Vocabularian

According to certified genius Marilyn vos Savant (yup, her real last name), we humans have four levels of vocabulary. They go from big to small, from easy to difficult:
  1. Reading vocabulary – We’re most capable of this, our largest category of words. To read, we only need to recognize the word and understand its meaning in context.

  2. Listening vocabulary – We have two ears for a reason, eh? We can understand the gist of the word spoken in context to the whole story.

  3. Speaking vocabulary – This category is challenging. To speak, we’ve got to not only remember the word, without prompting, but put it into appropriate context. Instantly.

  4. Writing vocabulary – This category is the smallest: it’s the most difficult for most people. (Personally, I think my writing vocabulary would test larger than my speaking. When talking, I use words like, “gooder” and “what's the word I’m looking for?” When writing, there’s Google.)

That’s why we can read about complicated subjects, no problem, but struggle to find the right word in conversation.

Wikipedia entry on Marilyn vos Savant

Comments

Flashtrigger said…
I agree with you...my writing vocabulary is far more developed than my speaking vocabulary. When speaking, you're in real-time, others are waiting. When writing, you can pause a moment and think if the word you want to use is the correct one or if it's even appropriate.
July 01, 2008
P.L. Frederick said…
Yes, yes. There's time with writing. Nobody's expectantly looking at us, listening, waiting. Even with instant messaging there's that element of distance, of time. We "compose" a letter (we compose our thoughts) but we don't really "compose" a conversation. It's less up to one person, for one thing. But, actually, maybe gifted speakers do do that. Anyone out there who can find their words when speaking? If so, why/how do you? Thanks for the thinkings, Flashtrigger!
July 02, 2008
Jenny said…
Words are my passion. Well, words and Johnny Depp ... but then there's only one word for Johnny: "Mmmmmmmmm!"
July 04, 2008
Rick Rockhill said…
it is interesting, isn't it? how the mind works (or doesn't!)
July 04, 2008
P.L. Frederick said…
Yes, it's fascinating to realize that we can't do something we thought we should be able to do. I mean, talking doesn't sound difficult to do. We've done it since childhood. But it is! On the other hand, there are things we don't think we can do. But we can!

Mmmmmmmm.
July 05, 2008
Anonymous said…
Yes, interesting. I have some sort of speaking ability that many people have remarked upon generally when a unusual but appropriate word pops out of me. I really don't have the word cued up and ready to be sprung down the road, they just happen and are spoken almost without notice. I don't know where it comes from but I suspect all the reading and internal thinkin' totally unrelated to what I may be speaking about gets triggered and bang! I find my self describing someone's disposition as being like a flounder, flat and uninteresting to anyone but another fish....I can generally write this way too but when I am talking to a few people and it happens people generally find that more unusual. Now, flounder is not all that unusual a word and that example is not very good which brings up the point that if I try and conjure up and write an unusual word and example it really does not appear which leads me to agree with folks that point out that the speaking vocabulary is the more challenging of the categories....but now I'm dizzy so I shall disembark! (Hey there is one, disembark, I probably misspelled which leads to another topic all together...)
July 07, 2008
P.L. Frederick said…
Cohort - I'm glad to learn that someone doesn't flounder for interesting speaking words. Heck, I could use some'a that when writing. =)
July 08, 2008
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