology into their regular use, so increasing their vocabulary. Oxford dictionary adds 4000 new words to its repertoire every year. That means we will see increasing number of foreign language influence on English vocabulary, which is a good thing.

Maintaining a purity of language does no good and people who are puritan in their perspective do more disservice than service to the language.

In conclusion, vocabulary is an essential part of language that allows us to express a wide range of concepts and ideas. It is a key aspect of effective communication, and it is something that can be improved and expanded through practice and effort. By building a rich vocabulary, we can more effectively express ourselves and understand the words and ideas of others.

References