I can't remember how old I was when I learnt the words 'denotation' (the definition of a word) and 'connotation' (the suggestion of a word). But I do remember feeling a little betrayed by the idea that there was a whole layer of language that couldn't quite be conveyed through a dictionary. Like most young people, I enjoyed learning but thought of it as something I would eventually be done with. At some age, I assumed, I would need to know everything. Understanding the nuances of language seemed like an obstacle to that goal.
It wasn't until after I graduated from college, and subsequently realized that there's no such thing as all-encompassing knowledge, that I was able to read for pleasure. A sense of curiosity, rather than desperate completism, steered me. I started to see dictionaries, inexact as they are, as field guides to the life of language. Looking up words encountered in the wild felt less like a failing than an admission that there are lots of things I don't know and an opportunity to discover just how many.
Bu hikaye Reader's Digest India dergisinin February 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Reader's Digest India dergisinin February 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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