Vocab Connotations

[angie]

Hello. I am unsure of the connotations of the following words:

"Argot" - It's defined as the specialized vocabulary of a particular group. If it originally referred to the jargon of thieves, is the connotation negative? I've seen it used in the phrase "sociologists' argot," which seems neutral or positive.

"Tractable" - "Intractable" is definitely negative, so I would assume that "tractable is positive. But one definition of the word is "docile," which, if referring to people, does not sound positive to me.

"Voluble" - Is it similar to glib or to articulate?

Thank you!

[tommywallach]

Hey Angie,

Argot has no connotations at all. It's a technical term.

Tractable is indeed negative. Words don't always have the opposite spin of their antonyms! Crazy, right?

Voluble means "Very talkative," and implies that the person is maybe a little annoying. Glib means "talkative but insincere/shallow" (much more negative). Articulate is positive.

Hope that helps!

-t