Language of the Day: Sensitive
The Language of the Day Blog is a weekly blog post by our instructor. Each week will introduce a useful phrase in English and tell a story about life in Vancouver. Tune in every Tuesday for another Language of the Day post!
Language of the Day:
Sensitive: has two meanings:
(of a machine) to be quick to notice slight changes, signals, or influences
example: "The new method of protein detection was more sensitive than earlier ones,” (
(of a person or a person’s behaviour): to notice and appreciate others’ feelings
example: "Children are usually more sensitive than adults "
Examples:
This report is rather time sensitive.
Be careful what you say to Bill - he's sensitive.
I can't wear wool because my skin is too sensitive.
At work, management is undergoing cultural sensitivity training.
When we look at the definitions of sensitive as listed above, neither of them are exactly negative, but it is rare that you hear someone say, “Oh, that person is so sensitive,” and mean it as a compliment.
It almost implies that someone needs to ‘toughen up’ or ‘have thick skin’ so that they aren’t bothered by small details.
“The doctor spoke with sensitivity when explaining the diagnosis to her patient.” How is it that sensitivity is a good thing, while being sensitive is not? It’s one of those language quirks that can be confusing for learners for sure.
As many newcomers to Vancouver have found, Vancouverites are sensitive. You aren’t allowed to comment on someone’s weight, gender, marital status, religious affiliation - or lack thereof - personal habits or life without the risk of sounding either judgmental or invasive.
Even a comment such as ‘you look tired today,’ can be interpreted by a sensitive Vancouverite as ‘you mean I look terrible today.’ It’s almost as though they have become too quick to assume that someone is saying something bad about them. What’s that about?
Maybe this is just the culture of this part of the world.. So how do you navigate sensitivities while not stomping all over people’s feelings?
Well, through practice meeting plenty of other people I suppose. If you’re interested in meeting a wide range of people from around the world and exploring the English language together, why not check out a class at MOSAIC engage?
Registration is open for the next course, but it’s time-sensitive, so make sure you get a spot before it’s full.