Trump's Trashy "77-Word" Vocabulary Exemplifies Sly Intelligence

[lindysalsagal]

Last edited Fri Aug 11, 2017, 10:05 AM - Edit history (1)

(real article, not my opinion. I think he's a delinquent.)

https://www.inverse.com/article/27515-donald-trump-bad-vocabulary

There’s not much variety to the words President Donald Trump spits out, but we know which ones are his: To Americans, words like “loser”, “sad”, and “stupid” have become ubiquitous with Trump in 2017. This is likely what led the writer Phillip Roth to angrily call out Trump’s “77-word” vocabulary in the most recent issue of The New Yorker. Roth’s assessment of Trump’s small vocabulary size may be correct, but we should be careful not to assume it means that the President is dumb.

I found much that was alarming about being a citizen during the tenures of Richard Nixon and George W. Bush. But, whatever I may have seen as their limitations of character or intellect, neither was anything like as humanly impoverished as Trump is: ignorant of government, of history, of science, of philosophy, or art, incapable of expressing or recognizing subtlety or nuance, destitute of all decency, and wielding a vocabulary of seventy-seven words that is better called Jerkish than English.”
Roth equates Trump’s small vocabulary with ignorance, which is in line with with the old-school view of verbal fluency — once considered the “hallmark of intellectual acumen.” But it’s become increasingly apparent to researchers that a non-expansive vocabulary isn’t necessarily the sign of a failing mind; rather, it might be the hallmark of a person sly enough to hook his listeners and persuade them using only a few words.

Let’s consider Trump’s linguistic skills: A 2016 analysis found that Trump’s grammar was roughly at the fifth-grade level. While most GOP candidates used words and grammar on the campaign trail that would be associated with students in grades six through eight, Trump’s were deemed the most immature, the researchers write. An analysis by The New York Times found that Trump frequently repeats the same divisive words — like “stupid,” “horrible”, and “weak.”

More at link

[PJMcK]

1. But those are the "best" 77 words. Believe me. (n/t)

[Paladin]

2. A stupid public figure, backed by stupid people.

Roth has trump pegged perfectly.

[yallerdawg]

3. I'm going to stick with Roth and the "Being There" analysis.

Trying to discern a 'method to this madness' is rationalizing away the possibility that he is just 'as mad as hell,' or, in this case, 'stupid as hell.' OK. "Network," too.

This is what I hear: "First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again."

We know he has virtually no intellect at all, other than related to a predatory need to 'win,' whatever that may be filtering through the fog of his mind.

Even when he reads prepared material, he has to embellish with mindless, incoherent drivel as if he was reading these words for the first time and making edits that the 5th-grader in him could understand.

Thanks for electing a moron, deplorables.

[tanyev]

4. The writer of this piece is equating dumb with ignorant; they're not the same.

At first I thought Trump was stupid. Now I see he does have a certain type of cunning. But he is ignorant. A person who has the capability and opportunity to learn and doesn't want to is the very definition of ignorant.

[gordianot]

5. Trump is a hate filled prick.

He would beat the hell out of your kid brother and molest your sister then try to blame it on you. This juvenile delinquent defines severely arrested aberrant behavior. Trump is on the prowl constantly for victims,

[procon]

6. Trump speaks "Jerkish than English. LOL - 🤐 nt

[lpbk2713]

7. Sad stupid loser.

I guess he ought to be real comfortable if that is how I refer to him.