The Washington times., 1921-02-06
Today
The Brains Tool Chest.
Thought Hangs on Words.
And Words on Thought.
Antonyms and synonyms.
By ARTHUR BRIsBANR-
ynonyms.
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Every brain has the same tool
chest---the language used In speak
ing and writing. Some have few
tools and use them well. Some
have many and use them mag
Observation-Disclosures. for in
stance. who uses more different
words than any other writer, or
Milton, who In mere USE of
words 10 perhaps the greatest
teacher.
Some have few words and use
them miserably. The average man
murders the fine English language
with vile slang and words half
uttered. Others have q vocabulary
too wide for their use, like q little
boy to whom q mans size chest of
tools II given.
An Of us need language moro
than any other one thing, even the
blind. deaf, and dumb that miracu-
lously learn to talk. and to take
spoken words through their finger
tips, placed on the mouth and the
throat Of the person speaking.
Language is the expression of
the only real life, that of the mind.
We must have words to express
thought, and words to think WITH,
for our thought is limited to our
words.
Try NOW to formulate any
clear thought in your mind with
out formulating 1t in words as
you 20 along. You cannot do it,
although some have asserted that
IL can be done.
You can FEEL affection for q
child, terror before a storm. But
you cannot plan to protect the
child or control the storm unless
you have words to formulate the
planning.
That animals cannot think, in
the real sense of the word, and,
therefore, could make no real
progress, is due to the fact that
they have no language. And they
have no language because they
lack, the thought that slowly, strug-
Cling, builds up speech from
grunting, whistlins, yelling and
making signs as our ancestors
used to do. .. ..
The language. that comes to us
30 easily represents half a million
years OF building and improve
ment. Language is a set of tools
as old as the rough flints with
which our ancestors fought 100000
years ago. -. -,...
Harper and Brothers, publishers.
offer ALIENS synonyms and Anto-
nyms." This book will enable you,
II you choose, to look up "other
words for saying the same thing"
and words directly opposed to the
word you have in mind"
Use of a book on, synonyms is
not recommended to young writer's
or speakers. Your vocabulary
should come spontaneously from
reading, your use OF 1t from think
ing and writing. The word that
you "look up" is quite sure to be
the wrong one.
Nevertheless, it pays to study q
book Of synonyms, as it pays to
study everything. Bacon's saying
that no knowledge could be foreign
to him Is q good motto for young
minds
The dividing Of words into fam
lilies will interest you.
AFFECTED words you know.
You meet them in sermons some
times, or in the greeting of would
be, superiority, or the young lady's
statement that she can never be
yours.
There are OBSOLETE words,
entirely dead, like the dodo, and
OBSOLESCENT words, almost
gone, like the bison.
There are BOOKISH words, such
rs ."tintinnabulation," perfectly
good words, but rarely met out
side of books. .-.-
And there are LEARNED
words and a learned style, as for
example, Herbert Spencer's defini-
ton of evolution, which begins:
Evolution is an integration Of
matter and a concomitant dissipa-
ton Of motion, during which the
matter passes from an indefinite,
incoherent homogeneity to a def
mite, coherent heterogeneity, etc.
Mr.. Spencer assured this writer
that nothing could be simpler than
his definition Of evolution.
COLLOQUIAL words, used only
in familiar conversation, as a
hideous example, How're va hold
in 'em?" There are respectable
colloquialisms, admitted to con-
versation, but not fit for lofty
speech or writing.
"Vacant in her interlunar cave"
Is lofty. Colloquialism would be
horrid there.
EUPHEMISTIC words, which
say what they mean with exag-
gerated politeness or softness, as
when you say politician" instead
4 "a