Language Comprehension: Round 2

To me, the most important/influential feature of language comprehension is still vocabulary. If a person has never been exposed to a word or phrase, it is very unlikely that they will be able to understand its meaning even within correct context. Sound is important as well, but it is much easier for me to comprehend a speaker who mispronounces a familiar word than it is to understand someone, who could even be a native speaker of English, but uses an unfamiliar word. Also, the frustration involving completely unknown words is greater, as people assume that because you speak their language, you should know what they are trying to say. If a person with whom you are speaking simply does not know the vocabulary and is not understanding you from the context, it is easier to just explain to the person what you are trying to say rather than continuing to use the confusing vocabulary. I have experienced many instances in which people have no idea what I am saying because I am using words that are totally foreign to them. I believe it is vital to learn the multiple synonyms of common words, as it obviously makes it easier to communicate and can avoid some potentially extremely enraging situations. Also, it is beneficial to learn unfamiliar synonyms to preserve "dying" dialects, as the Ocracoke article suggested.