LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

   Many websites offer language help under the heading “Word of the Day.” They mean well, but they peddle arcane vocabulary that has little to do with our contemporary needs. I say this despite being a pedant and a lover of precise words. Years ago, in college, I bought a little booklet entitled Ten Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary , which was filled with obscure, archaic terms nobody would ever understand in daily discourse. I see that this practice continues, to my regret, because I endorse building vocabulary in context, not in lists. I always try to expand my vocabulary when reading, especially literature produced by good writers.      Expand your vocabulary by reading and looking up words you encounter, and not by relying on lists like this: Fortuitous Vilipend Nefarious Rancor Mellifluous Verdigris Slopulation                   

  Don Pedro Álvarez de Miranda, a Spanish scholar and member of the RAE (Real Academia Española), has asked me about the English word "axilla" and its usage. "Axila" in Spanish is a five-cent word, whereas "axilla" is an English ten-dollar word, unknown to most English-speaking people except medical doctors. The word's plural, "axillae," gives away the Latin origin of the word. "Armpit" and "underarm" will be understood by native speakers. "Axilla" will draw a blank face unless you talk to an MD. This must be borne in mind when translating from English. "Olor a sobaquina" would translate as "B.O.." in English. But, wait, let me go take a shower! I'll be back!