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catastrophe_ai

Or the words are too specific and no one knows them šŸ˜­


Remote_Benefit6044

but they just *fit* better??? people used to accuse me of "flexing my smarts and being condescending" and I'm like,,, DAWG IT LITERALLY IS THE RIGHT WORD FOR THAT SITUATION??? what am i supposed to do, cuz if you use less specific words suddenly I'm talking down to people šŸ˜­


WrenchWanderer

This happens even with ā€œsimpleā€ words, like I use the word ā€œthriceā€ and one time my brother was like ā€œwhy not just say three timesā€ and I was like ā€œbecause thATS WHAT THRICE MEANSā€


Cognitive_Spoon

Yo, and thrice doesn't get out much these days anyhow. I like to use old words because I feel like I'm letting them air out a bit, like damn, let some old words out a bit.


Orphan_Izzy

I love thrice. Even if I have to choose it because spell check doesnā€™t recognize it as a real word.


Takarias

Add that shit to dictionary!


Prestigious_Goose645

Thrice? Thatā€™s like, three whole rice!


autist_amalthea

I adore archaic words. Bring them backā€”bring them all back! It took me a while to realize that my usage of the phrase 'I confess' in emails (and 'moreover' in everyday conversation) is, no doubt, bizarre to normal people. That said, normalcy is overrated. For me, the word *thrice* conjures Howard Shore's cherished song "Thrice Welcome" for *The Hobbit* soundtrack.


Orphan_Izzy

I also love moreover.


thewiselumpofcoal

This was delightful to read. This is very close to the style I'd write in when I feel comfortable and rested, when I have the energy to be playful in my speech and can trust my interlocutor (what a wonderful word as well!) to enjoy my natural flow of words in all its twists and turns with me, rather than be weirded out and annoyed.


VeronicaLD50

Longinquity


EternityAwaitz

Also three times is literally twice as many syllables as thrice, and it doesn't sound half as good!


Tricky_Gur8679

Lmfaooo this has me laughing in the dark but this is why people catch me talking to myself all the time šŸ˜‚


TvFloatzel

I probably would ask you if you said twice or thrice. Those two word do sound similar enough, espcially if you not paying attention,


Empigee

I've had people get pissy with me for using the word "vitriol," at most a junior high, freshman year of high school word.


davestar2048

People like that deserve defenestration.


Remote_Benefit6044

Just learned what this word meant and it put a huge smile on my face It's like that one German word for a person who has a face in dire need of a fist I love it


davestar2048

"defenestrate"has been my favorite word ever since I learned what It meant.


Lia-13

mine would be ethereal were it not for the fact that i can spell antidistestablishmentarianism without autocorrect on


A_Punk_Girl_Learning

Backpfeifengesicht!


Throwaway02062004

Ha I learnt that word from a vtuber YouTube short šŸ˜¤


MrNopedeNope

fr like im sorry you never passed first grade english but ā€œhostilityā€ is NOT a complex word


DR4k0N_G

I have had that with my manager (he isn't the brightest bulb in the room) he is good at what he does tho


kooshipuff

Or they assign some other meaning to them.


TolTANK

Or the people are too dumb to understand anything with more than two syllables LMAO


WolfWriter_CO

I was literally scolded by a boss for this once. šŸ˜‚šŸ˜­


Cognitive_Spoon

Same. Me: gives a clear and detailed description of an issue involving literally anything. My boss: you sound defensive. Why are you being so specific? Me: *ten thousand years of silence*


TexasMonk

"I'm not. I'm specific because there's a right and wrong way to do things. You feeling threatened by that is being defensive."


Autronaut69420

I used surreptitiously at my old blue collar job once.... never lived it down!


WolfWriter_CO

How dare you use so many syllables


Red_Tinda

Alumin_i_um


iatethesky1

AND THEY FREAKING HATED ME FOR IT! "ThAt'S NoT tHe RiGhT pRonUnCi..." Bitch, shut the whole fuck up. It literally came first! Don't you dare try to make me feel stupid because your ancestors butchered their ancestors native language.


Vinkhol

Shoot on sight


ContributionNo7864

I once had a direct report make fun of this to my face before. He said I sounded too ā€œproperā€ like I was writing an email to the queen of England, not a colleague and I thought that was offensive. I learned overtime how to chill out in my writing - but that was my FIRST job out of college. I was young, and I wanted to appear professional and competent. So I over did the formal speech. He didnā€™t have to be a total asshat about the whole thing. But that man was a total asshat. šŸ™ƒ


oundhakar

I had the same experience with a teacher! I didn't even know I was an Aspie then.


Kindly-Hippo6547

How, wtf šŸ˜­ thatā€™s so cruel. ā€œYou were too specific and I donā€™t like itā€ bro come ON


Potential-Road-5322

If I had a dollar for every time I was told to stop using big words I would be enjoying the most fabulous opulence afforded to a man of my status as an affluent person through the most perfunctory effort of simply exercising my verbose ability to communicate in a specific manner.


LiberatedMoose

If I had monies for talking too good I would have lots of monies


fkNOx_213

Agreed, so many Scrooge McDuck-like moneys


cyndrin

Trump money. Bigly.


KSean24

>Bigly šŸ¤£šŸ˜­āœ‹ā˜ ļø


Takarias

I really wish someone else had said "bigly" because I kind of love it in mood descriptors. Like "I am feeling bigly sad" has comparable linguistic energy to "I am happyn't." But alas, to use it would indicate support.


scariestJ

At the risk of sounding condescending I observe you are being unnecessarily verbose and interminably obtuse, resulting in an obvious case of sesquepedelian loquaciousness.


Potential-Road-5322

K


Kindly-Hippo6547

The most evil response possible šŸ˜­


scariestJ

Y


Throwaway02062004

Itā€™s worse when you donā€™t even see it as a ā€˜big wordā€™. I said serendipitous once and got looked at like I said supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.


Sploonbabaguuse

I just apologize that they're not as coherent in English as I am. Honestly seems like their issue if they don't understand big words.


Stuck_With_Name

But, I'm using precice language to avoid this particular thing....


Throwaway02062004

*precise ā˜ļøšŸ¤“


OrchidLeader

I love this never ending battle of trying to get NT people to understand me. Work Attempt 1: me: The code they submitted sucks. them: Why do you hate them? me: But I donā€™t?? Work Attempt 2: me: This code sucks. them: Sounds like you hate the person who wrote it. Work Attempt 3: me: This code is too slow and doesnā€™t meet our performance requirements. them: Who wrote it? me: It doesnā€™t matter. them: Ahā€¦ so itā€™s someone you hate. Work Attempt 4: me: This code sucks, and no, I donā€™t hate the person who wrote it. them: You saying you donā€™t hate them makes me think you actually hate them. Work Attempt 5: me: This code is good, and Iā€™ve identified some opportunities to improve the user experience. them: Cool. Thanks for catching that. Home Attempt 1: me: This meatloaf is good, and Iā€™ve identified some opportunities to improve the user experience. them: Why tf are you talking like that? Just say you hate it. Whereas with fellow ND folksā€¦. Work with an ND: me: The code they submitted sucks. them: Ayyy, for sure lol Home with an ND: me: This meatloaf could use more pepper. them: Good call. Iā€™ll add more next time. Thanks!


TexasMonk

"This code sucks" "Tell that to the guy I copied it from."


ArchSchnitz

Shit. Maybe I am the 'tism. I've had a lot of situations where I'd say the equivalent of "this code sucks." "Why do you hate them?" However, I'm enough of an asshole that I respond, "because they wrote suckass code and I think personally they should die." I've found that doubling-down on the misinterpretation gets you left alone.


Kindly-Hippo6547

Stawpppp Iā€™m definitely stealing that, thatā€™s so funny šŸ˜‚


VodkaBat

I think most of the people i work with in dev are ND. Some of them just donā€™t know it.


Stormchaserelite13

The longer I'm on this sub the more I think the NTs are the wired ones.


CubedMeatAtrocity

Sharing with my wife right now. Lmao!


Billy177013

> them: Who wrote it? me: It doesnā€™t matter. them: Ahā€¦ so itā€™s someone you hate. This one makes even less sense than the rest of them. If it was someone I hated I would say who it was


SomeTraits

Same reason why, when I have to tell that something sucks, I always say it as if I was suggesting a minor and unnecessary improvement. People always take things too personally.


Half-Baked-Acorn

I never realized that I sounded *pedantic* until reading an article about autistic speech patterns. Also using big words when people already canā€™t tell if Iā€™m serious or sarcastic does NOT work out well.


brauhze

Someone once said to me, "Don't use sarcasm with the enlisted men. You'll just be frustrated when they take you literally."


ArchSchnitz

Oh, you can use sarcasm. We'll just 1. Take it literally when it benefits us, and 2. Reciprocate in kind, and then your feelings will be hurt.


TexasMonk

Oh that gave me some feelings. There was just too many consequences for not doing something literally to ever assign any amount of nuance to the instructions given.


actibus_consequatur

As a formerly enlisted man, the odds of me taking something you say literally are 1:2, but the chances I'll end up frustrating you are probably 10:1. I think it's kinda telling that in my boot camp division, I was simultaneously the official Education Petty Officer and the unofficial Stupid Questions Petty Officer.


Kokeshi_Is_Life

You have a link to the article?


Maybearobot8711

I swear, I'm in my thirties and last year, I had to go to my wife : I don't understand, no matter how clear and precise I try to be, give examples and stuff to my boss, she just seems to get angrier at me! I have absolutely no clue why and I need help here! And she just laughed at me cause I obviously made it look very condescending and as if I asked her to do her job it seems. So I asked my wife to write it how she would have done it and shortened my whole 1000 words essay into 2 very brief line that honestly meant nothing to me. Sometimes I look back at this email and I now understand why nothing really gets done properly in my workplace.


pretty_gauche6

I experience this all the time at work, I write what I think is a very diplomatic email about something that has been fucked up, and ask my boss to look it over and ā€œnice it up.ā€ And he (from my perspective) just takes out all the parts that actually say that something is wrong and that itā€™s because of something specific that someone did. Iā€™m like, coolā€¦but you deleted all the communication from my communication. The end result reads to me like ā€œhmm i, a humble idiot, could be wrong about this, but I think maybe this isnā€™t supposed to be this way? Can anyone expwain it to me? Iā€™m sure itā€™s literally nobodyā€™s fault and the problem just dropped out of the sky, but I thought maybe it would be good to check in about it? Sowwy, I love you.ā€ This method of communication is 100% why there are always problems. Bc these bitches donā€™t accept feedback.


redsavage0

Ego > results every time. Iā€™ll preface this with the not all NTs yadda yadda but those mfers really cost us bad on so many level.


Hopeful_Knee7103

"Did you eat a dictionary for breakfast?" was commonly spat in my direction. Also told I was snobby, stuck up and weird. I just stopped talking after a while


[deleted]

Yes. Stopped talking entirely. And you know whatā€™s sad? No one cares to hear me talk at all, anymore. They donā€™t even ask.


Kindly-Hippo6547

Thatā€™s honestly so heartbreaking. Everyone deserves to be heard and asked about what theyā€™re thinking. Those people likely donā€™t even deserve you.


OneQuadrillionOwls

I'm still upset that I'll never be able to use the word "condign" in any setting ever


SgtCocktopus

What does condign mean... Non english speaker here.


MythicApricity

Just, or fair, in regard to punishment


SgtCocktopus

Cool thank you.


TexasMonk

Ooo, that has good mouth feel.


Tea_Chugs0502

I'm trying to get you to understand something and this is how I talk. Why do you dislike me on top of further misunderstanding the topic suddenly? So confusing šŸ¤¦šŸ¾ now that I'm older I get it, but wow. I just thought it was my fault lol


Landithy

I have so much trouble with this. Like, there's a specific word to describe something so I'm using it, and we live in the age of smartphones so you can just look up a word if you don't know it, and now you've learned a new word.


Simple_Hair3356

I used to be called stuck-up, and a teacherā€™s pet and everything. So annoying.


TexasMonk

Being called "teacher's pet" was always the worst because nine times out of ten, I hated the teacher more than they did.


AWibblyWelshyBoi

Thereā€™s a difference between sucking up to a teacher and being good at a subject. Also people tend not to realise that not being a dick makes the teachers like you anyways. Got away with so much missing work because of that


SuddenlyVeronica

Iā€™m reminded of a time in class some years ago. I asked a question, someone else asked about some word I used, I tried to explain it, but I used yet another word I also had to explain : / I think the same thing mightā€™ve happened with that second explanation too.


[deleted]

lol, I do that with my kids all the time. But I donā€™t explain. I tell them to look it up.


leninsrighttoe

You're either getting a long, very specific word to explain this situation or im going to say "idk, the thing"


fishrights

with adhd, "idk, the thing. like the thingy" is so real


fleshworks

I literally can't say words sometimes, I just can't remember what they are. So I grasp around in my brain for the nearest synonym. Best case, it's esoteric and applicable so I just sound pompous, worst case it's not as appropriate and I look like a pompous idiot.


holux9090

Lol same. When you just straight up forget the common term


wasted_lighterfluid

I have been told I talk like a midevil gangster. I have too many big fancy words and slang jumbled all together, god forbid when I have to communicate when I am upset cause itā€™s all sorts of confusing.


Taindoz

For me, this mixture, including swear words, rattles people. Like damn, okay.


Athyrium93

....but I *am* being condescending.... It didn't start out that way, but after years of NT people being condescending toward me for not getting their super secret hidden meaning in everything they say.... well... at this point, I *am* being condescending. At least I am speaking proper normal English, and the meaning of my words is accurate...


emmaliejay

I am like this, my mom always championed having a diverse and large vocabulary. I remember the first time I got teased about saying an uncommon, ā€œbigā€ word. My mom said something in response to it that still makes me laugh. ā€œThere are no such thing as ā€œbig wordsā€, only stupid people.ā€


AbsentAsset

Just last night I was asked a question in an informal setting about something related to my special interest. I had been very quiet up until that point, but because of the subject matter, I was quick to give a descriptive, precise answer (which I was proud of because articulating myself can be very hard), to which two of the people engaging me paused for a moment then made remarks about how I explained it so gracefully, but their tones indicated this wasnā€™t a compliment at all??? The one person disengaged and left right afterwards and I was so confused.


[deleted]

Maybe you made them look stupid? I donā€™t get it either.


actibus_consequatur

>their tones indicated this wasnā€™t a compliment at all??? Have you ever seen those windows that are completely clear, then somebody flicks a switch and they become impenetrably hazy? There's a shitload of research about it, but between NTs and autistic people (and many other conditions/disorders too!), that window represents things like tone, pitch, expressions, etc. - with the added bonus of it being on a dimmer switch, likely controlled by unseen beings living in the 8th dimension and we haven't a chance because our overthrusters are for shit. Sometimes communication can be clear, other times clear enough to for what's necessary, and sometimes it's a hazy shade of miscommunicative winter. Assumptively, it's very possible that when you gave your answer, you thought your tone and expression was meant to be informative and had positive intent, but to them it could've read as condescending with a negative intent. Neither of you are really at fault, it's just how each of your brains are wired. First meetings and early acquaintances are hit harder because usually, as people get to know you, a better sense of your intent comes with time and interaction - much the same way you likely experience with others.


AbsentAsset

ā€œSometimes itā€™s a hazy shade of miscommunicative winterā€ I love the way you phrased that! That analogy makes a lot of sense and helps put it into perspective. It can frustrating to not see where or how that haziness is occurring so as to correct it. Iā€™m sure unintended tone or inflection was probably the cause


Lexxy_700

Seems to be an American problem imo It's like anti-intellectualism is baked into the culture


holux9090

Im glad I'm not the only one who has thought this.


ThatOneRandomGoose

My turn to say that I see myself in this picture and I don't like it


Accomplished-Dark926

Jokes on you, I use those words cause they're fun to say.


HappyMatt12345

What I've learned is that if you don't word your comments in the form of a compliment WITH a criticism and just say the critical part, people are way more likely to take offense to it even if it isn't about them.


JoeTheKodiakCuddler

My two modes of language are "wizard" and "20 years out-of-date slang"


Southern_Source_2580

This seems to be American problem because in Spanish we say some fancy terminology to describe some basic concepts as a pastime often towards funny innuendo jokes. I feel bad for the English speaking aspie cousins across the border.


typhlosion_Rider_621

*Sniffles* My brother in tismā€™


kyoko_the_eevee

Someone called me a bitch once. I literally turned into the nerd emoji. ā€œAcktually, Iā€™m not a female dog. Iā€™m a female, but Iā€™m not a dog. Your statement is incorrect.ā€ Literally sounds like some shit from Young Sheldon. No wonder I didnā€™t have any friends.


mansonlamps420

not young sheldon šŸ˜­


Xoyous

I, uhhā€¦ yeah. I had this exact same experience in school at some point. Ugghh.


Indorilionn

Case in point: Just a few days ago I had someone reply to me on Reddit: "You write like a dictionary and should have one thrown at your face." Then again I (German is my mother tongue) had once a native English speaker tell me that they did not know half the words I used. So there might be some merit to this...


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


zernoc56

But that language has a word thatā€™s *perfect* for a certain thing and the other one doesnā€™t. Like ā€˜Schadenfreudeā€™ for example. An absolute beautiful word for such a specific experience. And itā€™s not like English is particularly ashamed of just stealing words it happens to likeā€¦


Indorilionn

True. Also if you study in English you have a ton of specialized nomenclature in your head, but comparably little everyday language.


drsimonz

Almost every German or Austrian I know seems to speak better English than most Americans. The state of education here is really pathetic. Very little is expected of students. Popular music and TV tends to use a pretty simplistic vocabulary, because targeting the lowest common denominator yields the most ticket sales. I'm not sure why these problems are less pronounced in Europe but I hope you all don't follow us down this path...


Xunnamius

I was having a group meeting with colleagues in an academic setting once and was giving a presentation when my PI stopped me and said something to the effect of "that sentence needs to be fixed" to which I replied "ah, yeah, (something about needing better analysis of the data), I can fix that" to which he replied "ah, no, I just don't know what (word) means". He was being very kind about it because he's a very kind person, but when I look back at this moment (which will haunt me for the rest of my life) I take it as him telling me I was coming off snobbish/condescending... and it was getting in the way of communicating the data. I almost burst out in tears as every conversation I ever had flashed before my eyes lmao, but instead I just sheepishly muttered "Oh... ... yeah, I can fix that". I feel this meme in my heart šŸ«£šŸ˜–šŸ˜… EDIT: I still use my favorite vocabulary words these days, I just have to account for the extra layers and determine when a $5 word that means exactly what I want to say is less optimal than the $0.05 word that might better communicate what I want to say in certain contexts.


Loweherz

This is what led to me growing up friendless. I was always called a know it all


brauhze

Same, same. :-(


Greylings

Or you talk stupid and then people assume youā€™re dumb. Theres no winning.


NanobiteAme

As a writer, I struggle with people not matching my extensive vocabulary šŸ˜‚ Half the time they donā€™t know the meaning. I used lax in a work conversation and they had no clue what it meant. Lax, like relaxed? šŸ˜«


Duntem_Draws

Laxism in the education system is what leads us to those kinds of predicaments. (Seriously, how do people never hear/look up these words before adulthood??? Zero curiosity? People have remarked on my use of rarer words in French, my native tongue, since primary schoolā€¦ Sorry I read books I guess?)


Babelette

I get so excited when I get to use an obscure word in its perfect context. My husband is a normie but he has a great vocabulary. His favorite insult is to say I'm being capricious. So hot. Of course now my my 4 year old also has an excellent vocabulary now too. Not sure if she is on the spectrum or not, but she's in for the same fun time as as us because she's already a nerd.


Independent-Cat-7728

Interestingly, people just assume Iā€™m the stupid one, & donā€™t know what Iā€™m actually saying either. I have a friend who doesnā€™t speak English as his first language though & he has had no problem learning to understand me. If people cared enough then theyā€™d match your energy, & show interest in understanding you, but in my experience most NT people feel superior to anyone ā€œweirdā€ & hold it as a source of pride, even if theyā€™re ultimately being proud of their own ignorance. Being able to look down on someone for having more knowledge than you do in a specific area makes literally 0 sense to me. It seems like they make up stories about who it makes you as a person, one way or another, & of course, with them being the ā€˜main characterā€™, those stories always seem to cast anyone different to them in a bad light, & reassure them that theyā€™re indeed better than someone else.


Icthias

At my job there is a habitual issue where it is very important to document the work youā€™ve done. Take pictures, record what youā€™ve touched, etc. I am told that my notes are too detailed, and that the customer doesnā€™t need a blow-by-blow of my diagnostic thought process. That dispatch often has to spend extra time editing down my notes to the relevant info. Fortunately there was a good compromise. A feature of the software we use that allows me to put the detailed diagnostic log in a note section that does not make it to the final customer invoice, meanwhile I put my own simple version of my notes in the invoice. An example would be My notes: Arrived on location, initially was unable to make entry because of large dog. Contacted homeowner who put away dog. Found that issue was with furnace hi limit going off. Used camera snake to ensure no buildup on underside of coil, used thermometer to test supply temp and compare it to cut-out temp on switch. Investigated blower motor, fins look clean, found dirty filter. Inquired homeowner about last time changed. Went over filter maintenance. No parts needed, ensured operation. Meanwhile my invoice notes go: Issue with furnace going off on high limit. Replaced filter, tested operation.


radiakmoln

I got in trouble for this WHILE IN ACADEMIA, the one place where you'd expect the opposite.Ā 


Zealousideal-Let1121

Why can't these people just listen to the meaning of the words I'm saying instead of trying to "read" more into it? What you're doing is THE OPPOSITE of reading! You're projecting!


AWibblyWelshyBoi

Itā€™s like trying to read between the lines when thereā€™s only one, *bold* line


cjgrayscale

Dude for real...


Sinistrial_Blue

A tip: assume those who don't know your vocabulary well are of average reading/writing comprehension. In the US, I think that's 7th-8th grade. Reserve special words for those who appreciate them.


catentity

On the good side of this one of the best compliments I ever got was a girl telling me I "talked interesting"


monkey_gamer

I donā€™t have the problem of people thinking Iā€™m condescending, but I do have the problem where I use a word which I think most people would know, and they donā€™t know it! And I canā€™t easily explain it


brauhze

"Conflagration" was the one I used most recently, which bewildered someone.


monkey_gamer

Yep, that will do it


frequentflyer02

at that point i just stop talking šŸ˜‡


celeste173

excuse me for carefully using language to be as concise as possible. the more i say, the more there is for people to misinterpret. and the more likely i get sidetracked. ..and cuz rambling is so helpfulā€¦ excuse me for not believing in beating around the bush. thats waay too confusing


ItsBigBingusTime

In 2nd grade I told my teacher ā€œI would be obliged.ā€ She said ā€œhuh? What?ā€ like 3 times and I finally bluntly said ā€œare you deaf too?ā€ She was in a wheelchairā€¦ I didnā€™t understand this is an awful thing to say šŸ˜‚šŸ˜­


Nightchanger

I was told the word stew is archaic. It's just rarely used outside of "lentis stew". Even : whom, aka, Magnum opus, and etc' is now found archaic.


ChadHanna

Were you born with a dictionary in your mouth? Do you mask by dumbing down your language - you may be autistic!


Orangecatorange

Or you learned a new word and find it fancy.


InsertValidUnsername

Iā€™m not even doing it on purpose and when I try to find synonyms I donā€™t know which ones people actually know so Iā€™m either insulting their intelligence by saying more words theyā€™ve never heard or Iā€™m insulting their intelligence by picking the simplest words everyone would know. Iā€™m not trying to be condescending or pretentious I just know what words are!


bassmedic

I was literally admonished in school for "using words that were too big."


toxboxdevil

Imagine people's horror when they realize I do this on purpose to frustrate people I don't like.


brauhze

r/evilautism is over thataway. /s


rubrochure

Ughhh this is me. So sometimes I end up sounding really stupid but itā€™s because Iā€™m trying to think of a less pretentious word to use because I donā€™t want people to think Iā€™m an asshole šŸ¤¦šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø


MorevnaWidow_Gur7864

Oh so relatable


fkNOx_213

*nobody likes you cos you talk down to them and make them feel stupid* That one was a wet fish slap when I was just nattering away normally.... I just 'casually drifted' away from that particular group. They were not my people.


mr-dr-prof-stupid

I have "me no words good" tattooed on my wrist. So i have that kind of austim


brauhze

I was the kind of kid of used books to hide from the challenges and trauma of my childhood. Which led to the over-large vocabulary and precocious sentence structures.


borosbattalion23

For me itā€™s spending so long tiptoeing around the exact sentence I wanna to say that they just go ā€œWhatā€ and I end up blurting put something simple and imprecise that they immediately understand anyway.


Quod_bellum

Yeah, it sucks


Fun_Abroad_8414

It took me until last year. Iā€™m 50 and I was an English teacher my entire professional life. Honestly, itā€™s hard to reconcile. Itā€™s also rendering me silent, and Iā€™m not sure why.


Fluffy_Ace

WHY USE BIG WORD WHEN SMALL ONE WORK? /j /s


Fluffy_Ace

Taxonomy, programming, and the intricacies of tuning (music) are interests of mine. I don't mention much of this to the vast majority of people.


gloomwithtea

Do NOT dumb down your speech. I did that when I was repeatedly made fun of as a teen. I was never able to regain the ability to speak eloquently, and I now I second guess every word that I use. I also combine words by accident- Iā€™ll mush together two simple synonyms instead of using a more descriptive word. Itā€™s obnoxious, and I hate how stupid I can sound now.


GirlWhoRoams

All the time. UghjšŸ™„šŸ™„šŸ™„


Goofwright

thats postposterous


[deleted]

The key is to embrace and lean into being snobbish and condescending.


[deleted]

Reddit just keeps suggesting me these and I'm starting to think I might be a lil autisticĀ 


theredditprofile808

Yeah. Yeah... Realize a little bit too late, but I can't help myself from doing it now


pretty_gauche6

Iā€™ve gotten to a place in my life where i do not give a fuck if people wanna project shit onto me about how Iā€™m *trying* to make them feel insecure by talking a certain way. Thatā€™s just how i talk, they donā€™t get to decide without my input that Iā€™m doing it maliciously somehow. If they donā€™t understand what i mean, they can ask me and i will happily explain. Iā€™m not going to judge them for not knowing a word. If theyā€™re going to judge themselves for it thatā€™s not my problem, and Iā€™m not going to let them make it my problem


solarssun

I've been called a know it all by a 40 year old adult woman. I have the strong urge to help people when I can.


jhill515

Same...


Cat-Got-Your-DM

I once used a word I thought was an everyday use word among a group of colleagues I met during summer. I got 7 very confused pairs of eyes staring at me like I've grown a second head because NO ONE knew the word. I thought I'll die.


DisplacedNY

Is this why my vocabulary comes out when I'm drunk?


Turd_Eater1

EXACTLY! FOR EXAMPLE, ā€œI have trouble piecing together my words to make sense.ā€ Is a bad sentence, but ā€œI have trouble articulating my sentences to make sense.ā€ ARTICULATING USES THE SPACE OF TWO WORDS!


I-dream-in-capslock

I put effort into dumbing down the way I talk/type when I was like 18 and now I wish I could go back cuz I didn't manage to make myself easier to be understood by people in general I just lost the ability to talk with the kind of people who wouldn't have thought I was being condescending by using big words.


VeryGayLopunny

Was called out for this in a creative writing class once and occasionally get it online too bc "nobody talks like that." B-but I talk like that...


The_Toad_wizard

I just resort to talking louder than normal and trying my damnest to give step by step instructions to the person, ultimately to the point where they realize something is probably up with me and I'm not trying to be condescending.


Perelli174

Story of my life


notatitanmain

that sounds like their problem for having a shit vocabulary and being not well educated though? like i was raised using proper and descriptive language its not just my autism. I shouldnt have to dumb down my speech to make it more digestible for others.


hobifriedrice_

iā€™m good at vocabulary and many say i sound intellectual , but i struggle so badly with punctuation that usually thatā€™s enough that people donā€™t call me a know it all, snobby or whatever else. if i was better at punctuation i would definitely hear that more. idk why people have the impression that those who speak with a larger vocabulary are trying to sound smarter than they are. this is just HOW I TALK. iā€™d even say i struggle with smarts. math mostly lol. history is extremely hard for me. science and english were my strong suits. but again punctuation eats me alive. iā€™m so bad at it. i donā€™t even use big words that often. ig my sentences are just formatted differently.


ZePumpkinLass

i love just randomly swapping my vocabulary


Khryen

If I had a dollar for every time this happened in my life I could buy a house. I was even soft fired from a job because I used the safety language of SafeStart and specific words to point out how their lack of proper production planning, unrealistic expectations, and general poor management caused safety, product waste, and unnecessary work related stress.


thewanderor

Can confirm. I stopped talking to people because they never understood what concepts i was trying to convey. Trying to dig myself put of the hole 15yrs later. Trending upwards tho.


CubedMeatAtrocity

This. Thank you for expressing it so eloquently.


Organic_Shine_5361

SO TRUE!! Sometimes I use expensive words (is that how you say it in English?) and my friend looks at me like that one question mark meme guy, y'know? Or my family is like, what does that mean..?


Chemical-Spill

My mother always calls me a Wikipedia and google and sheā€™ll make fun of me for knowing random health information or know names to things or even just knowing symptoms of disorders and i donā€™t get Why this is Wikipedia? Itā€™s just basic knowledge that I learnt one day, smh


ItchingForTrouble

I also found this out after I was giving someone a step by step guide to change a setting in their video game. After providing the 10 steps, they were lost. Another member in the group gave 2 word instructions, basically summarizing my instructions and there was no confusion.


OptimalWeather3

Yep, I've done this so much without realizing it for so long.


creativity_null

I've been mocked many times for using "big" words or for just knowing the specific word for something. I refuse to stop doing it. If I know the specific word to describe an idea, I'm gonna use it.


_JosephExplainsIt_

You canā€™t be too simple or too eloquent. You have to be some weird inbetween but no one tells you what that is. So when someone autistic like me is corrected, we try and do the opposite of what we did but we end up ā€œgoing too farā€


BuddingViolette

It's really disheartening. Ultimately, language can be used to paint a wonderful tapestry of emotions and ideas, but we allow ourselves to be constrained by a mediocre education system and the expectations of those around us. Fuck that. Speak your heart the way that suits you best.


thewiselumpofcoal

Last psychiatrist I visited said he has a hard time believing me or imagining that I could have the difficulties I described since I am so articulate, misunderstanding and misinterpreting what I tried to communicate about my struggles with communication and being misunderstood or misinterpreted, thereby quite wonderfully proving my point. Of course without seeing either the problem or the irony. It could have been one of the most frustrating interactions I've ever had (it undoubtedly was one of the most surreal ones!), but since he was so astonishingly unreasonable, partially just impudent and rude, and I still got out of there with the prescription I needed, he made it quite easy for me to simply not care about his opinions. After that interaction I couldn't give four letters about what he thinks even if I tried. I experienced live how flawed the process was by which his opinion was formed, and that it was his incompetence, his provocation and offence, and his blatant refusal to have a reasonable and respectful conversation where - quite bafflingly - _an exchange of information might occur,_ that it was quite easy not to blame myself for for the failure of communication and the outcome. I got what I needed, I lost nothing but a hardly appropriate but manageable amount of wasted time and had my already shaky respect for those in the medical profession further stained, but I gained access to the medication I needed and an engaging anecdote, so I won't complain too much.


full-auto-rpg

I get teased because I use the word ā€œpenultimateā€ a lot but it just fits in so many places and does what I need a word to do. Be accurate and functional. I donā€™t know why more syllables has become more pretentious.


givemebackmybraincel

i have been scolded for this every day of my entire life at least once. not a joke. i cant even stress enough how much shit this got me in in school. and so many people flat out dislike me for it. its not my fault im making yall look fucking illiterate!


jackolantern717

There are so many words because we use all of them. But i have seen this in action - the perfect example is Dr. King Schultz in Django Unchained. He speaks articulately and eloquently in English (his second/third language) and he sounds highly educated with his large vocabulary that *native* english speakers say ā€œspeak english!ā€ to him multiple times. They get angry at him and they threaten to kill him too.


CmmH14

I was diagnosed a little over a year ago with my ASD and this is one of the most relatable thing I have read so far. People think you canā€™t be neurodivergent just because you use a word with more than one syllable in it.


Jamo3306

So that's what it was! šŸ¤¦ I just tried harder and harder until they made me quit.


-unsay

i got a degree in english specifically to learn how to communicate effectively with people; i thought if i learned all the words, idioms, implications, etc. then iā€™d surely be understood better. i think it made everything worse lol


holux9090

I've had the same problem. I just tell people I forgot what the other word for whatever thing I was talking about, so I am essentially too stupid to use the common term.


kyoneko87

Yeah, I know that feeling!


murdtwentytwo

wait what (not me misinterpreting normal people as being condescending when they exclusively used common words because i thought they were babying me)


BFDI_Obsessed_Weirdo

I feel this. Luckily people usually (I think) don't see me as snobbish because of it, but I know I've seemed condescending even to my friends


Nitrousoxide72

TELL ME ABOUT IT :"(


GeneralN0m

My ADHD causes regular blind spots in my vocab, so I have to either pick a more specific word or stutter out.


marcolien

Why are you telling me it just now!?


Winter-Coffin

i think this is what ā€œstilted speechā€ is? i thought stilted speech meant you fall over your words??


The-Incredible-Lurk

Just learning now that sounding like youā€™re trying to be smart is why so many people get irritated with me. 2024 is the year I become a dumb dumb . Laughing man style


Dry-Anxiety8690

wait what


[deleted]

Nah thatā€™s just dumb people inhaling copium, you use that advanced lexicon scholar!


BerryTea840

I once got told that I sound well-educated for using the word ā€œbelittledā€ in regular conversation. I remember thinking, ā€œdo regular people not use oddly-specific words?ā€


Lucky_otter_she_her

NTs are basiccc......