TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Bear with me a moment here. I have a point to make that I think you might agree with ...
Ben Kovitz <bkovitz -at- nethere -dot- com> wrote:
>
>2. Why do people engage in pretentious usage? Now here is where it
>gets difficult. One reason is because, for purposes such as
>marketing, people need to get attention, and they need to get it
>through channels where there is a lot of competition for bandwidth.
Hmm, channels? bandwidth? Okay, I think I remember enough communication theory that I can stretch the technical meanings of these terms to include Ben's metaphorical usage.
>If the phrase "a higher order of magnitude" acquires a certain cachet
cachet? Certainly a metaphorical extension of its original meaning.
> We might even benefit from other people's practice
>of it. It might be essential to the economic engines
economic engines? Literal engines?
that create
>niches
niches? Literal niches?
Okay, so what's my point? My point is that as attractive a notion as it might be for us technical writers to man the barricades against the cooptation of technical terms by marketers, the fact is we will be overrun in the end.
English grows richer through the metaphoric use of formerly narrow terms. Along the way, we lose the original precision, to be sure; and I regret that as much as you. (Shall we talk about parameters, perhaps?)
I don't know where order of magnitude stands in this process. I know it creeps into our own marketing collateral, but I try to edit it out where it can't be justified by actual order-of-magnitude improvements. Others may not be so careful. Five years from now, teenagers may adopt it to mean "very." Who knows?
What I do know is that today's marketing cliché is liable to be tomorrow's standard diction. About the best we can do is stick a Strunk & White finger in the dike now and then.
Dick
PS: For the record, Ben, there is nothing at all amiss with your word choices that I poked fun at above. I was only pointing out that we all understand exactly what you mean even though those words formerly had narrower meanings.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Are you using Doc-to-Help or ForeHelp? Switch to RoboHelp for Word for $249
or to RoboHelp Office for only $499. Get the PC Magazine five-star rated
Help authoring tool for less! Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr
Free copy of ARTS PDF Tools when you register for the PDF
Conference by April 30. Leading-Edge Practices for Enterprise
& Government, June 3-5, Bethesda,MD. www.PDFConference.com
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
