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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Nouns as Adjectives
Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days in academia and the media to inflate language by turning nouns into adjectives. A couple of examples:
"The lion consumed its prey item."
"The nation is undergoing a rebirth process."
A few years back the above sentences would have been stated as:
"The lion consumed its prey."
"The nation is undergoing a rebirth."
What is going on here? Sounds like more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated. Sincerely,
John Wood (Code 5550) e-mail: (Email Removed) Naval Research Laboratory
4555 Overlook Avenue, SWWashington, DC 20375-5337
"The lion consumed its prey item."
"The nation is undergoing a rebirth process."
A few years back the above sentences would have been stated as:
"The lion consumed its prey."
"The nation is undergoing a rebirth."
What is going on here? Sounds like more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated. Sincerely,
John Wood (Code 5550) e-mail: (Email Removed) Naval Research Laboratory
4555 Overlook Avenue, SWWashington, DC 20375-5337
Top answer
[nq:1]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days in academia and the media to inflate language by turning ... " What is going on here?
- [nq:1]Hello, all.
- There seems to be a trend these days in academia and the media to inflate language by turning ...
- " What is going on here?
- Sounds like more double-speak to me.
- Your time and comment is appreciated.
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11 Answers
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[nq:1]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days in academia and the media to inflate language by turning ... a rebirth." What is going on here? Sounds like more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated. Sincerely,[/nq]
It began with tacking "situation" onto everything, which scholars have dated to a meeting of the Tees and Weir Water Board budget-allocation committee hel
It began with tacking "situation" onto everything, which scholars have dated to a meeting of the Tees and Weir Water Board budget-allocation committee hel
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J. B. Wood wrote on 19 Apr 2004:
[nq:1]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days in academia and the media to inflate language by turning ... undergoing a rebirth." What is going on here? Sounds like more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated.[/nq]Fewer writers and speakers pay attention to Strunk and White's dictum to omit unnecessary words, and more and more people
[nq:1]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days in academia and the media to inflate language by turning ... undergoing a rebirth." What is going on here? Sounds like more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated.[/nq]Fewer writers and speakers pay attention to Strunk and White's dictum to omit unnecessary words, and more and more people
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[nq:1]J. B. Wood wrote on 19 Apr 2004:[/nq]
[nq:2]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days ... more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated.[/nq]
[nq:1]Fewer writers and speakers pay attention to Strunk and White's dictum to omit unnecessary words, and more and more people ... And most especially in the media and academia, both institutions filled with too many who
[nq:2]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days ... more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated.[/nq]
[nq:1]Fewer writers and speakers pay attention to Strunk and White's dictum to omit unnecessary words, and more and more people ... And most especially in the media and academia, both institutions filled with too many who
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[nq:1]J. B. Wood wrote on 19 Apr 2004:[/nq]
[nq:2]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days ... more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated.[/nq]
[nq:1]Fewer writers and speakers pay attention to Strunk and White's dictum to omit unnecessary words, and more and more people ... And most especially in the media and academia, both institutions filled with too many who
[nq:2]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days ... more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated.[/nq]
[nq:1]Fewer writers and speakers pay attention to Strunk and White's dictum to omit unnecessary words, and more and more people ... And most especially in the media and academia, both institutions filled with too many who
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Michael Nitabach wrote on 19 Apr 2004:
[nq:1]And back in the good old days everyone wrote clearly, concisely, and with a humble sense of their own importance.[/nq]
Back in the old days, there weren't so many media stars or published writers. I'm talking about the 12th century, of course.
Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.
For email, ehziuh htiw rehpycrebyc ecalper.
[nq:1]And back in the good old days everyone wrote clearly, concisely, and with a humble sense of their own importance.[/nq]
Back in the old days, there weren't so many media stars or published writers. I'm talking about the 12th century, of course.
Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.
For email, ehziuh htiw rehpycrebyc ecalper.
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Mike Lyle wrote on 19 Apr 2004:
[nq:2]J. B. Wood wrote on 19 Apr 2004: Fewer writers ... filled with too many who are too full of themselves.[/nq]
[nq:1]You won't mind an old mate and ally saying "I'm glad you had time to write that, Franke"![/nq]
Always happy to oblige, Mike.
Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.
For email, ehziuh htiw rehpycrebyc ecalper.
[nq:2]J. B. Wood wrote on 19 Apr 2004: Fewer writers ... filled with too many who are too full of themselves.[/nq]
[nq:1]You won't mind an old mate and ally saying "I'm glad you had time to write that, Franke"![/nq]
Always happy to oblige, Mike.
Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.
For email, ehziuh htiw rehpycrebyc ecalper.
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[nq:1]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days in academia and the media to inflate language by turning ... a rebirth." What is going on here? Sounds like more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated. Sincerely,[/nq]
Bureacratese.
It's the "never use one word where four will do" syndrome. It's common among bureaucrats with too much time on their hands (and students
Bureacratese.
It's the "never use one word where four will do" syndrome. It's common among bureaucrats with too much time on their hands (and students
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[nq:1]It began with tacking "situation" onto everything, which scholars have dated to a meeting of the Tees and Weir Water ... Hotel, Darlington, on 26 June 1971, and was renewed by George Bush the Elder (as "thing") in the late '80s.[/nq]
Thanks for elucidating the surrounding circumstances.
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Thanks for elucidating the surrounding circumstances.
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
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[nq:1]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days in academia and the media to inflate language by turning ... a rebirth." What is going on here? Sounds like more double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated. Sincerely,[/nq]
Why do you think that is 'doublespeak'? The idea of doublespeak was to continually reduce the number of words, not increase them.
Why do you think that is 'doublespeak'? The idea of doublespeak was to continually reduce the number of words, not increase them.
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[nq:2]Hello, all. There seems to be a trend these days ... double-speak to me. Your time and comment is appreciated. Sincerely,[/nq]
[nq:1]Why do you think that is 'doublespeak'? The idea of doublespeak was to continually reduce the number of words, not increase them.[/nq]
M-W Online:
Main Entry: dou·ble·speak
Pronunciation: 'd&b&l"spEk
Function: noun
language us
[nq:1]Why do you think that is 'doublespeak'? The idea of doublespeak was to continually reduce the number of words, not increase them.[/nq]
M-W Online:
Main Entry: dou·ble·speak
Pronunciation: 'd&
Function: noun
language us
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