precise language – Joe Ayres Cares

Here are some instances of inaccurate/misleading language usage.

“Covid 19 loves excuses.”

Covid 19 is incapable of such things. I know it is just a way to say things in a colorful manner. Do that enough and you get the wrong meaning.

“Glade fights tough odours.”

Glade can’t fight (we have begun to use the word fight everywhere…it apparently no longer means fight).

“Oregon has length.”

This refers to the University of Oregon basketball team. They were trying to say the the players were tall. The misuse is obvious.

The real question is whether the violation of the standard meaning of a term creates meanings that better convey the speaker’s intention or do we lose precision and accuracy in the long run.

I go biking in a lovely spot on Puget Sound. Occasionally, I pause to read the signs along the way. One sign explains that the bay behind the sign was always grassland and used as grazing land until it was “restored” as habitat for salmon. Say what? It was not “restored” it was “developed” to serve as a habitat for salmon. I don’t have any problem with what was done with it, but I object to the inaccurate language usage. I’d like to believe it was just carelessness but I suspect it was done to make it seem that people had destroyed salmon habitat and the damage was being repaired! In fact just the opposite occurred, native grassland was destroyed to create a habitat for salmon. It did not ruin my day. I like the new habitat and greatly enjoy seeing salmon in the bay occasionally. Color me an “old school” English teacher, which I most certainly am.

Tag: precise language (page 1 of 1)

Another one about misleading language usage

Restored Habitat?

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