178
VERBAL ADVANTAGE
These examples of vernacular English are considered ungrammatical and
substandard, and I want to be careful not to give you the impression that bad
English is the only form of vernacular English. The vernacular comprises all language that is common and informal, any word or expression that ordinary people use—whether it is considered bad or good, acceptable or improper.
In Modern English Usage, H. W. Fowler describes the vernacular as "the
words that have been familiar to us for as long as we can remember, the
homely part of the language, in contrast with the terms that we have consciously acquired."
Calling someone a "sharp cookie" \ the vernacular way of calling someone intelligent, perceptive, judicious (ioo-D\SH-us, the next keyword in this
\eve\), ov sagacious ^suh-CaAtt-shus, wovd 6 \ \_eve\Y Say\ng someone is a
"phony" is the vernacular way of saying someone is a sham, an imposter, or g
charlatan (SHAHR-luh-tjn, word 17 of Level 4). The vernacular of the East dl
fers from the vernacular of the West, and often residents of different parts „„
the same state or city have their own vernacular—common, informal, everyda^
language.
Word 16: JUDICIOUS (JOO-DISH-US)
Wise and careful, having or showing sound judgment.
Synonyms of judicious include sensible, levelheaded, prudent (word 47 of
Level 1), and discreet. Antonyms include thoughtless, foolhardy, impetuous,
(im-PECH-oo-us), and temerarious (TEM-uh-RAIR-ee-us).
Judicious comes through the Latin judicium, judgment, from judex, a
judge. Judex and the Latin verbjudicare, to judge, pass judgment, are also the
source of the English words judge, judgment, judicial, pertaining to a judge or
to a judgment, and/ud/c/ary (joo-DISH-ee-ER-ee), judges collectively or the judicial branch of government.
As long as we're passing judgment on all these words, here's a spelling
tip: Everyone knows the word judge has an e at the end, but many Americans
don't seem to realize that there is no e in the middle of the word judgment. The
British (and many Canadians who follow British usage) prefer to retain this medial e and spell the word judgement. The preferred American spelling, however,
\sjudgment.
Our keyword, judicious, means having or showing sound judgment. A judicious decision is a wise and careful decision. A judicious course of action is a
sensible, levelheaded, prudent course of action.
Level 5
179
Word 17: CHRYSALIS (KRis-uh-lis)
The pupa of a butterfly; the stage in the development of the insect between the
larval and adult stages, during which the insect is enclosed in a case or cocoon.
Chrysalis is now also used in a figurative sense to mean a sheltered and
undeveloped state or stage of being: "Promising young artists and writers have
always had to break out of their creative chrysalis to achieve the recognition
^ they deserve"; "After four years at college she emerged from her chrysalis in
the ivory tower into the wide-open world, fully mature and ready to accomplish
great things."
In this general sense, chrysalis is a useful word that can add a nice touch
of style to your expression. Be careful, however, to use it precisely. The danger
lies in confusing chrysalis with the words transformation and metamorphosis
(MET-uh-MORF-uh-sis).
% Listen to this sentence, which was written by a theater critic about a performance of George Bernard (BUR-nurd) Shaw's Pygmalion: "Dirickson is convincing and eminently likable as Eliza, deftly handling the chrysalis from street
urchin to lady while, along the way, growing in confidence and independence."
You cannot "handle" a sheltered and undeveloped state "from" one thing
to another. What the critic meant to describe was a change that resembled the
transformation a butterfly undergoes from its larval (LAHR-vul) stage, when it is
'. but a caterpillar, through its chrysalis, its stage of development in the shelter of
the cocoon, and then to fully formed adulthood. The proper word for that
transformation is metamorphosis. Chrysalis means a sheltered state or undeveloped stage of being.
Word 18: GENTEEL Qen-TEEL)
.Refined, polite, well-bred, sophisticated, elegantly stylish or fashionable, pertaining,or belonging to high society.
• ''Genteel came into-English in the early seventeenth century from the
French gentil, which at the time meant noble, polite, graceful. Originally genteel
meant possessing the qualities of those of high birth and good breeding. That
^definition is still listed in current dictionaries, but today genteel usually suggests
an excessive or affected refinement, and the word is often applied to someone
or something that is trying to appear socially or intellectually superior.
Word 19: JOVIAL (jOH-vee-ul)
Merry, full of good humor, hearty and fun-loving, jolly, convivial (kun-VIV-ee-ul).