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Show j I | NO LAC LACK OF : . WORDS I 1 IHow 1How How often do we find fmd difficulty ' in inthinking thinking thinkmg of just the right rightaoid -aoid aoid "Old Old void - " to ex- ex express - - I press a certain idea ? Even the great- great greatest greatest - - - est writers wnters often stop to weigh thcIr their thcIrwords theirwords tl tlwords words In oioer ower oiaer to lilt 11it hit upon the most mostappropriate mostappropriate appropriate one , , while few speakers speakerscan speakerscan can observe all the niceties of e'ICpres- e'ICpres eICpres e'cpres- e'cpres ecpres e'ICpression e'cpression ' \ ' . - " - sion without writing wntmg out their speccltes speccltesand ecches ecchesand and memorizing them thcm beforehand beforehandThese beforehandThese These difffculles difffculies dlfffculies are not due to anylack anyi any i lack 1.1.ck 11.ck 11ck . . of words In the English Enghsh langua languahowevei language . , howevei howevel . Possibly it may be a result resultof resultof suit of our having too many t to choose choosefrom choosefrom cho , diction- diction dictionaries dictionaries - " - from The latest unabildged unablidged unabiidged . . aries contain more than 400,000 400000 , words wo " d . ' ) , ' , and the list Is increasing constant constantly I } , . I INoah INoah Noah Webster's Websters ' first dictionary , pub- pub pubI pubUshed published " - I Ushed lished in 1828 , contained only about ab inIcluded 70,000 70000 , words , the edition of 1864 in-I in I in- in included - - I cluded , that of 1890 about 175,000 175000 , , as compared with the 400,000 400000 400,000recognized 400,000recognized 400 , recognised recognized ' words 'Words wrords of today todayA todayA , estimates estimatesI estimatesthat estimatesthat A leading lexicographer . . . that the educated person persoon person of fair ability abilityulldelstands abilityunderstands ' " ' undeistands ulldelstands understands on an average about ut ' I 50,000 50000 , words , but uses only a small part partI partof I of that number In either speakIng or orwrIting orwriting , writing . The mass of the people know knowand I and use less than SOOO 8000 words out outthe of ofthe ofthe the 400,000 400000 , available availableAn availableAn , An interesting experiment is to in- in inspect " - specfc speet spect a few pages of an unabridged unabridgeddictionary unabridgeddictionary : dictionary and count how many words wordsout wordsout ' out of a hundred you are really famil- famil Tamil- Tamil familiar Tamilfar - - lar iar far with , both as to spelling an and I\ean- I ean Ieaning ) \ ean- ean eaning - - Ing Try it . |