I am kind of embarrassed, because I keep on learning new vocabulary in English... Is that unusual? Should I be worried? Have you experienced anything similar?
I have been learning English for many years, at this point. I like to think I have been able to reach a communicative level.
However, I keep on stumbling upon new English words I had either never heard before, or ones I did not fully understand. I feel quite embarrassed because of that.
As an example, I recently encountered the word, "to inundate" while I was looking at a Wikipedia article regarding some freshly extinct species of Australian mice.. The meaning of this verb is similar to "to flood" or " to drown", apparently. I felt quite dumb, as I had never encountered it before. I had been quite certain that the two abovementioned words were more than exhausting if you wanted to describe something being overwhelmed with water. Apparently, I was wrong.
Now, this also happens to me while reading. As an example, I am reading, "the Hobbit" right now. I have read this novel 2 or 3 times in Polish, so I am more than familliar with its content - I mean at this point, I doubt there are many people who are not. I am able to understand everything perfectly well. Nonetheless, I have encountered words unfamilliar to me. For instance, "In battle, they wielded heavy two-handed mattocks(...)". I had to look up what a "mattock" is. Apparently, it's a tool similar to a pickaxe, but dedicated it's made with agriculture in mind as opposed to mining, if I am understanding this correctly. I had honestly never seen or heard this word in use before.
It's also quite frequent for me to encounter vocabulary that I understand more or less, but need to look up to understand their meaning in full.
I am honestly quite embarrassed.
I wondering, has anybody else experienced this? Do you consider that shameful?
Does that happen to you often? Be it with English or another foreign tongue?
I am eager to hear your thoughts.
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