I frequently find myself needing a word like "noviceness" to mean the state of being a novice, and end up using the word "ignorance," which has a negative connotation. I found a word "novitiate," which I think is outside most peoples' vocabulary. I'm not even sure if it's correct to say, "forgive my novitiate, but..."
Does anyone have any other ideas?
Thanks,
Jeff
It sounds like you want a fairly common word, rather than something exotic. To describe myself, I might make a different choice than when describing someone else. It sounds as if you wish to describe yourself, so I will go with that assumption.
How about: naiveté; unfamiliarity; unenlightenment?
For adjectives, you could also press agent nouns into service: my rookie mistake; my neophyte understanding; my newcomer brashness; my tenderfoot hesitation; beginner's luck.
Thanks Glenn! I think naiveté still sounds a bit negative, but you did make me think of another word: "Forgive my inexperience, but…" The need for this often came up for me because I'm not necessarily unfamiliar, just not yet an expert, and want to acknowledge that upfront.
Thanks,
Jeff
Excellent word!
I must be the first "cowboy" to post on this topic. How about "greenhorn"? As in, "Forgive me for being a greenhorn."