Pontificate
My overall goal as an author is to create something that readers enjoy, and as part of this effort, I spend hours developing the plot, editing, and formatting. I also avoid areas that would anger, upset, or antagonize my readers. This includes avoiding topics that are offensive, irrelevant, or incorrect.
I also do not try to impress my readers by showing off my outstanding vocabulary. Yes, I could spin a pontification of verbal delight. Spellbinding my proponents with superior linguistic enchantment. To that, I say poppycock.
I want to welcome my readers with open arms. They should cozy up to my words and enjoy my little creation. Tripping them up with intentionally flowery sentences or obscure words will not help my cause. Yet, other writers intentionally use their linguistic skills to impress or intimidate their readers. (They scare readers into thinking the work is high-brow because the reader’s vocabulary is lacking.) I find this writing style arrogant and can only lead to lost sales and angry reviews.
What about a technical or legal document? Those must be full of specific terms rarely used in normal speech. Yet readers of such documents expect this kind of language, and an inexperienced reader would need a dictionary handy to make any sense of them.
One such word that upsets readers is pontificate. This term describes speaking or behaving in a pompous or dogmatic manner. Why don’t we (society) use this word more often? Readers and writers have more accepted/universal/appropriate words.
Who makes the choice of which words are unpopular? Evolution? Automated grammar checkers? Students? Newspaper editors? Popular culture? Teachers? Writers? The global English-speaking blob? Hard to say, but we universally avoid that word, and I have partial proof. I found a website that shows pontificate is #50,705 out of 2,923,835 words. (Note: that many of the words after 100,000 are nonsense. IE computer-generated junk or common misspellings.) Fun side story, bill is #914. Not too bad:) I would include this site, but it has an annoying banner that my security program flagged:(
How do I choose which words to avoid? I do not have a formal method of identifying difficult words. Instead, while self-editing, I always ask myself if I have created a clear sentence. Occasionally, an obscure word sticks out and gets replaced with a common word.
Does this word limitation restrict my writing? One of the benefits of English is that many words mostly describe the same thing. Yet, at times, I do feel a little restricted. Take this very article; I would love to get into a deep discussion about high-side current sensors. Yeah, I know what you are thinking. 0.01% of readers know what I am talking about. Thus, I did not break into that topic. Still… It would have been a fun discussion.
My overall philosophy is that each sentence should be a perfect gem, and by the time I have done my final edit, all concepts effortlessly flow into the reader’s mind. This should translate into a clear understanding of everything I have attempted to convey. Meaning, a dictionary is not necessary, and there is no pontification to consider. See, that sentence tripped you up, but you knew I would try something silly at the end of this article.
You’re the best -Bill
October 27, 2021 Updated March 21, 2026
I also do not try to impress my readers by showing off my outstanding vocabulary. Yes, I could spin a pontification of verbal delight. Spellbinding my proponents with superior linguistic enchantment. To that, I say poppycock.
I want to welcome my readers with open arms. They should cozy up to my words and enjoy my little creation. Tripping them up with intentionally flowery sentences or obscure words will not help my cause. Yet, other writers intentionally use their linguistic skills to impress or intimidate their readers. (They scare readers into thinking the work is high-brow because the reader’s vocabulary is lacking.) I find this writing style arrogant and can only lead to lost sales and angry reviews.
What about a technical or legal document? Those must be full of specific terms rarely used in normal speech. Yet readers of such documents expect this kind of language, and an inexperienced reader would need a dictionary handy to make any sense of them.
One such word that upsets readers is pontificate. This term describes speaking or behaving in a pompous or dogmatic manner. Why don’t we (society) use this word more often? Readers and writers have more accepted/universal/appropriate words.
Who makes the choice of which words are unpopular? Evolution? Automated grammar checkers? Students? Newspaper editors? Popular culture? Teachers? Writers? The global English-speaking blob? Hard to say, but we universally avoid that word, and I have partial proof. I found a website that shows pontificate is #50,705 out of 2,923,835 words. (Note: that many of the words after 100,000 are nonsense. IE computer-generated junk or common misspellings.) Fun side story, bill is #914. Not too bad:) I would include this site, but it has an annoying banner that my security program flagged:(
How do I choose which words to avoid? I do not have a formal method of identifying difficult words. Instead, while self-editing, I always ask myself if I have created a clear sentence. Occasionally, an obscure word sticks out and gets replaced with a common word.
Does this word limitation restrict my writing? One of the benefits of English is that many words mostly describe the same thing. Yet, at times, I do feel a little restricted. Take this very article; I would love to get into a deep discussion about high-side current sensors. Yeah, I know what you are thinking. 0.01% of readers know what I am talking about. Thus, I did not break into that topic. Still… It would have been a fun discussion.
My overall philosophy is that each sentence should be a perfect gem, and by the time I have done my final edit, all concepts effortlessly flow into the reader’s mind. This should translate into a clear understanding of everything I have attempted to convey. Meaning, a dictionary is not necessary, and there is no pontification to consider. See, that sentence tripped you up, but you knew I would try something silly at the end of this article.
You’re the best -Bill
October 27, 2021 Updated March 21, 2026
