Vocabulary

The Words We Never Invented: What the Gaps in English Reveal About the Way We Think

Communication, Community, Cultural Sensitivity, Diversity, Inclusiveness, Language, Life Skills, Technology, Theory, Vocabulary /

Languages are often measured by their vocabulary, the lexicons that enable us to articulate colours, emotions, objects, and abstract ideas. Yet, if we want to understand what a language truly reveals about its speakers, we should look beyond what it can say. The most compelling insights may lie in what it cannot say: those silent gaps, the words that do not exist, the concepts that remain unnamed.

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Why We Notice Some Words and Ignore Others: Attention, Salience, and the Hidden Politics of Language

Communication, Language, Technology, Theory, Vocabulary /

Imagine this: you have recently learned a new word, say, ‘resilience’, and suddenly, it is everywhere. It pops up in news articles, social media posts, conversations, even billboards. You wonder, ‘Was it always there?’ or ‘Did I just start noticing it?’ This phenomenon is more than coincidence. It is rooted in the complex interplay between language, attention, and perception.

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The Myth of Finding the Right Words

Competence, Language, Life Skills, Theory, Vocabulary /

For centuries, the prevailing view has been that language serves as a mirror to our thoughts. We believe that given enough time and effort, we can find the ‘perfect’ words to articulate our ideas: words that precisely capture our intentions, emotions, and insights. This assumption underpins much of our communication philosophy: the idea that language is a transparent vessel, a neutral conduit through which our pre-existing thoughts flow.

Yet, this perspective is fundamentally flawed. It presumes that thought exists in a vacuum — fully formed, waiting to be expressed — and that language’s primary role is to transmit that thought without distortion. This myth has shaped everything from educational practices to corporate communication strategies, fostering the belief that clarity is merely a matter of vocabulary or articulation.

But what if this assumption is backwards? What if language is not just a passive mirror but an active participant in shaping our cognition?

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Your Problem Is Not That You Cannot Explain It. It Is That You Have Not Decided What It Is.

Communication, Competence, Language, Life Skills, Vocabulary /

Have you ever found yourself saying:

— ‘I’m struggling to explain this.’

— ‘I know what I mean, but I can’t say it properly.’

— ‘Let me try that again . . . ‘

And then, after a few attempts, you feel frustrated, as if the words are just out of reach. Most of us assume that this is a communication problem. That if only we could find the right words, everything would be clear. However, here is the surprising truth: most of the time, the problem is not communication; it is decision. It is not a failure of language. It is a lack of definition.

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Clarity Is Not a Writing Skill. It Is a Strategic Advantage.

Communication, Competence, Language, Theory, Vocabulary /

Most people treat clarity as a peripheral skill, something to tidy up after you have finished your message. It is often seen as a writing skill, a communication preference, or a ‘nice-to-have’ finishing touch.

Many approach clarity as a superficial layer, an editing task to be polished at the end, rather than a fundamental strategic lever. However, here is the truth: in high-stakes work, clarity is not a finishing touch. It is a strategic advantage.

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Your Organisation Does Not Have a Writing Problem: It Has a Thinking Problem

Communication, Language, Vocabulary /

‘We need better writing.’

It is one of the most common, and often the most frustrating, complaints inside organisations today. Leaders, managers, and teams alike seem convinced that the root of their communication woes is a lack of polish, clarity, or style. The typical fix? Hire a writer. Or bring in an editor. Polish the words until they shine.

But what if that is not the real problem?

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Why English Is So Good at Naming Problems

Cultural Sensitivity, Diversity, Inclusiveness, Language, Life Skills, Technology, Theory, Vocabulary /

Imagine this: you have been feeling exhausted, frustrated, and plagued by self-doubt for weeks or even months. The days blur together, and you struggle to articulate what is wrong. You might think, ‘Why do I feel this way? What is this?’ However, words continue to elude you.

Then one day, you hear a term, such as burnout, imposter syndrome, gaslighting, or overthinking, and suddenly, everything shifts. That nebulous, tangled feeling suddenly has a shape, a name. The chaos in your mind condenses into a concept you can grasp.

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Holi and the Language of Colour: How English Paints the World

Community, Cultural Sensitivity, Diversity, Language, Speaking, Theory, Vocabulary /

Today, the air is colour.

Faces blur into pinks and blues.
Clothes lose their boundaries.
Identity softens under gulal.

Holi reminds us that colour is not merely decoration: it is an experience. It is a language, a way of seeing and feeling. And interestingly, the language we use, particularly English has very specific ways of handling colour, shaping our perception in subtle ways.

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English Is Addicted to Clarity: What We Lose When Everything Must Be Clear

Community, Cultural Sensitivity, Diversity, Grammar, Inclusiveness, Language, Learners, Teaching, Theory, Vocabulary /

Imagine a familiar scene: a teacher tells a student that their answer is ‘unclear’. A boss tells an employee, ‘I need this to be clearer.’ A friend texts, ‘Just say what you mean.’ These moments are commonplace in everyday communication. Clarity, in these contexts, is not merely a stylistic choice; it is a moral imperative.

In English-speaking cultures, the demand for clarity has become almost sacrosanct. It is as if clarity is the moral currency of honesty, trustworthiness, and competence. But when did this obsession with clarity begin? And what might we be sacrificing in the process? More importantly, when did clarity become a virtue, an ethical obligation of sorts, and ambiguity a flaw?

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English Has No Place for the Collective Soul

Community, Cultural Sensitivity, Grammar, Language, Speaking, Theory, Vocabulary /

Imagine you are sitting in a meeting, and someone says, ‘We apologise for the inconvenience.’ Or perhaps, during a national tragedy, they say, ‘We are heartbroken.’

In both cases, the pronoun we appears, invoking a sense of collective unity. Yet, have you ever paused to ask, ‘Who exactly is we?’

Everyone understands the sentence; yet, nobody clearly inhabits it. It is a linguistic gesture, a shared social convention, but not necessarily an experience. We can be a political statement, a diplomatic phrase, or a rhetorical device, but it rarely captures the visceral feeling of a true shared inner life.

This leads us to a fundamental question: why does English, despite its global reach, seem to lack a linguistic space for the collective soul? Why does it struggle to articulate genuine shared emotion, thought, and responsibility?

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