Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-07-23
How Many Words Does n Writer Use

Z
Prof. Edward &. Holden, of the Unital
states naval observatory, sent paper.
which was read before the meeting. 1t dis
SSed the question of the number of words
used In Speaking and writing bv indiviJ-
uals, and was called forth by an estimate of
the Hon. Geo II. Marsh as to the mum Der of
that OF other writers. MI. Marsh has made
the statement that an intelligent man Will
use l. speaking and writing less than 1000
words. Prof. Holden made a count of the
humber OF words beginning with each letter
81 'he ALPHABET, and noted the order of fire.
quenCy Of initial letters in WebSters die
tonary. lie found the latter as follows -
5 G, p, A, u, r. r, T, I'm ], +, H. T. W
o, V, ", J, =, X, Y, ~.
He 'hen proceeded TO ascertain the AVERAGE
number oi words in the dictionary per page
: he2 he counted out the words which he
himself was acc uStCIued 20 use in speaking
OF writing on several pages for each initial
letter ana from an average thus attained.
ne estimated that his own vocabulary was
a5.ijG words. High as this is he cannot 500
Inc way to reduce IL materially. \ friend IN
the Patent Office. Mr.. FarGuhar, assistant
librarian, tested his own writing. and
t'ic!uCed mat ne must have a still larger
vocabulary Professor Whitney, OF Yale
mas written 10 say that he can not see wy
lie method should not give correct results.
From Mrs C!arkS Concordance of Shake
r6aIe with the important omission of all
verbs spelled like nouns) by q similar
process Prof Holden fluids Shakespeare's
vocabulary "A 900 words. Milton, in his
poems, Is found to use Il ,317 words: in
MS rose2 much greater mum Der is probable.
In The English Bible there are only .20J
NOrGs, exclusive Of proper names. IN ROS-
worm Dictionary OF the Anglo Saxon there
are lob words; in DR.. John Camden Hot
tea Dictionary Of Slang, 10000 words. The
VICE difference between most of these esti-
mates and those OF the Hon. Geo. L. Marsh
mas called out letter from the latter in
when ne eNClaims that ne used tine word
wort IN the sense in which all philologists
would agree In employing lit. e., he TOOK
Oily the SIMPLE stem, aud not the infected
forms. Thus, while Prof. Holden cOnutpt
lover, lOvelesS and lovely, as three words
Mr.; Marsh counted them as only one. Prof
IClden concludes that a vOcabula of
oONO words Is not unusual among writer's
IN me debate which followed. Prof. March
uecl aTed that he regarded Mr.. Marsh as right
IN DIS esIlnates and in his way of making
mem. lie, Prot. March, thought that tn-
writer's who were the most skilled in the Il 20
OF language were not among the largest users
Oh words. Great success in works OF itcr.-
lure was Won Dy making things appa ret -
large circle Of cultivated readers. The n
ccSSlty OF making himself easily understood
compe.s such writer 10 employ familiar
WoTus. part of Shakspearc's art was n
I'"-in4 common words in such new cOnnec-
lions that the phrases became idiornS bat
nahiieStly Strange words could only rarely
meet TINS purpose. The touch of nature
which makes all men kin, iS--In using ian
Euage-simplicity 1t is due to this HcJaSsIfv
tnat MilJOn's 0etry has a smaller voCabg-
larry than his prose.