• Ephera@lemmy.ml
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    5 months ago

    I guess, because it’s not necessarily known by everyone speaking the language. I didn’t know it. I’m not a native speaker, but neither are most English speakers.

    • dustyData@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I feel excited every time I find a new word, it means an opportunity to learn has just presented itself. I still semi regularly find new words, even in my native language. I love opportunities to grow and learn. I learn new languages explicitly to experience this more often.

      • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        I mean, I do, too. I love reading up on etymology. After a while, various words become self-explanatory, because you’ve seen their individual parts before.

        But for actually communicating with others, obvious words are really great. There’s beauty to “shortsightedness”, because even someone who’s never heard it, will have a guess what it means. They don’t need to look up the etymology, it’s smacked right into their face.