I suppose I use my proofing tools program (spelling and grammar checker) on my computer more than any other tool, but close behind is the thesaurus, a source of synonyms.
The word derives, first, from a Greek word meaning “a collection of valuable things.” A treasury. Then the word went into Latin, with the meaning: “a repository.” But the term really took on its basic usage with the 1852 publication of Roget’s Thesaurus, an English language compilation of alternative words, that is to say, synonyms.
The English language has something like a 600,000-word list which, depending on how you construct words, is said to be the language with the biggest vocabulary. That said, the AI program ChatGPT makes the claim that “an educated native speaker typically uses only 20,000–35,000 words actively.” But passively (know but don’t use), recognition grows to something like 50,000 words.
Note that this claims what an “educated speaker” knows, that is, an English reader. It does not account for slang, dialect vocabulary, or people who mix up languages in their speaking or writing, something which is known as “code-switching.”
Why do I use the thesaurus so often? I want my word choice to be as varied (richer) as possible, and I don’t want to be repetitious in my word choice. Moreover, overuse of one particular word diminishes its impact.
Let’s say I’m writing an adventure tale. If I use the expression, “She was astonished—” many times, it lacks impact. I can determine how many times I used “astonished” by doing a computer word search. If I’ve used it many times, I can turn to the thesaurus, and see that I could switch to—
- Shocked
- Surprised
- Amazed
- Speechless
And many more. It’s not that I didn’t know these other words; they just hadn’t come to mind. Seeing them in the thesaurus, since I know them, recognize them, understand their meaning, and their shades of meaning, I can express my idea in multiple (word) ways.
On my computer, I also have the Oxford Unabridged Dictionary, considered the most comprehensive English dictionary. It also has a historical thesaurus. This is helpful when writing historical fiction.
Thus, when writing a novel set in England in the 1840s (The Traitors’ Gate) I got hold of the first edition of Roget’s Thesaurus in order to have my characters use the language of the time.
A quick check of Amazon’s listings and I count something like forty different kinds of thesauruses listed. Among them, a “kids’ thesaurus.” A medical thesaurus. But I think most of us think of the title Roget’s Thesaurus as the standard. It’s claimed that some forty million copies of it have been bought.
Who was Roget?
Born in England, Peter Mark Roget (1779–1869) was a doctor, a theologian, a lexicographer, and I gather, an important chess player.
That is to say, he was smart, intelligent, bright, knowing, sharp … and the list goes on.
Choose one.
1 thought on “Words (Talk)”
We are such word nerds. Love this column, article, post. Choose one. Only problem is choosing words relatable to MG readers. Do you agree, concur or get on with me or should we clash, bicker, or split over word choice?