I watched a you-tube clip the other day wondering what fairy tales might be like had they been written by Shakespeare. (here's the link - http://youtu.be/OxoUUbMii7Q) At the beginning of his dialogue he mentions that Shakespeare had a working vocabulary of 54,000 words. The average American adult today has command of only 3000.
We have become such a visually based culture that our ability to communicate with text has been crippled. (says he who attached the YouTube clip!) Visual is important - but if we don't continue to exercise, expand, and respect our use and understanding of language we will dull it's power to communicate. Learn a new word - read a poem - memorize a sonnet. Keep language alive.
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