Before we take a cruise on this journey, I wish to state that what I would be talking about is but a pebble in a skyscraper. I don’t intend to exhaustively cover the topic, but I just want to remind, refresh, and stir us up to better our writing skills. Many people have seen new words several times, they may have even checked on their meanings, but they have not been able to use those words when needed, and even when they do, they use them out of context. And so, as a writer, if you cannot use a word effectively and accurately in a sentence, it is not yet part of your vocabulary.
Vocabulary, according to the Oxford English Dictionary is defined as:
- A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
- The collection of words a person knows and uses.
- The stock of words used in a particular field.
- The words of a language collectively.
From the above definitions, we can say that vocabulary is not just the words a person knows about, but how much of the words he knows that he can use aptly to communicate better. So, Building Vocabulary is a deliberate, consistent and progressive effort one makes to expand his bank/collection of words.
Mastering words are like building vocabulary. It’s more like building a relationship with these words to be more familiar with their most apt usage. That brings us to the why question. Why do I need to build my vocabulary? Why must I master words? If my targeted audience understands and gets my message, does it matter what words I use?
Now, there are many reasons why people build their vocabulary, ranging from academic to political reasons. I categorize all these reasons into two extremes.
Building Vocabulary;
- For pride and ostentation
- To Influence the audience better.
Pride and ostentation:
There are many people who just want to make others notice their presence. They see every opportunity they are given to write or speak as an avenue to advertise their oratory prowess. They take pride in ambiguity, they are happy when after speaking, their listener is left at sea. To them, it depicts mastery of the use of words. So, they square their shoulders, dilate their ego and feel happy.
To Influence the audience better:
As a visionary writer, whose sole aim is to effect reasonable, positive change in faulty paradigms and address societal mishaps, you want to ensure you employ words that best relay your thoughts in the clearest terms and yet still be grammatically on your game. We can build vocabulary and use words aptly without confusing the audience and at the same time maintain a high standard.
Building vocabulary to influence involves sharpening your skills (writing and speaking) with the primary aim of passing your thoughts across to your audience without ambiguity. And to do this, you must know your targeted audience. Knowing your targeted audience will guide you to choose the appropriate words that best addresses the issues in question and convey the message with all succinctness.
Why do you need to master words?
There are many reasons why you need to master words and build your vocabulary, some reasons include the following;
Influence: Because human beings naturally gravitate towards people who command strong use of words. Whether or not they are good or bad people is secondary. So as a writer, you need to build your vocabulary to help you influence men positively through your words.
It helps you to say exactly what you mean: Using one word to describe three similar but distinct scenarios sap the sentences of their intended meanings. Example, using the word fine to describe a boy, a girl, a baby, a house etc wears it of its original meaning, hence the need for other words that best describe your thoughts.
It’s a tool of persuasion: You need to build vocabulary because it’s your tool of persuasion. You want to avoid too much of ‘uhs’, ‘ums, ‘you know… You know’, ‘praise the Lord’ in your sentences. These sort of breaks in transmission can be avoided when you master the use of words and have a robust quiver of vocabulary.
For instance, I am struggling to communicate in the Yoruba language. Because I have a very limited vocabulary of the Yoruba language, I find it difficult to relate my thoughts to the people and most times my messages are misinterpreted.
Also, this plays out in the Court, where one lawyer defends his client (a murderer) who under normal circumstances should be imprisoned, but because of the arsenal of words at the lawyer’s disposal, as well as knowing his onions, he outwits his colleague, bamboozles the Justice and gets a favourable verdict for his client.
So, no matter what you believe, notwithstanding if it’s barbaric or humane, if you can convince and persuade men with your words, you will influence men and command followers. This is the danger that bedevils a people when a wicked man has this ability. Therefore we must build vocabulary as writers and as world changers.
Suffice it for me to say that as a writer, your vocabulary is to you what the arsenal is to the military. Examples of some writers and speakers I love who have built vocabulary and are influencing the world are President Barack Obama, Dr Ravi Zacharias, Professor Woke Soyinka, Chimamanda Adichie, Ezekiel Nzowu etc.
Read – Improving Your Writing Skills Easily by wanangwa Mwale, Zambia
Now let’s look at some of the keys/steps to build your vocabulary.
- Read, read voraciously: The more you read — especially novels and literary works, but also magazines and newspapers, the more words you’ll be exposed to. As you read and uncover new words, write them down in your vocabulary book and look out for their meanings. Try them with a few sentences. The more often you use them, the more they stick.
- Engage in conversations/Listen: Engage in healthy discussions with those from whom you could learn new words from. As with reading, once you hear a new word, remember to jot it down so that you can study it later and then slowly add the new word to your vocabulary. I have picked up several new words from watching TV, movies, religious and academic speeches, listening to the radio, podcasts, etc.
- Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy: When you uncover a new word, look it up in the dictionary to get both its pronunciation and its meaning(s). Next, go to the thesaurus and find similar words and phrases — and their opposites (synonyms and antonyms, respectively) — and learn the nuances among the words. I use a mobile App called Poet Assistant.
- Meditate: This sounds funny but it has been very helpful to me. I could pause in the middle of a sumptuous meal just to check on a word I couldn’t recall. And 99% of the time, I never forget those words again because that meal becomes a signpost to remembering that word.
- Play some games: Word games that challenge you and help you discover new meanings and new words are a great and fun tool in your quest for expanding your vocabulary. Examples include crossword puzzles, anagrams, word jumble, Scrabble, and Boggle etc.
- Motivation: This is the most important factor that must be in place. It’s like the fuel that keeps the engine running. Unless you are internally motivated to better your vocabulary, you will have too many setbacks to deter you. Personally, convince yourself that it is worth your while. After all, the hotter the furnace, the purer the gold, and the higher the price it commands.
Conclusion:
The benefits of building a robust vocabulary cannot be overemphasized. If your words must strike a chord in life, you must gain mastery over the use of words in order to convey your thoughts and have your audience understand you the exact way you would have intended it to.
Finally, always remember Mark Twain’s famous admonition to not “use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word would do”. And occasionally, you might want to flex your vocabulary muscles, as long as your message is clearly understood.
