Thesaurus

"What's another word for Thesaurus?"
~Steven Wright

I'm constantly amazed at the limited vocabulary we use in the United States.  If we pay attention, we'll find that even our own vocabularies lack the overall depth that one might expect from a group of people as "highly educated" as Americans are supposed to be.  It's kind of sad, because there is a great deal of beauty in the complexity of language.  It's like we have a nuclear arsenal, but we limit ourselves to fighting with broadswords.

I am the worst of sinners in this regard.  Though I have a master's degree, the vocabulary I use in day-to-day interactions is relatively low.  A good friend recently showed me a dialect map of the US, and it turns out I have A LOT in common with the south, which isn't known for its higher usage of the English language.  I don't swim in the crick with the wooves, but I just feel like it would be better if I was in league with some upper society folks.

Thing is, I don't actually know any upper society folks.  I come from a very different background, as do most of the people I'm close to.  We're all blessed in a great many ways, but we're not gonna be in the upper 3% anytime soon.  The closest I get to knowing a word snob is Rick Shelton, and he resides in Illinois. 

My Cuban friend Julio has a wider vocabulary than I do.  I'll use the same words over and over, but this guy pulls out new words for the same thing all the time.  I usually know these words, because the more educated end of Spanish is close to the more educated end of English.  Granted, Julio was a manager of a 4-star hotel...

I shall have to redouble my vocabulary acquisition!