Roy objects to the John’s use of “Brobdingnagian” because it is not a word used in everyday conversation, and therefore it is not useful to communicating our important message, or worse, sounds superior. I understand that criticism, but I must make the following defenses of it:
1. It’s fun.
2. Its meaning can be inferred from its context.
3. It keeps alive and maybe even imparts into others’ vocabulary a great word in our language.
4. A judicious use of exotic terminology, not contrived, imparts a general sense of the author’s excellent education, which, as the JLF is so interested in excellence in education, is an outward expression of consistency with our goals.
