When learning a new language, it’s important to think not just about meaning, but also the impact of the words you use. In this article on The Telegraph website, Ivan Hewitt considers how the word ‘vibrant’ has “travelled a long way from its core meaning. This was ‘moving or quivering rapidly; vibrating,’ and ‘vibrating or thrilling with something.’ When it was first applied metaphorically to describe colours, it richly conveyed “a powerful assault on the senses. It’s as if the colours are so strong that when placed together they seem to vibrate.” However, this powerful image is not what springs to mind when most native English speakers hear the word vibrant today. As has been the case with so many other words, overuse has made it fall dead on our ears, most of the time, at least. Many words like 'vibrant' in English have their cognates in other languages but often with slightly different ranges of meaning or register of use. Close study of another language thus alerts us to nuances in the use of our own; yet another argument for the case for bilingualism.

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