THE AMATEUR WORD NERD: Do we really need to be more loquacious?

By Barbara McAllister

Word of the Day: Loquacious
You might be familiar with a certain chocolate that comes individually wrapped in foil with amusing sayings or advice on the inside wrappers. One particular wrapper reads, “Be more loquacious. Starting with learning the word loquacious.” I’m not sure this is responsible advice. I’m all for learning new words, but loquacious means excessively talkative. Is that really a good thing? It comes from the Latin, “loqui,” to speak. The word generally has a negative connotation. “Eloquent” is a more positive word from this root. “Elocution” is another word that shares this root.
If you watch TV legal dramas, you’ll hear the phrase “res ipsa loquitur,” Latin for “the thing speaks for itself.” It’s a common legal doctrine that means circumstances are so obvious they need no further explanation. It’s frequently used in medical malpractice cases, such as when a surgeon mistakenly leaves a sponge inside a patient that results in infection. There is no question as to responsibility and negligence is inferred by the circumstances.
Johnny Depp, as Captain Jack Sparrow, the uncommonly eloquent and somewhat loquacious pirate from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, uses this defense in his case during a typical Captain Jack rambling rant before the Pirate Brethren Court. The phrase may have been an ad lib addition by Depp as a tribute to his close friend, Hunter S. Thompson, who used the phrase “res ipsa loquitur” frequently and famously in his writings.
These particular sweets with their clever wrappers get high marks for taste, just not for advice. The manufacturer should consider a new wrapper that reads “Think twice before accepting counsel from candy.”