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Subject:Re: Grammar, language change, & phobia From:"Kahn, Stacey" <skahn -at- WB -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 29 Aug 1995 12:55:06 U
Margaret Knox (margaret -dot- knox -at- jhuapl) suggests that we not use the constuction
"[when you do this,] the framis displays" in computer documentation because the
construction is more a part of computer-ese than standard English, and
computer-ese contributes to our other thread of computer phobia.
*Every* field has jargon. If we were to remove all jargon from computer
documentation we'd be telling people to place their dominant-hand palm on the
top flat surface of the sort-of-oval-shaped plastic device (first positioning
the device so that its rests on one of its large sides, specifically the large
side with the writing on it, and with the cord attached on the thinner side
pointing away from oneself), and push the device across their desks,
maintaining continuous contact between the rolling piece of the bottom of the
larger device and the desk or pad on which it sits, in the general direction
(with "up" on screen denoted as away from oneself) equivalent to the direction
in which they want the arrow on their screens to move... and then when the
blinking arrow on the screen points to the desired part of the screen picture,
stop moving the device and quickly depress and release the leftmost portion of
the yields-to-pressure area on its top surface.... instead of "click on".
Some amount of jargon is necessary to the degree that concepts of a particular
activity or field are specific to that realm. When we learn to drive we learn
new phrases and new definitions for phrases we already know, like "pump the
brakes" or "turn signal" or "clutch", and for which we could, if we had to,
substitute convoluted-yet-standard English.
One important part of communicating effectively is making it easy for the
reader to understand what we're saying-- and sometimes it's much easier for
everyone if we gently introduce vocabulary that has developed specifically for
the situation we're describing.
Rant done.
Stacey Kahn
SKahn -at- wb -dot- com
speaking for myself and not for my employer
