I have a few memories of my mom as a child, not because she is dead or ran away when I was young, but because I have a terrible memory. One, she used to read to me every night until I was able to do so myself, and two, she used to tell me time and time again when a “dirty word” would slip out of my mouth that “people curse out of ignorance.” Although I have seen a lot of cursing amongst the educated grad students and teachers alike, it has become something that I think holds some weight.
Do we engage in a richer experience through complex vocabulary? Or is that we just have a more clear and expressive way to describe our experience? It seems that now as an adult (to be debated), I use curses when I want to be emphatic or humorous or highlight an emotion. My mind does not bring me first to a curse because I am unable to think or find another word that would better describe what thoughts I am trying to solidify with words. As an avid reader and writer, I live a life that is quite dramatic in my own head, turning average events and mundane memories into fantastical story arcs. I don’t know that a richer vocabulary enhances our experience, but I would say that it enhances the way we are able to express ourselves.
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