Vacuosity

Wordsmithing

Today, at our convention, the speaker used the word "compunction". At first, I thought he had misused it; used it in the wrong context, or instead of the actual word he meant. As it turns out, he used it correctly, and in fact it was a very appropriate word for the situation he was describing (he was exploring the sentiments of a particular bible character who felt regret over his wrong course of action). But it bothered me at the time.

On one hand, if the word was used incorrectly, it draws so much attention to its misapplication that it takes away from the value of the speaker's point. On the other hand, if a word is so obscure that few people understand its meaning, then the value is lost anyway. It's a tough line between expressing oneself precisely and expressing oneself in a way that will be understood. It's a struggle that I understand.

posted by David @ 12:51 a.m.