Word Hazard
Sometimes having a halfway decent vocabulary can be a hazard. I almost got in trouble at work one time as a result of a misunderstanding of a word that I thought was a well-known vocabulary word. The word was auspicious. In case you don't know what the word means oh, it means a good sign. So, if something is auspicious, that means it is a good sign or a good omen.
I was doing technical support for a blue chip company which I won't name, and I was on the phone with a customer. I can't remember what was happening on the customer's screen, but I said something like, "well, that's not auspicious." On the one hand, I was always extremely honest with customers, and on the other hand I think I gave them a sense of confidence, that I would eventually solve the problem for them.
When I got off the phone, imagine my surprise when one of the technical team leads pulled me aside. He asked me what I had said to the customer on the phone. I thought he would have to be more specific because it was a whole conversation. He said it was one part in particular that disturbed him.
"Part of my conversation disturbed you?" Well, he hasn't really been listening in, but his desk was near mine, and so he couldn't help but overhear. However, he didn't hear all of it. "What could I possibly have said that would disturb you?" I asked.
He said, "Well, you said something about 'us bitches'."
I was shocked and horrified. "What? I didn't say that. I don't speak that way, and I particularly make a point of not swearing at work, and even more so when I am on the phone with customers!"
"That's what I thought," he said. "Which is why I was so surprised to hear you say it."
"Us bitches?" I asked.
"Yes," he said.
I muttered "us bitches" a few times and then out loud "Ooooooohhhhhh!!!"
"It wasn't 'us bitches,' it was 'auspicious.'"
He looked at me blankly. I added, "which means a good sign or omen."
"Why must you use such big words?" he asked.
"I didn't know they were big. That is the truth. Should I run around assuming everyone has a worse vocabulary than I do and rack my brains for the shortest word possible? Isn't that an insult to everyone -- assuming they are in some way less than I am? If you used a word I didn't know, personally, I would find it interesting, and I would either ask you what it meant or I would write it down and look it up later."
After this, he was pretty much speechless. Of course no one wants another person to purposely dumb down their language for them. I think once I explained to him what he was really asking of me, he saw that it was ridiculous.
Conclusion
I have often wondered about it, though. I wonder about it both in my speech and my writing. While there is something to be said for simplicity, I feel as though if everyone were to simplify everything they wrote or said, it would impoverish the literature and the dialogue. If nothing you read ever makes you pause to read it twice or stop to look up a word or two, I think maybe you are not reading material that is sufficiently challenging to your mind.
Even if you are not a child in school, why shouldn't your mind be challenged? Just as it is healthy to exercise our bodies, so it is healthy to exercise our minds. And it has never been more important that we become a society of individuals capable of compassionate, empathetic, individual, analytical, and critical thought.
Much love,
Harlow
(P.S. Help the Ukraine with Hivebuzz's NFTs for peace if you can. zirochka has published five articles showing how these funds are already being used to help people in need..)
Too many people simply give up too easily. You have to keep the desire to forge ahead, and you have to be able to take the bruises of unsuccess. Success is just one long street fight.
Milton Berle, Comedian
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I am not English, and probably I would have also misunderstood it. Probably as "suspicious", which would also lead to a misunderstanding, similarly to "us bitches". Haha. 😂
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But really. I have not heard and I have not read the "auspicious" word so far. Probably it is an uncommon word in everyday speech.
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Wow, do people seriously not want to keep learning? That's really messed up 😥I wonder if the customer knew the meaning...
I had the impression that the customer did not know the meaning, but when that happens (and I think I am sensitive to it), I try to paraphrase. That is why I was particularly surprised that my eavesdropping Team leader didn't understand. He wasn't eavesdropping carefully enough!
Thank you for reading!
Yeah, they need to be able to tell what's happening in context. Then they can give suggestions that work!
It's strange how language usage differs even throughout the English speaking world. I think in the UK, even thick people like me would know what auspicious means as it is quite a common world to use and hear but perhaps we'd use it with a slightly different meaning to your definition.
Its usually used combined with occasion , the event was an auspicious occasion...which means its quite important.
Either way, your colleague sounds like a bit of a plonker!
This could explain it since I learned a lot of my vocabulary from my mother, who was Welsh.
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You are welcome....
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