Open vs Appear, Yet Again (was: "RE: WG: Newbie question - GUI terminology")

Subject: Open vs Appear, Yet Again (was: "RE: WG: Newbie question - GUI terminology")
From: "nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il" <nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2006 08:46:13 -0400

Janice writes:
> As for "opens," I've been trying to pin down why it
> bothers me and I haven't been able to come up with
> a grammar-related explanation.

I don't think it's the intransitivity that's the
problem. In real life, you could say "pull the
cord, and the window opens."

I think that maybe it's the imperfection of the
parallel between a display window and a conventional
window. In real life, a closed window isn't invisible,
it just sits there closed. And an open window is,
if anything, less visible than a closed one.

However, it's universally accepted that to eliminate
a window from the display screen is to close it; so
it's reasonable that to do the opposite is to open
the window.

------------------------------------------------
Mark L. Levinson - nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il
------------------------------------------------
Mark discourses to fellow Israeli techwriters at
http://www.elephant.org.il/columns/why_of_style/
------------------------------------------------



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