How do you deal with unfamiliar words?

[innocentdemand]

It really depends. Usually I can derive meaning from context, and that is how I prefer to do it because it's one of those skills I utilize when I'm learning a new language, so it never hurts to flex those learning muscles that way. If it is difficult to get the meaning via context clues, then I turn to a dictionary.

[cherlyn]

Dealing with unfamiliar words is a hassle. However, you can base the definition off the context and guess what the definition is. Most of the time, you will be correct.

[Cyndel Maria]

Loveee this post because this is a common situation for me and because this is most definitely a common situation when reading Philip Roth. I love him, he's an amazing intellectual writer. I run into this issue when I read Kafka and Poe and Freud and a few months ago I tried starting C.S. Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters" and that's another one with constant new vocabulary every line. & don't get me started on reading The Scarlet Letter and Bukoswki in college! I agree that if the plot is driven enough you won't want to stop to research but I usually make myself either after the paragraph/excerpt or chapter because it bugs me. I'll make note of it, too. Along with new vocabulary I find this is a similar issue to running into historical facts that are unfamiliar as this happens often for me when I'm reading Orwell and Murakami or even small unknowns like when an author picks a real setting that exists and uses language or terms unfamiliar to you (this happens sometimes with John Irving and A LOT with Bukowski & Melville with all his fishing references!) Great post again though, definitely a common and relatable occurrence.

[DennisK]

Loveee this post because this is a common situation for me and because this is most definitely a common situation when reading Philip Roth. I love him, he's an amazing intellectual writer. I run into this issue when I read Kafka and Poe and Freud and a few months ago I tried starting C.S. Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters" and that's another one with constant new vocabulary every line. & don't get me started on reading The Scarlet Letter and Bukoswki in college! I agree that if the plot is driven enough you won't want to stop to research but I usually make myself either after the paragraph/excerpt or chapter because it bugs me. I'll make note of it, too. Along with new vocabulary I find this is a similar issue to running into historical facts that are unfamiliar as this happens often for me when I'm reading Orwell and Murakami or even small unknowns like when an author picks a real setting that exists and uses language or terms unfamiliar to you (this happens sometimes with John Irving and A LOT with Bukowski & Melville with all his fishing references!) Great post again though, definitely a common and relatable occurrence.

Welcome to the forum, Cyndel Maria. Like you, it bugs me when I find myself glazing over a passage without really understanding the author's intent. I don't like generalizing things that are intended to be specific.
Reading Roth is labor for me, but long after I return the book to its shelf, I find his stories stay with me. I mostly experience his stories after I finish reading. I can't say that to most of what I have been reading lately.
Some interesting references you've made ....

[constantine265]

Well, sometimes I can guess meaning by context, other times I have to check it in a dictionary (I'm not a native English speaker so it also helps in better understanding of the language.) Many people find it distracting, but it's really hard to distract me from a story if it's well told, I also don't understand the concept of spoilers - if movie or the book is good I trully enjoy them only on the second and subsequent views/reads.

[H0LD0Nthere]

Yes, this is how we learn words ... by experiencing them in context.

Of course, sometimes we make mistakes.

When I was a kid, I thought that "virtuous" meant being a snob - thinking you were better than others - because I I had only ever heard it used sarcastically, as in, "Oh, and you think you're so virtuous?" I can remember I often used to over-interpret words and jokes that way.

As a kid, I was usually able to figure out unfamiliar words from context. The exception was anything that looked like an unfamiliar proper name, acronym, code, or number. I would just skip it. Sometimes this habit would really damage my ability to understand, as when reading Reader's Digest articles.

Nowadays, the context almost always makes clear the ballpark meaning of a word. Often it's an entire concept, like a technical term in archery or art or something like that. If the word intrigues me, I keep an eye out for other instances of it so I can learn more, or Google it later. I usually use the dictionary only for words that I think are off-color and don't want to go through the embarrassment of asking someone.

I think that by reading and then further pursuing words you don't know, you are doing exactly what it takes to build your vocabulary. My hat's off to you. I do not have the patience that you do, to engage in pleasure reading with the book in one hand and the dictionary in the other.

Great topic.

Forgot to add, I once read a short story by Dorothy Sayers - a mystery starring Lord Peter - where the clue to the puzzle was buried in a bit of dialogue that was inserted into the middle of this English story ... in French! I guess that educated British readers of Sayers' day were all well versed in French, so she could do that.

[Gorrety Yogo]

I love unfamiliar words, they give you a deep sense of knowledge at every step of the way. Either when you check them up in the internet, dictionary, phone or just ask.

[dablaze]

Okay! At least everyone had learned something from today lesson. Thanks!

[Paras Juneja]

I would find words in dictionary or search it on google

[Cherrylollipop]

Hmm. I check the dictionary

-- 10 Mar 2017, 21:56 --

But I could guess the meaning of the words through the context sometimes

[lalalisa]

I will look at dictionary

[abhishek7081]

i take out my dictionary ASAP!

[Lincoln]

Since reading a couple of Philip Roth's books, I've been questioning the extent and accuracy of my own vocabulary. I found that reading him, aged the pages of my dictionary by a few years. I wonder how people, while reading, deal with words that are not familiar. As for myself, I use several techniques: If the story captivates me – if there is a lot of suspense, I tend to skip over unfamiliar words as long as I can keep the meaning of the story intact. Sometimes, I can glean the meaning of the word by its association within the subject matter and its use within the sentence. In fact, that is how I built most of my vocabulary. For example, I was watching a TED Talk that hosted Mr. Forbes who was talking about how people form coalitions with members who may not like each other. He used the word, antipathy a number of times. His use of the word made it quite clear that antipathy meant a dislike for another person. So, without having to look the word up, I learned a new word simply by experiencing its use. But my understanding of this word is very shallow. Looking the word up, I discovered that antipathy is a deep seeded, instinctive dislike toward anything – like, some people have an antipathy toward snakes, or spiders. Some people have an antipathy toward people with a different skin color, or a different culture, or religion. Instead of bigotry, and prejudice, I now can color this subject slightly different by using the word antipathy. The word prejudice is simply a preference of one thing over another, but antipathy … in that word is an element of fear and hate. This is a new perspective. Forget prejudice, how do we deal with antipathy? Such is the power of words, and a more robust vocabulary. To my shame, my vocabulary is rudimentary – I'm terrible with crossword puzzles, and most of my words were learned through experiencing their use – nothing scholastic. How often are you confronted with unfamiliar words while reading? How do you deal with them?

I try to figure them out by context. Sometimes I google!

[Jessica Samuelsen]

I utilize my dictionary feature on my e-reader a lot. That's how I learn a lot of new words. I also learn by experience so if I read that word and later it comes into a conversation or I see it in a video, I am more apt to learn it.

[Scerakor]

As a few people above have said, the e-reader is magical for exactly this purpose. I have become addicted to this technology to such a point that when I read hard copy books, I actually do think of touching and holding my page to look something up (I never actually do... don't worry)!