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Summary Of Big Words Are Fading But Many People Still Love Them

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Elizabeth Bernstein’s “Big Words are Fading, But Many People Still love Them” uses intentional diction and syntax to emphasize Bernstein’s bias. More specifically, colloquial diction, negative connotations, and various syntactic structures aid the author in achieving her purpose. Bernstein effectively conveys her meaning through the use of varied diction. Her ultimate bias is technology’s hinderance on people’s everyday vocabulary, and her love for big words suggests disapproval in their gradual disappearance. Although this article focuses on the decline of big words and the author’s prejudiced love for them, Bernstein uses phrases that are colloquial. Referencing dichotomous relationships, she states, “Add to this list language junkies …show more content…

The author’s bias is emphasized in the article, in that “technology is largely to blame for big words’ fade out.” The author feels that the scholarly words’ decreased usage is a direct result from technology, and is not good for the society as a whole because she loves these words. The whole paragraph, “Technology is largely to blame for...our language is becoming abbreviated”, is a restatement of a common point: technology is degrading society from a vocabulary standpoint. Also, the author mentions Ramsey Bahrawy, an elder-law attorney. Bernstein states that Bahrawy “stays away from “vicissitudes” and instead refers to “the changes that occur in your life” when talking to people with lower educations. Bernstein says that “you can’t be absolutely certain which words will be familiar to the person you are speaking with.” When speaking to someone, it is not certain they have a wide vocabulary, so it is paramount to know who the person is and their education level. Bernstein’s bias is exemplified in that technology negatively affects everyday …show more content…

First off, the author uses convolution to stress her idea. The author says that Jack Bonneman studied a spelling-bee booklet at grammar school. In addition, the author states, “One of his all-time favorite words, which he correctly spelled in fifth grade, is “otorhinolaryngology”, the study and treatment of diseases of the ears, nose, and throat.” The convolution in this sentence emphasizes how young Jack was when he learned such a complex word. In today’s society, due to technology, most fifth graders could not spell this word, provided they even heard it previously. This convolution further emphasizes Bernstein’s bias: technology’s degrading effects on society’s everyday vocabulary emphasizing her profound appreciation for big

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