Showing posts with label words. Show all posts
Showing posts with label words. Show all posts
Jun 8, 2010
From gray to black
Nieman Journalism Lab has the 50 words most often looked up by New York Times readers in the first half of the year. Many of the words walk the dark side of the dictionary, reflecting the times we're in.
Mar 25, 2010
On abortion
National Public Radio has adopted new etiquette for discussing the abortion debate. "Pro-choice" and "pro-life" are out. "Abortion-rights advocates" and "Abortion-rights opponents" are in. NPR
(found via Romenesko)
(found via Romenesko)
Jan 20, 2009
Words work plan
Policy and politics aside, the craft that went into today's inauguration speech reminds us of the importance of words.
In our public sphere, we have lived through an era of increasingly imprecise and careless language; a time in which 'short' became a substitute for 'pith' and buzz a replacement for clarity; a time in which we concluded, in fear and in shock, that words might fail us, that description might hinder us, that definition might deceive us. We let inarticulateness stand for authenticity, and chose reaction as the truest form of storytelling. We embraced soundbite punditry, calling it a smart solution to busy lives, but really to conceal that we no longer had much to say to each other. Online and on TV, we chose echo location over thoughtful deliberation.
And, so, as the information age spreads at an accelerated pace, we look into the vast empty reaches waiting to be filled and realize we have not said much about who we are or what we mean. Now is the time to put words back to work - to better understand the consequence and significance of what we're doing, where we're going and what we've done.
In our public sphere, we have lived through an era of increasingly imprecise and careless language; a time in which 'short' became a substitute for 'pith' and buzz a replacement for clarity; a time in which we concluded, in fear and in shock, that words might fail us, that description might hinder us, that definition might deceive us. We let inarticulateness stand for authenticity, and chose reaction as the truest form of storytelling. We embraced soundbite punditry, calling it a smart solution to busy lives, but really to conceal that we no longer had much to say to each other. Online and on TV, we chose echo location over thoughtful deliberation.
And, so, as the information age spreads at an accelerated pace, we look into the vast empty reaches waiting to be filled and realize we have not said much about who we are or what we mean. Now is the time to put words back to work - to better understand the consequence and significance of what we're doing, where we're going and what we've done.
Sep 23, 2008
The new vocabulary
In times of strife, old or obscure words are often called upon as our thinking class tries to get its mental arms around the crisis at hand. Old words in particular can be comforting, since they imply a continuity between what is happening now and what has happened before.
Writers try words on for size, trading them on blogs and in columns. Those that succeed in hitting the sweet spot of the current ethos find their way into common circulation.
For instance, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reintroduced us to "slog" back in 2003. Perhaps already familiar to fans of cricket, the word had a poetical precision that both denoted and connoted an as-yet-defined angst about the Iraq war (it was used to refer to the war in Afghanistan, as well). "Slog" has found its way into the vernacular. "Stentorian" may well have had a better run had John Kerry won in 2004.
As journalists, academics, think tankers try to gain an intellectual foothold on the scope of the credit crisis/mortgage crisis/$700-billion Wall Street bailout, I've noticed the words "plutocrat" and "corporatist" popping up. The phrase "moral hazard" has also come into fashion. Will any of them succeed? "Clusterfuck" might also make a return; although I'm not sure it ever went away.
Writers try words on for size, trading them on blogs and in columns. Those that succeed in hitting the sweet spot of the current ethos find their way into common circulation.
For instance, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reintroduced us to "slog" back in 2003. Perhaps already familiar to fans of cricket, the word had a poetical precision that both denoted and connoted an as-yet-defined angst about the Iraq war (it was used to refer to the war in Afghanistan, as well). "Slog" has found its way into the vernacular. "Stentorian" may well have had a better run had John Kerry won in 2004.
As journalists, academics, think tankers try to gain an intellectual foothold on the scope of the credit crisis/mortgage crisis/$700-billion Wall Street bailout, I've noticed the words "plutocrat" and "corporatist" popping up. The phrase "moral hazard" has also come into fashion. Will any of them succeed? "Clusterfuck" might also make a return; although I'm not sure it ever went away.
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