Course XXXIII - Teaching 11: Verbal Hygiene

Besides recommendations about Method, and those short and valuable recommendations related to “Reserve”, the reader will find elements, motives and types of verbal hygiene.
Full vocabulary. Method: you should seek synonyms and antonyms of every word, in order to notice diverse nuances and meanings of any noun or adjective. 3. 3. You should look for ideas that can be associated in relation to whatever word. So, you need two reference books: an ordinary dictionary and another dictionary of similar ideas suggested by a word. Also an etymology dictionary is recommended. Also, for certain elasticity in language you should not only find out the expressive name of any object that you see, but also diverse adjectives related to different states and manifestations of such objects.
Self-analysis is quite important regarding an accurate use of words. Pay especial attention to words and sentences that give rise to ambiguities, mistaken interpretations of thoughts, or motive of irritation. In the first case, by lack of accurateness, and in the second, by lack of measure.
Redaction exercises. You should try to assimilate slowly a tale or Teaching of a novel, but not to remember their words. Then, lay the book aside and try to reproduce it through that which your memory has retained. Later, compare both works and consider closely every word.
Keep a text at sight and try to reconstruct the story with entirely different stories from those used by the author.
You should transcribe a play, mainly classical or contemporary, changing all words, but keeping the nature of every character established beforehand.
You should write a list of one hundred words and form sentences with them; later, associate words according to configuration, figured sense and logic, respectively. Read a tale and later make a synthesis of it (record-cards).
Diction. You should improve continuously the diction. For a reflective control of all your sayings, you should start checking every verbal expression.
Also you should watch and repress any tendencies to pronounce automatic words, that is, those words that you may manifest spontaneously when you are carried away by certain impulses.
So, lay aside exclamations, little formulae in vogue and repeated without a motive, and stop any verbal inflow as the result of vivid imagination, or emotion.
Also, you should never speak compulsively or talk unnecessarily. If you are talking to a quite voluble person, his too hasty conversation should not hasten your own sayings; never speak loudly or react impulsively to sharp remarks of the other person.
Also, you should banish regional voices, local accents and barbarisms. All this is dependent on attention and will for the sake of a correct language. You may get soon a perfect diction by avoiding with attention and will any regional accent and overcoming pronunciation vices generally motivated by particular habits derived from one’s childhood or from a particular mouth-palate conformation.
You will facilitate this self-control by avoiding all that can disarrange any automatism: trepidation food (excessive meat, alcohol, sugar and too much salt), proximity of excited or wrathful persons, useless discussions, stimulants (coffee, tea and tobacco). It is especially recommendable not to say anything beyond of your own control. Also previous to speaking, strive for thinking about the probable effect of your words.