The Relationship Between Your Vocabulary and Good Life [Good Idea Series]

Neo Character in The Matrix Movie

Do you know "Neo" Character from "The Matrix" Movie? {or maybe you're the fans of Neo (Keanu Reeves)? hahahaha} Actually "Neo" is a ancient Greek prefix means "new".


Then, have you ever wondered that the knowledge of your vocabularies accompany good life? The answer is yes! Before you know why, let us read a story about a man,  Mr. Johnson O. Connor, who discovers this relationship.

Johnson O' Connor and His Wife - Eleanor O ' Connor

Johnson O'Connor (January 22, 1891 – July 1, 1973) was an American researcher and educator. He is most remembered as a pioneer in the study of aptitude/talent testing and as an advocate for the importance of vocabulary. [1]

Johnson O' Connor Research

It was during on his experiment and testing that O’Connor stumbled upon an unexpected discovery: A person’s vocabulary level was the best single measure for predicting occupational success in every area. Furthermore, vocabulary is not innate, and can be acquired by everybody.

Because acquisition of vocabulary was not, in O'Connor's view, determined by innate aptitudes, it became a major focus of his later writings. O'Connor considered vocabulary augmentation a major key to unlocking human potential. His later research included an effort to catalogue the most important words for English-speaking people to know and to order these words by difficulty. O’Connor used his findings to improve vocabulary in American students. [2]

Building Vocabulary is a Powerful Way to Enhance Our Life and Career

Learning how to build a better vocabulary can be a pleasurable and profitable investment of both your time and effort. At least fifteen minutes a day of concentrated study on a regular basis can bring about a rapid improvement in your vocabulary skills, which in turn can increase your ability to communicate by writing, conversing, or making speeches.

Acquiring a large vocabulary can benefit you in school, at work, and socially. It will enable you to understand others' ideas better and to have the satisfaction of getting your thoughts and ideas across more effectively.

There was a "vocabulary comprehension experiment and test" conducted by Johnson O' Connor. The test are given to the executive of thirty-nine large manufacturing plants. This is the average score for each position:
President and Vice President 236 out of 272 points
Managers: 168 out of 272 points
Foreman: 114 out of 272 points

What You Can Do Right Now:

Of course, you already know thousands of words, and you will continue to learn more whether you work at it or not. The fact is that many of the words you know were probably learned simply by coming across them often enough in our reading, in conversation, and even while watching television. But increasing the pace of your learning requires a consistent, dedicated approach. If you learned only one new word a day for the next three years, we would have over a thousand new words in your vocabulary.

However, if you decided right now to learn ten new words a day, in one year you would have added over three thousand to what you already know, and probably have established a lifetime habit of learning and self-improvement.

Testimony:

@Albert:  I have tried this idea. It's really an excellent habit for all of us. We can start learning three new vocabularies and increase it gradually to ten every day. The exciting part is when we master one word, we find several others. Our language, our world.

These are the tools that maybe useful for you:
- www.vocabulary.com (This website can generate a random word that you've never heard before)
- http://translate.google.com/# (Google Translate. Thanks Google! hahaha)

❝The individual's whole experience is built upon the plan of his language.❞
‒Henri Delacroix 

More Interesting Thing : ^^

By the way, do you like martial arts (sport)? or maybe have you joined any martial art sport club before?
Actually, the word "martial" derives from Mars.

Mars (Latin: Mārs, Martis) was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. [3]

Well, do you know that Mars is the sibling of Hercules and father of Cupid? Yes, he is. :)

Mars: Prince of the deities (gods), god of war, men and courage

Cheers,

Albert ^^


Reference:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_O'Connor#cite_ref-Broadley_2002_3-1
[2] Broadley, Margaret E., “Your Natural Gifts”, EPM Publication, Inc., 2002
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_(mythology)