My England Not Powderful leh

I found an interesting online letter from ST forum. I have a little problem digesting some ... ok, a little more than some, of the words... my england not powderful. So, I have decided to put it down, and spend a little more time to see if I can really digest it and learn some really bombastic (to my standard, it is bombastic) words.

Sorry my words were too gargantuan, elephantine, Brobdingnagian

MR MARK Lee Marn Fatt has taken issue with my 'big' words which appear to irritate him ('Letter writer used too many big words'; ST Online Forum, July 14). I am sorry for the inconvenience caused to his pleasure of digesting the Forum fare. Is there a redolence (hope it's not another big word) of intolerance? Mr Lee said there were no fewer than nine big words with a Latin phrase thrown in for good measure. What, may I ask, is 'good measure'?

Here we have a phrase 'good measure' which by its specific form in semantics refers to an interpretation which is, by and large, denotative and antithetic toconnotative. Now, the word 'antithetic' (big word?) removes the phrase of three words 'in opposition to'. The Latin phrase is by nature a similarity to 'good measure' which, by denotation, exemplifies the universal acceptance of hard work or painful sacrifice as the price to success.

Mr Lee says he cannot find 'feracity' in the dictionaries mentioned. It means productive or fruitful. The adjective is feracious. The word 'abundance' suggested by him, to replace feracity, means 'plentiful, copious, overflowing'. What I meant was closer to fruitful than to copious. More to a tree which, unchecked, in maturity, produces the fruit of Singlish.

Mr Lee argues that the big words detract from the argument. He may be right, depending on the individual and the idiosyncrasy. But, at the same time, the distraction comes from vocabulary. Can it not be seen, as in the case of my letter, as a chance to increase vocabulary rather than a distraction? If we take the semantics of the word 'idiosyncrasy', just used, we have a single word that encompasses tendency, characteristic, mode of expression, peculiar to an individual (dictionary). Therefore, a knowledge of the word dismisses the explanation of tendency, proclivity or tendentiousness.

Big words are not the distraction. A smaller vocabulary is. Singlish, on the other hand, tends to go to the other end of economy. It cuts off connective words to produce things like 'can do or not?' and 'have or not?' Singlish is simpler but in its simplicity it, paradoxically, becomes incomprehensible to speakers of universally spoken English (an accepted standard). The Government recognises this and is firm on any incursions made to change the standard to substandard. Malaysia also recognises the delitescent danger of substandard English.

Be this as it may, Mr Lee asks that the Forum print letters comprise simple words. Whatever happened to freedom of expression as a writer sees fit? If one is always exposed to simple words, how will vocabulary grow? If one is always exposed to simple problems, how will one be trained in cognition to solve complex problems?

May I ask Mr Lee, why the complexity of Mark before his name? Would not Lee Marn Fatt suffice? It all boils down to tolerance and the right of anyone to write, or name himself, as he sees fit, provided he infracts no law, sumptuary or otherwise. Anyway, in my small way, with my big words, I have increased Mr Lee's vocabulary.

Dudley Au

... ok... where shall we start? I think I'll go and borrow my lady's Oxford - Advanced Learner's Dictionary and look up each words!

Let's start from the Subject heading...

1. Gargantuan: adj. [usually before noun] - extremely large: a gargantuan appetite
2. Elephantine: adj. (formal or humorous) very large and CLUMSY; like an elephant
3. Brobdingnagian: I cannot find it in the dictionary leh
4. Redolence: noun - Redolent: adj. [not before a noun] ~ of/with sth (literary) 1. making you think of the thing mentioned: an atmosphere redolent of the sea and ships 2. smelling strongly of the thing mentioned: a kitchen redolent with the smell of baking
5. Antithetic: our author has exlained the word in the above, which is 1. the opposite of sth, the noun is Antithesis: Love is the antithesis of selfishness. 2. a contrast between two things: There is an antithesis between the needs of the state and the needs of the people.
6. Feracity: I cannot find it in the dictionary, but author has explained that means productive or fruitful. Adj. Feracious.


... phew... this is a tough job man! There are some more words which I am not particular sure of but can "make wild guesses out of it" kind of words which I did not include... else, it'll take ages before I can post this entry.

What can I make out of this letter which the author is basically argueing that her words used are appropriate and not too big for the forum readers. By writing in her own free way and will, she's able to help readers improve the standard of their English.

... nah... I think she's just showing off her language ability and at the same time insulting others who are not as good.

My england not powderful, and if all the materials are written in this form... I'll never improve since it'll take too long a time for me to finish such a short essay, and I know myself loh... I'll not finish reading it.