Category: language

Microsoft Jargon

Ashley BischoffLeave a comment

In the comments for this Slashdot review of the book “Microsoft in the Mirror”, Prostoalex linked to his lexicon of Microsoft Jaron. It’s similar (but unrelated) to the Jargon File, but it’s specific to Jargon within Microsoft.

Some of the entries have since crept into widespread corporate use, such as bandwidth (as in “time”), but most of them were new to me. And, one of my favorites is probably “ask” as a noun:

Ask: Used as a noun, preceded by “the,” as in “What’s the ask?”, which basically means “What are you asking?”, or “What’s the bottom line?”, or, more simply, “What’s the question?” Essentially, then, a gratuitous verb-to-noun transmogrification, creating a useless synonym for question.

I can almost understand its purpose, but I still find it amusing — I almost feel like adopting it as my exclamation-of-choice (as in “What the ask?!”). Of course, that usage wouldn’t make sense in real life or even in the context of Microsoft jargon ;).

American vs British English

Ashley Bischoff3 Comments

While searching for the differences between burritos and enchilasas, I came across this fascinating page on British vs American English. (And, for those curious, “An enchilada is usually open at both ends and is covered with sauce, so it would be served on a plate. A burrito is completely closed up, and is often wrapped in foil even at a place where you could eat it there, and is a little more portable.”)

Though most of the site is setup like a dictionary (an English-to-English dictionary, natch), some of the most interesting bits are from the words, phrases and abbreviations section. My favorite description is the probably this one for “hunting”:

Hunting

British English: Posh fools on horseback pursuing harmless animals with dogs while dressed up in ridiculous costumes. [Perceptive readers might possibly detect a slight prejudice in the author here :) ]

American English: People shooting large and dangerous wild animals, usually with rifles, while dressed normally and on foot.

The entry for Bed & Breakfast was also surprisingly insightful:

Bed and Breakfast

British English: Relatively inexpensive accommodation of a generally unpretentious nature provided in private homes.

American English: Very expensive accommodation provided in fairly luxurious private homes.

I found it really interesting to learn about my own country through the eyes of someone looking inside from afar.

(PS The Dow ended at a new 15-month high! Now if only the jobs would follow..)

An Editor’s Take on Personals

Ashley BischoffLeave a comment

I was amused by this recent Salon article about an editor whose friends keep asking her to help edit their personal ads. I hadn’t thought about it before, but I suppose it’s much in the same way that doctors are always getting asked for medical advice or how IT guys are often asked to help with their friends’ PCs.

Editing is subjective. One editor’s treasure is another’s trash. Under the “Five things I can't live without” section I can’t delete intangibles like “laughter” and “the ability to dream” fast enough. Or, under “Things you’ll find in my bedroom,” “bare walls,” “piles of paper” and “free stuff I get from work” says little. “Less Ikea furniture than before,” tells me more (you’re creative and upwardly mobile). […]

Unrude Use of “Shut Up!”

Ashley Bischoff2 Comments

Via ObscureStore, apparently the “unrude use of ‘Shut up’” is catching on:

Not too many years ago, the unrude use of "Shut up!" might have baffled linguists and just about everybody else. But the term has now made its way from schoolgirl chatter to adult repartee and into movies and advertising. People use it as much to express disbelief, shock and joy as to demand silence. In some circles, it has become the preferred way to say "Oh my God!" "Get out of town!" and "No way!" all at once.

A recent ad for Hyundai's Elantra shows a young woman sparring with a dealer. "Shut up!" screams the woman, who pokes the man in the chest each time he points out a feature that sounds too good to be true.

Editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary are considering a new entry for "Shut up!" in the next edition. "I think we should add it because it appears to be widespread," says senior editor Erin McKean. Already, she has mulled possible definitions: "used to express amazement or disbelief" and "oh, so true!" […]

The pop-culture rise of “Shut up!” is amusing in itself, but I think I’m even more amused by the linguists’ phrase “unrude use of ‘Shut up!’” ;).

American Dialect Society’s Words of the Year 2003

Ashley BischoffLeave a comment

The American Dialect Society has released its Words of the Year for 2002 (yes, 2002, since they grant awards for the year just finished). Each year, they select words that recently have become trendy. The numbers you’ll see in parenthesis are votes; the word with the highest votes wins that category. Some of my favorites from this year’s list:

—Most euphemistic: regime change (38 votes). Other candidates: V card, slang term for virginity (14); newater, sewage water purified and recycled into the fresh water system (7); unorthodox entrepreneur, panhandler, prostitute, or drug dealer in a Vancouver park (4); Enronomics, fraudulent business and accounting practices (1); dirty bomb, conventional bomb laced with radioactive material (0). […]

And, related to that, Lake Superior State University released its 28th annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness. The list is spot-on in many cases, though it comes off a bit Andy Rooney-like at times.

Make No Mistake About It — Nominated by many, including Angela Wood of Anchorage, Alaska, for over-use since the 2000 election.

“Generally used instead of ‘don’t underestimate’ or ‘understand,’” says John O’Connell of San Jose, California. Are listeners really going to mistake what the questioner is saying?

“Who’s mistaken, anyway?” asks Barb Keller of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. […]

Thanks also to MetaFilter for its threads on the American Dialect Society’s Words of the Year and LSSU’s Banished Words.

[Dow update: -55.88 to 7929.30]