Taciturnity is the noun for being taciturn — the quality, in a person, of habitually saying very little. It names the trait rather than describing the person: his taciturnity, her famous taciturnity, a reputation for taciturnity.

Taciturnity是taciturn的名詞，being taciturn的名詞形式——the quality那種特質，in a person在一個人身上，of habitually saying very little習慣性話很少。It names the trait它指的是這種特質 rather than describing the person而不是描述那個人本身：his taciturnity他的寡言，her famous taciturnity她出了名的寡言，a reputation for taciturnity以寡言聞名。

This is a distinctly bookish word, more formal even than taciturn, and you will meet it mostly in literature, biography, and older or more careful writing.

This is a distinctly bookish word這是個很書面的字，more formal even than taciturn比taciturn還要正式，and you will meet it你會遇到它 mostly in literature, biography, and older or more careful writing大多在文學、傳記，以及比較舊或比較講究的寫作裡。

It often turns up when a writer is weighing a character up — explaining that someone's silence was a lifelong habit, or hinting that it hid something. 'His taciturnity was taken for wisdom' is the kind of sentence this word lives in.

It often turns up它常常出現 when a writer is weighing a character up當作家在評斷一個角色的時候——explaining that someone's silence was a lifelong habit解釋某人的沉默是一輩子的習慣，or hinting that it hid something或暗示這沉默藏著什麼。'His taciturnity was taken for wisdom'「他的寡言被當成智慧」 is the kind of sentence this word lives in就是這個字常出現的那種句子。

Because it is abstract, it takes the shapes abstract nouns take: it can be broken by something ('his taciturnity finally broke'), it can be described ('a stubborn taciturnity'), and it can be given a cause ('a taciturnity born of years alone at sea').

Because it is abstract因為它是抽象名詞，it takes the shapes abstract nouns take它會有抽象名詞常見的用法：it can be broken by something它可以被什麼打破（'his taciturnity finally broke'他的沉默終於被打破），it can be described它可以被形容（'a stubborn taciturnity'頑固的寡言），and it can be given a cause它也可以有原因（'a taciturnity born of years alone at sea'一種源自多年獨自在海上的寡言）。

In ordinary speech you would say 'he doesn't talk much' and everyone would understand you perfectly — reach for taciturnity only when you are writing, and only when the formal weight is what you want.

In ordinary speech在日常口語裡 you would say你會說 'he doesn't talk much'「他話不多」 and everyone would understand you perfectly大家都聽得懂——reach for taciturnity只有在寫作時才用taciturnity，only when you are writing而且only when the formal weight is what you want只有你想要那種正式的份量時。