Links

Many of the articles on this website suggest that you “improve your vocabulary”. But what does “improve your vocabulary” actually mean? And why should you, as a lawyer, improve your vocabulary?

What does “Improve your vocabulary” mean?

Your “vocabulary” contains four types of words:

• the words you hear (aural vocabulary);
• the words you read (reading vocabulary);
• the words you speak (spoken vocabulary); and
• the words you write (writing vocabulary).

To “improve your vocabulary” means improving your vocabulary of each type.

“Improve your vocabulary” also means improving both the breadth of your vocabulary and the depth of your vocabulary.

Improving the breadth of your vocabulary refers to increasing the number of words you know. Improving the depth of vocabulary means improving how well you know the meanings of the words in your vocabulary.

For lawyers, improving the depth of your vocabulary is just as important, possibly even more important, than improving the breadth of your vocabulary. The law contains many words that have different shades of meaning, such as words like “damage” and “fraud”. These words can trick you unless you have a deep vocabulary (Garner (1992) 191).

Improving the depth of your vocabulary also involves knowing the word’s sound, history, and associations; the use that has been made of the word by great writers; the utility and value of certain words; and the ability to use the most apt word in the most apt place (Simpson (2009)).

Why does it matter whether you improve your vocabulary?

The link between improving one’s vocabulary and improving one’s success is pretty well established. English vocabulary level is strongly related to person’s educational success, level of occupation, reading ability, and intelligence (see, for example, R Bowker, English Vocabulary Manual (1981) 1).

C Rexford Davis in Vocabulary Building put the correlation this way: having a broad and deep vocabulary might not in itself guarantee you success, but without a good vocabulary, “outstanding success seldom occurs”.

If improving one’s vocabulary correlates with success in the general population, then the correlation is even stronger for lawyers. This is because words are a lawyer’s main tool and because lawyers use vocabulary for a special purpose — to persuade.

Overall, if a lawyer can command words, then a lawyer can influence people. And if you can influence people, then you can influence outcomes (Simpson (2009)).

References

R Bowker, English Vocabulary Manual (1981)

Bryan A Garner, “The Language of Appellate Advocacy” in Priscilla Anne Schwab (ed), Appellate Practice Manual (1992) 188

C Rexford Davis, Vocabulary Building, quoted in William Darby Templeman, “Does Vocabulary-Building Have Value?” (1955) 26(6) College English 366, 367

Troy Simpson, “The Art of Written Persuasion: Part V - Improve Your Vocabulary, Improve Your Success” (2009)