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Subject:Re: 'author' vs. 'write' From:"Wayne J. Douglass" <wayned -at- VERITY -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 28 May 1997 09:58:09 -0700
At 09:44 AM 5/28/97 -0500, Mary Howe wrote:
>Here's a picky little question:
>
>What is the difference between the verbs 'to author' and 'to write'?
>I've never used 'author' myself because I just thought it was a social
>dialect variation (like 'home' and 'house', 'drapes' and 'curtains',
>'frosting' and 'icing', etc.).
>
Most tradionalists abhor "author" as a verb in any context (e.g., vide the
_Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage_) - more for aesthetic than logical
reasons. I don't use it myself; it has a touch of pomposity that I can do
without.
However, I have heard it frequently used in the context of preparing course
materials, rather than manuals. A back formation from the CBT program
Authorware? Technical writers write; course developers author.
--Wayne Douglass
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