# Does the Avg. American Student Have a Smaller Vocabulary . . .
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [November 8, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879 "2010-11-08T06:01:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@GuyfromLansing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyfromLansing)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/1 "2010-11-08T06:01:08Z")
In the second paragraph of the answer, I think the author meant to write “etymologists,” those who study words and word origins. The writer wrote “entomologists,” or those who study insects.
"Despite being plainly absurd, your factoid has appeared in newspapers, magazines, and even science journals, each typically citing other such appearances as backup. At times it’s been attributed to Gallup polls or even entomologists. "
Given the context of the article, vocabulary, I’m guessing they meant “etymologists.”
Thanks.
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### Author:  [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/2 "2010-11-08T13:02:29Z")
The OP refers to [this column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2724/does-the-average-american-student-have-less-vocabulary-today-than-in-days-gone-by), I presume.
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### Author:  [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/3 "2010-11-08T13:32:29Z")
> [@GuyfromLansing](#):
>
> In the second paragraph of the answer, I think the author meant to write “etymologists,” those who study words and word origins. The writer wrote “entomologists,” or those who study insects.
>
> "Despite being plainly absurd, your factoid has appeared in newspapers, magazines, and even science journals, each typically citing other such appearances as backup. At times it’s been attributed to Gallup polls or even entomologists. "
>
> Given the context of the article, vocabulary, I’m guessing they meant “etymologists.”
>
> Thanks.
No, Cecil said and meant entomologists. Note the word “even” – it wouldn’t be surprising if the factoid were attributed to etymologists, but it IS surprising that it was attributed to insect-ologists.
You’re not alone in thinking that Cecil goofed (Cecil NEVER goofs), so I actually have the source: the entomologist was named Cole Gilbert. He was cited in Harper’s August 2000 (when the factoid was again published), but for a different nearby fact on the luminescence of fireflies. An article in the Oct. 2000 in the _Vancouver Sun_ cites him as the source of the vocabulary figures. So it was a goof on the part of the Vancouver Sun, but an amusing one.
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### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/4 "2010-11-08T13:49:00Z")
Well, OK **Dex** , I guess you are in a position to know about the “entomologists” issue, but, to be frank, my faith in the master is somewhat shaken by the _title_ of the column in question. Surely it ought to be: **Does the average American student have a smaller vocabulary today than in days gone by?**
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### Author:  [@GuyfromLansing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyfromLansing)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/5 "2010-11-08T16:28:42Z")
I stand corrected on the “entomology” issue. I do agree with Njtt that using “smaller vocabulary” rather than “less vocabulary” makes more grammatical sense.
To me, a “vocabulary” refers one item (a collection), so you can’t have “less vocabulary” the way you can have “less furniture.” I think of it as tantamount to saying “less library” instead of “a smaller library.”
But I might be wrong on this issue as well.
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### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/6 "2010-11-08T16:29:48Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> Well, OK **Dex** , I guess you are in a position to know about the “entomologists” issue, but, to be frank, my faith in the master is somewhat shaken by the _title_ of the column in question. Surely it ought to be: **Does the average American student have a smaller vocabulary today than in days gone by?**
Looks like somebody asked this [a while back](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=436119), but it never really got answered. My take is that either could be considered correct.
An article in the Georgia State University [newsletter](http://www.gsu.edu/41485.html) is headlined “Early language intervention gives children with developmental delays more vocabulary.” Google found numerous examples of “less vocabulary” as well, from various academic sources.
Granted, that alone doesn’t make it correct. But one definition of “vocabulary” I found reads “2. the **aggregate** of words in the use or comprehension of a specified person, class, profession, etc.” I’d read that to mean that the word could possibly be used like “water” or “money” and be modified by “more” or “less”.
ETA: I agree that **njtt** ’s version simply sounds better.
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### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/7 "2010-11-08T17:48:16Z")
Hmmm, it seems that someone has retroactively changed the thread title in the light of what I said. The actual column retains the offending form, though.
> [@Wheelz](#):
>
> . . .
> An article in the Georgia State University [newsletter](http://www.gsu.edu/41485.html) is headlined “Early language intervention gives children with developmental delays more vocabulary.” Google found numerous examples of “less vocabulary” as well, from various academic sources.
>
> . . .
Somehow, “more vocabulary” does not grate on my ear quite as much as “less vocabulary” does. Anyway, I have higher expectations of Cecil than I do of university publicists.
I wonder if the “academic sources” you found are mostly abstracts. Sometimes good English there has to yield priority to very tight wordage constraints.
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### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/8 "2010-11-08T18:47:07Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> I wonder if the “academic sources” you found are mostly abstracts. Sometimes good English there has to yield priority to very tight wordage constraints.
Bingo. That’s why I didn’t link to any examples – too much irrelevant (to this conversation) text to wade through to get to the phrase in question.
Anyhow, to summarize my point: I like your way (“larger”, “smaller”, etc.) better. It sounds more natural and just feels right, and I’d be inclined to use it myself. _But_, I also think a case could be made for using “more” and “less” without technically being incorrect.
IANA language expert. Or an entomologist.
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### Author:  [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/9 "2010-11-09T01:15:53Z")
Cecil doesn’t come up with the column titles, that’s done by one of the editors.
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### Author:  [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/10 "2010-11-09T15:39:17Z")
As far as I’m concerned you could say “less/more vocabular **ies** ” (from a mere grammatical point of view), but as that wording sounds ridiculous (a person can’t have more than one of them) I stick to “smaller/larger vocabulary”.
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### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/11 "2010-11-10T14:34:27Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#):
>
> Cecil doesn’t come up with the column titles, that’s done by one of the editors.
My faith is restored. Thank you. 🙂
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### Author:  [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/12 "2010-11-12T13:59:50Z")
> [@Floater](#):
>
> As far as I’m concerned you could say “less/more vocabular **ies** ” (from a mere grammatical point of view)
Fewer vocabularies. 🙂
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### Author:  [@KayeFrancis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KayeFrancis)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2010, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/13 "2010-11-19T10:18:22Z")
> [@GuyfromLansing](#):
>
> Does the average Amercian have a smaller vocabulary.
> Thanks.
I’m not American; this seems like such a ridiculous statement. Of course they don’t.
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### Author:  [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-avg-american-student-have-a-smaller-vocabulary/559879/14 "2010-11-19T23:25:01Z")
Isn’t the pertinent question one of a “rich” vocabulary rather than smaller/lesser? Teenagers may have just as wide a vocabulary as a generation ago but the words are confined to a narrower range. W’sup? Meh, aks etc.
The Oxford English Dictionary records 500,000 words and recognises there may be a further 1 million specialised words in specialised subjects such as physics, medicine, palaeoanthropology etc. So there are plenty to go around. 😃