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.
Downing, David admitted:
> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 4:04 PM
> To: Lauren; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: RE: "Gage"
>
> Well, "color" and "favor" happened before my lifetime, so I grew up
with
> those and thus, they don't bother me. But this is yet another example
of
> the question of where we draw the line between corruption of the
> language and linguistic drift.
When I try to assert a stand against, not linguistic drift, but
linguistic decay, people often throw "colour/color" and "favour/favor"
in my face (stings only briefly, and washes off easily...).
I then ask them if they see me as merely a codger-with-no-life
complaining about "progress" or if they comprehend the notion of
utility. This strikes many people as a non-sequitur, and generates
puzzled looks (among other things).
When colour (a French word, imported and twisted a bit by Brits who had
really cozy dealings with French (well, at least Norman) folks for a
period during their formative years...) lost its vestigial "u" among
Americans, what utility was lost to the language and its users?
None, I submit.
But we recently had this argument on this very list, about
assure/ensure/insure. Those are distinct words. They have distinct
meanings with not a lot of overlap. Munge them all together and use them
as though they are completely interchangeable, and you have destroyed
your ability to make those distinctions. You have helped to cripple your
language and reduce some of its range and subtlety. Congratulations, how
does it feel to be one who raises the average IQ of a room... by
departing?
How long before we succumb to those who can't differentiate among
to/too/two? They're at the gates! Gasp! Wheeze!.... Kak! (oops,
hairball)
By the way, that's the generic, if-the-shoe-fits-"you", and does _not_
refer to David or Lauren... they're both smarter than I am. Kinda. :-)
- Kevin (a Canadian, who swings both ways on color/colour and
favor/favour)
The information contained in this electronic mail transmission
may be privileged and confidential, and therefore, protected
from disclosure. If you have received this communication in
error, please notify us immediately by replying to this
message and deleting it from your computer without copying
or disclosing it.
ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2009 is your all-in-one authoring and publishing
solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or
HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals. http://www.doctohelp.com
Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
