A vocabulary is a collection of words. As a writer, the more words you have at
your command, the better able you are to express ideas and feelings—to communicate
with others. Nearly all cultures have
praised those of its members who were good with words. Odysseus, for example, was feared by the Trojans because of his wit and
facility with words. The Anglo-Saxons
praised those who had a great “word hoard” and honored those accomplished in speaking. Even today people who are skillful at
communicating in speech and in writing are promoted and paid more than others
who are
not. A television advertisement
selling a vocabulary-building course says, rather ominously, that “you
are judged by the words you use.”
Words—their use and misuse—are very
important because they define our conceptual world. As a linguistic philosopher once said, “The limits of my language are the
limits of my world.”