David Foster Wallace discusses Pretentious Language

David Foster Wallace sits down with Bryan Garner to discuss language usage.

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[ManufacturingIntellect]

Check out these David Foster Wallace books on Amazon!

Share this video!


Checking out the affiliate links above helps me bring even more high
quality videos to you by earning me a small commission on your purchase.
If you have any suggestions for future content, make sure to subscribe
on the Patreon page. Thank you for your support!

[ForestAnon]

*-Thinks "Prior to" is too many words*
*-Also wrote Infinite Jest*

[r.weidmann]

DFW's interviews always took place in the most random places

[TheMikeHolland]

Why say lot word when few word do trick.

[opp]

just like how the video was puffed up to twice its length

[jackburton]

I wanna watch a three hour interview of dfw from nardwuar

[shanehamilton]

says the man who uses "masticate" over "chew"

[alexdelarge]

It's a very interesting point, and I agree with him in general. Many writers have a tendency to use language that is more flowery than concise. But sometimes that can be more fun to read.

[blinkinglightbeacon]

I like subsequent. I just like the word. It's a nice sounding word. Fun to say.

[readwellwritewell]

From the lips of the man to who looks at a dictionary and goes "challenge accepted"

[Rubbersoulful]

Odd that he seems to be advocating for brevity at any cost despite the fact that his most famous work is over 1000 pages and filled to the brim with bloat.

[bugsbunnywearingasmoking]

Also prior to is different from before a bit. Before establish an undeterminated past, while prior to is more especific because of the "to". I know they can both be used to express the same idea, however they arent the exact same

[jacknelson]

He’s saying that the point of writing is to convey something to the reader and writers frequently insert superfluous diction for the sake of sounding intelligent. In other words, they sacrifice articulation to try to sound clever. The examples he uses are obviously not absolute; they’re anecdotes that illuminate a broader idea. It’s absurd that people are offended by this.

[crystalaya]

why paint a thing red if it could just be a different shade of grey?

[littledarkcollege]

i wish i could watch three hours of this on Joe Rogan

[abesapien]

David Foster Wallace is himself the worst offender of pretentious word choices. Read this short excerpt from his book The Pale King: "Past the flannel plains and blacktop graphs and skylines of canted rust,  and past the tobacco-brown river overhung with weeping trees and coins of sunlight through them on the water downriver, to the place beyond the windbreak,  where untilled fields simmer shrilly in the A.M. heat: shattercane,  lamb's-quarter,  cutgrass,  sawbrier,  nutgrass, jimsonweed, wild mint, dandelion, foxtain, muscadine, spine-cabbage, goldenrod, creeping charlie, butter-print, nightshade, ragweed, wild oat, vetch, butcher grass, invaginate volunteer beans...quartz and chert and schist and chondrite iron scabs in granite."

[godless]

To me, at this time, sends the subtle message that it could be done later.

[Andres-islj]

It's worth it to notice the difference in between languages. In Spanish, "utilizar" has a more manipulative meaning than "usar", which is more about applying or consuming something, and sounds way more plain. I would not "use" a Fourier transform, but I would "utilize" it right away, at least in Spanish, while "using" feels all the more universal in English

[christianperez]

I am guilty of this. I’m going to be thinking about this a lot in my conversations.

[Zach-lgql]

Great channel. I love the diversity of your videos ranging from music to philosophy to art. Keep up the great work!