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ACEING ACADEMIA #14: Avoid Needlessly Complex Language

Beyond using more words than necessary (ACEing Academia #10), it’s not unusual for researchers to fall into the trap of sesquipedalianism.

What is sesquipedalianism you ask?

It’s using long (and often obscure) words in speech or writing. The literal definition combines “sesqui” (one and a half) and “ped” (foot) to yield words a foot and a half long. Which brings me to the next common error in need of correction:

Avoid needlessly complex language. 

The key word there is “needlessly”. Sometimes complex language is needed to make a point in academia … but there often are ways of communicating in plain English that will ensure your message is clearly understood by the reader.

1️⃣ THE CANINE IS OF GARGANTUAN PROPORTIONS: This is sesquipedalianism in action. Not only does this take up a lot of space, but it’s the very definition of needlessly complex language. It also borders on hyperbole (exaggerated language) … although I suppose it does depend on the size of the canine in question.

2️⃣ THE DOGGY IS BIG: I admit this is easy to understand and avoids sesquipedalianism, but it’s not exactly the right tone for academic writing (ACEing Academia #8).

3️⃣ THE DOG IS LARGE: By avoiding extremes, you end up at something in the middle that clearly describes the animal in question and hits the right tone.

Don’t believe me? Daniel Oppenheimer  carried out research that demonstrated readers rated the authors of unnecessarily complicated text as less intelligent compared to clear writing that was easy to understand.

Oppenheimer also concluded that overly complex language can be a sign of insecurity or a desire to impress others rather than a genuine attempt to communicate effectively.

This blog post is not meant to explore your psychology. However, you might want to consider a few questions: are you are trying to hide behind your language for some reason? Or do you of genuinely want to connect with the person on the other side of your document?

Image Description: A rather antiquated photo taken circa 2002 of me and Charlie, the bestest boy.

See the other posts in the ACEing Academia series:

♠  Content
♦  Clarity
♣  Structure
♥  Style