If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
Jeremy Nixon wrote:
Floyd Davidson wrote: *Nobody* cares whether words match precise dictionary meanings, because *point* is to communicate. When people *communicate*, the question is not "what did they say", but "what did they mean". When things devolve too far in that direction, communication becomes difficult or impossible. No Jeremy, I think now, Floyd has a good prospective of the evolutionary process that has overtaken the English language. The language itself is no longer subject to exclusive overview by proponents of the Oxford dictionary, so to speak. Those that may be offended by the use of jargon as speaking aides may well find that to be a problem they have created unto themselves. "English is a pluricentric language, with marked differences in pronunciation and spelling between the UK and the US, and a variety of accents of those and other English-speaking countries. It is usually considered a symmetric case of a pluricentric language, because no variety clearly dominates culturally. Statistically, however, American English speakers comprise more than 70% of native English speakers, with British English a distant second at 16% and other varieties having less than 5% each." Within the US, communicative jargon is accepted. Should the word "Bucks" be substituted for "Dollars" the jargon would not be misunderstood. No more than "Howdy" would not be understood to mean "Hello." Consider also, Oxford English is not the English of Geoffrey Chaucer. Even in England, the English language has undergone considerable change. Though it serves to repeat: "... no variety clearly dominates culturally," the time to consider when extreme use of jargons have caused communicative problems is when a listener has to say ... eh? However, just having the ability to inquire about what is being said still leaves a listener with the ability to communicate. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|