Do you have to dumb down what you say?

[polorsport]

I don't know if it's just me with my friends and family. But, almost without exception anytime I am asked to explain something I get a

face. And a pause. Then I have to explain it all over again in a moresimple facet. I find this really aggravating. Many times will just say forget it. Let me fix it, or due it. Or just say forget about it. This is especiallytrue when dealing with anything to do with electronics. Anything at all. I really never make things technical. I actually think I have an average vocabulary atbest for having a BA in business.

Just One Example. At a family party yesterday. A friend of mine wanted to setup Guitar Hero 3 for the kids. She plugged in two control pads and it didn'twork. Keep in mind this is her ps2 and her games. That she has had for at least two years. Loading screen does its thing. She grabs the two guitars for thegames. She then hits all the frets on the guitar nothing happens. It's now considered "broken." I'm called to "fix it". I ask ifthey have the receivers for the Guitars.

from everyone. I pause and change what I say. Do you have the littleboxes that go into the ps2. They have Red Lights when plugged in. One of my cousins yells out. He means does it have batteries in it. At first I get

. Then just

. No the receivers. The small boxes next to the tvhave to be plugged into the ps2. Again

from my whole family. Then I get on the move. I'll do it. (Don't even get me started on how I blew there mind with the code to unlock all the songs.) My friend is a lawyer for a prestigious firm.

 

[carlosdapaperboy]

yes, especially when I express myself and engage in discourse with others while using distinguished and intelligent vernacular. People will abscond me formy superior choice of vocabulary while simultaneously resorting to their long-term memory in an attempt to decipher and ultimately comprehend what I have justspoken. When they do in fact fail miserably at understanding the proportions of our conversation, I then indeed resort to simple and understandable vernacularthat is easily processed through the minds of these vacuous individuals.

 

[geminifly]

i go through this all time, in particular during general conversation. Im a journalism major and I have always had an
extensive vocabulary, but rarely do I use words that I think someone should not be able to comprehend. Yet, nearly
every time I speak to someone I either get hit with a stoneface, dead silence or a "I dont know what you just said means"
type response. It kills me because people will say "your trying to talk White" or "your trying to be smart" when in actuality
in my mind I'm speaking in an everyday casual conversational vernacular.

I often times, especially when meeting women or talking to them for the first time on the phone, find myself being fastidious
with my words, as to not jar them with the "White talk" I try to dumb it down, word to Lupe. MInd you, I generally
get this reaction from college age young people and older folks, these are not kids. Many women have called me
weird for the way I talk and love to hit me with the "why you talk like that" or "what that mean?". Its always tough to keep
a conversation rolling fluidly when someone has called you out for using foreign words. At that point, I tend to just
start using words like "nah", "jea" and cursing after every couple of words. I find that that usually smooths things
over and makes the conversation less awkward.

This bothers me to no end but I really have no way around it. I guess I just have an odd way of speaking or something.

 

[tmukg21]

depends on the age. if its a little kids yeah. dudes and females on a college campus, no.
By no means should you be using a thesaurus every time you speak though

, if its natural people will know.

If you gotta change you language for friends, you might need new friends.

 

[krazy]

Well, I like to sound smart, so not really

. I feel dumb myself if I have to dumb down words. On the contrary, sometimes I'm too lazy to interpret whatsomeone says so I just say, "what do you mean?" lol.

 

[sylvestermcgrizzly]

Often.... that's y I usually don't say much...

 

[iblink]

Sometimes. I take it easy though because some people think I'm trying to stunt since I'm in college.

 

[israel5ekla]

yes, some people are extremely stupid and dumb.

no common sense is common.

 

[dey know yayo]

CoolLiquidFlam- your statement is literally 100% wrong.

 

[ryda421]

@ being a walking thesaurus

-smile

back to topic, yes, this happens quite often, smh @ having to break a sentence down more than twice.

 

[physicx]

i hate it when i dumb something down for a group of people, but then theres one cat with them who knows exactly what im talking about and gives me a

 

[polorsport]

Geminifly. I couldn't agree more.

 

[ydbounce]

I have this problem all the time.
Not to say I'm a genius, far from it.
There are instances where I have to explain what I said and what I mean but it depends on who I'm talking to.
Older people never have a hard time understanding me, but when I talk to most, not all, ppl my age I get the stoneface or they'll just gang up on me , ifits an arguement.

I usually get put into the "weird" bracket.

 

[chris steez]

Originally Posted by PoloRSport

I don't know if it's just me with my friends and family. But, almost without exception anytime I am asked to explain something I get a

face. And a pause. Then I have to explain it all over again in a more simple facet. I find this really aggravating. Many times will just say forget it. Let me fix it, or due it. Or just say forget about it. This is especially true when dealing with anything to do with electronics. Anything at all. I really never make things technical. I actually think I have an average vocabulary at best for having a BA in business.

Just One Example. At a family party yesterday. A friend of mine wanted to setup Guitar Hero 3 for the kids. She plugged in two control pads and it didn't work. Keep in mind this is her ps2 and her games. That she has had for at least two years. Loading screen does its thing. She grabs the two guitars for the games. She then hits all the frets on the guitar nothing happens. It's now considered "broken." I'm called to "fix it". I ask if they have the receivers for the Guitars.

from everyone. I pause and change what I say. Do you have the little boxes that go into the ps2. They have Red Lights when plugged in. One of my cousins yells out. He means does it have batteries in it. At first I get

. Then just

. No the receivers. The small boxes next to the tv have to be plugged into the ps2. Again

from my whole family. Then I get on the move. I'll do it. (Don't even get me started on how I blew there mind with the code to unlock all the songs.) My friend is a lawyer for a prestigious firm.

HUH?....i have NO idea what the hell you wereranting about...















Sike....happens to me ALL the itme...i'll use a word like "belligerent"...ill get a HUH or a stoneface...not to put myself on a pedestal but ihave a higher vocabulary then most people around me or where i come from...

 

[verbatim]

"G, they told me I should come down cousin,
but I flatly refuse I ain't dumb down nothing."

 

[send one]

Since moving to Fla. yes.

And I've had to speak slower.

 

[the black james bond]

I do, and it's to the point where I instinctively adjust to the level of the person I'm speaking to, out of fear that they won't get what I'msaying. And I HATE doing that.

 

[jawnyquest]

yea.. that's why i dont talk.

 

[mrflightclub23]

Originally Posted by SylvesterMcGrizzly

Often.... that's y I usually don't say much...

Same here

 

[npa07]

allll the time! i swear its like people didnt attend one day in school. its one of the main reasons i hate explaining myself

 

[toy collector123]

Uhh. I know how to say what I want to say when communicating--word to bill clinton. People understand because I've been called the mini barack obama.

 

[torgriffith]

Originally Posted by geminifly

i go through this all time, in particular during general conversation. Im a journalism major and I have always had an
extensive vocabulary, but rarely do I use words that I think someone should not be able to comprehend. Yet, nearly
every time I speak to someone I either get hit with a stoneface, dead silence or a "I dont know what you just said means"
type response. It kills me because people will say "your trying to talk White" or "your trying to be smart" when in actuality
in my mind I'm speaking in an everyday casual conversational vernacular.

I often times, especially when meeting women or talking to them for the first time on the phone, find myself being fastidious
with my words, as to not jar them with the "White talk" I try to dumb it down, word to Lupe. MInd you, I generally
get this reaction from college age young people and older folks, these are not kids. Many women have called me
weird for the way I talk and love to hit me with the "why you talk like that" or "what that mean?". Its always tough to keep
a conversation rolling fluidly when someone has called you out for using foreign words. At that point, I tend to just
start using words like "nah", "jea" and cursing after every couple of words. I find that that usually smooths things
over and makes the conversation less awkward.

This bothers me to no end but I really have no way around it. I guess I just have an odd way of speaking or something.

WOW. I would type the exact same thing. Gemini thing maybe? I have to read people before i figure out how to converse with them. It's like we all speakenglish, but certain levels of the language require certain levels of comprehension. I have to see what level they are on so I can tailor my diction.

 

[pushak513]

whoever said I need new friends if I have to dumb it down don't think it hasn't crossed my mind. Ive also gotten to the point of adjusting it before Isay things. sometimes I will get half a sentence out then just stop and everyone looks at me funny and I just say "oh it was nothing somethingstupid" b/c I know they wouldn't understand it anyways. gets to me alot more recently, I hate hate having to act like im a simple person so Idon't stand out. I pride myself of reading alot and learning things as much as I can. even if its a topic my friends are interested in sometimes I justcan't talk about it cus I get excited and start running with it and they get lost after 10 seconds.

just wish they would step it up a little or at least look like theyunderstand and go on. why do I have to be the one who feels slow when I'm not?

 

[janjan414]

i hate that, its annoying/irritating. like huhhhhhhh..forget it type ishhh..

 

[c money 88 05]

Originally Posted by mrflightclub23

Originally Posted by SylvesterMcGrizzly

Often.... that's y I usually don't say much...

Same here

same

I speak and get the

's because they don't know how toreact, asking me to break it down or repeat it again slower, so I tend not to speak much anymore unless needed.
I try to speak as if I'm painting a complete picture and explain everything so my point of view can be clearly seen and my reasoning can be understood...

I think I think too much when just speaking, I put a lot of effort into what I say most of the time