It seems some people are not happy to
simply appreciate the Grandiloquent Dictionary without critical
comments. So I shall give rebuttals to the common complaints here:
These aren't English - there
latin/greek/other
There are some non-English words that cannot easily be
translated, or that are just too interesting to omit. But remember that
English itself is a combination of many other languages. Should we only
include words originating in the pre-Roman invasion northern tribes? Or
only pre-Norman invasion words? And what about words that have been
invented in the last few decades?
But seriously, it is not possible to build a dictionary of
grandiloquence without borrowing heavily from latin and greek, which
have been the
languages of academia until recently.
My favourite word is not included!
Sometimes that is because I haven't encountered the word yet.
Usually it is because it seems too common to be included, or too
specific (such as chemical names or medical jargon) and only gets
included if it is amusing. If you are certain it is a good word to
include, feel free to send a note.
Why did you include this word when it
is common?
Usually because it is amusing, or not common at all. Sometimes
they are cultural words, common in one area of the world and not
others. Many of the words people claim are common have been sent by
other people who claim they are rare! Words like
schwa or
junta seem simple and common to me
and many others, and yet inevitably someone will ask me what they mean.
The definition is wrong!
Sometimes this happens, or there are two definitions for a word.
Some words have hundreds of slightly different meanings, depending on
cultural background. Some words simply cannot be defined in a few
sentences. I am almost always aware of the detailed meanings, but if I
wrote them down for every word it would never be published for you to
read.
The dictionary was never meant to be a detailed encyclopedia, only a
quick guide to the more interesting words contained within the English
language.
Why is there no pronunciation guide?
We are working on this, but it takes time and is not
always easy. Some words are sent to me with no such information, while
others have countless pronunciations dependent upon dialect.
Please
remember that this project is done in my less than copious free time,
and is provided at no expense solely because I am having fun writing it
for myself, and sharing it with other like-minded individuals. If you
do not like it, or disagree with it, please move on to something else
and don't waste my time or yours by criticizing it. All that will
accomplish is that people like me will quit providing free services and
all that will be left on the internet will be
professionally written commercial sites. I have already seen too
many friends on the internet end their sites as a direct result of a
few people who opt to make complaining and the general spreading of
crankiness their life's work.
And as I never wish to end on a
thought such as that, let me end by thanking the thousands of people
who have praised the site, contributed words to the site, or just had a
good laugh at it. The happiness that it brings is the only reward I
require.