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Subject:Re: Connotation vs. Denotation From:Sue Stewart <suepstewrt -at- AOL -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 19 Apr 1994 20:36:45 EDT
In response to the following: I really can't care about the "actual meaning"
if the word makes my users unhappy. If the connotation is severely negative,
then surely I can find some other word which is just as unambiguous and
doesn't have unfortunate baggage to tote. To suggest that connotation is
irrelevant is to ignore the user--and for us, the synonym for user is
"customer."
Remember, regardless of the facts, perception is reality!
suepstewrt -at- aol -dot- com
>>It seems to me that this whole argument about "Abort, Retry, Fail"
>>and violent terminology is the result of a disagreement between
>>connotation and denotation. What we "think" a word means often
>>has no relation to its actual definition.
>>Other things can be aborted besides feti, and "server" doesn't mean
>>slave unless you want it to.
>>As a rhetor, I do feel the need to present my ideas unambiguously,
>>however I have little sympathy for people who don't know the meaning
>>of a word. Am I being unreasonable? ("Yes," is an acceptable answer.)
