Is ever-more technology jargon creeping into the vernacular?
Technology is a driving force in the development of vocabulary. There are so many new terms coming out, not only in computing but in all scientific fields, although only a proportion filter down into an individual’s vocabulary. A word like “broadband” for instance, wouldn’t have been known a few years ago. Comparatively few make it into everyday use and then others go out of use. When did you last use the word gramophone? Has email killed the art of letter writing? You mean what was left after the telephone killed the rest of it? Actually, I think the reverse is true and that we’re seeing a substantial increase in written text correspondence. With email, there’s an enormous resurgence in people using the written word to communicate … although they tend to be more the scratch note “see you tonight at 8pm” type of message rather than sweeping missives about what you did on holiday. Visit: www.worldwidewords.org http://news.google.com /www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert www.bbc.co.uk ww
