Like any writer or reader of
English, I love the English language. The arcane, the archaic, the
flawed, the illogical and the just plain weird. The duplication and the
inconsistencies. The, uh, Anglo-Saxonisms. The quirks. You know, like
how we park in a driveway and drive on a parkway. Why do we call pineapple that which contains neither pine nor apple? And if the plural of
tooth is teeth, why is not the plural of booth "beeth?"
I
love it, warts and all, so I dislike what I consider the sanitizing of
it. And by that, I don't mean removal of naughty words, but the
homogenizing of it, the replacing of descriptive, recognizable words
with bland substitutes.
I'll give you a couple of examples.
 |
| "Unsung" by James Dietz |
Now, how about "technician?" If you're like me, you think of a person in a lab coat holding a clipboard or laptop in a sterile environment, and not much else.
 |
| George Washington Young Surveyor by Hy Hinterman |
So what comes to mind when you see the term "Geomatics Engineer?" If you're drawing a blank or thinking of a three-letter acronym that begins with "W" and ends with "F," you're probably not alone. Yes, that's what they're calling themselves now.
Words like "mechanic" and "surveyor" are evocative, rich in imagery. They're interwoven with history and literature. Technicians are certainly professionals worthy of esteem; they're just saddled with a moniker that's generic because it's an umbrella for so many different disciplines. Words like "technician" and, Lord help us, "Geomatics Engineer" seem bland and noncommittal, of a world where everyone is special, and thus, no one is.
So
why the changes? Somehow, I doubt it's part of a sinister conspiracy to render
English more vanilla. Rather, in the case of "technician," it was
probably a desire to change people's perception of mechanics as unskilled grease monkeys, to clean up the image, make it respectable. Why, I don't know. I for one have always seen the profession of mechanic as highly skilled and eminently respectable and I have a lot of esteem for people that get their hands dirty.
There's probably also a feeling that "mechanic" belongs to the previous century
and doesn't accurately reflect a time in which a mechanic spends more
time reading diagnostic codes on a computer than turning wrenches, and
likely went to a technical school to learn to do it. I get it, it just leaves me flat.
As for surveying, I'm a Civil engineer, so I have far more than a passing familiarity with it (I've done a fair bit of it myself, and one-fourth of my professional engineering exam was on surveying) so I can tell you that it's like an iceberg; the gal or guy out there with the total station or GPS receiver on a tripod is just the tip that the public sees. An enormous amount of surveying takes place in the office, researching maps and plats and corner records, writing legal descriptions and performing complex calculations. And I guess that's the point, the desire for a term that more completely reflects the totality of what a surveyor does. But it also seems like an attempt to gain more respect for a profession that for me, was never lacking in it in the first place (to me, surveyors are the "casual Fridays" of the engineering world, and who doesn't think engineering can use more of that?). But if that is the purpose, why such a goofy name? (The term "Civil" engineer comes from "civilian," meaning non-military. It was bland from the cradle, but I will resist with all my energy any attempts to rename it Physical and Natural Environment Technician.)
As for surveying, I'm a Civil engineer, so I have far more than a passing familiarity with it (I've done a fair bit of it myself, and one-fourth of my professional engineering exam was on surveying) so I can tell you that it's like an iceberg; the gal or guy out there with the total station or GPS receiver on a tripod is just the tip that the public sees. An enormous amount of surveying takes place in the office, researching maps and plats and corner records, writing legal descriptions and performing complex calculations. And I guess that's the point, the desire for a term that more completely reflects the totality of what a surveyor does. But it also seems like an attempt to gain more respect for a profession that for me, was never lacking in it in the first place (to me, surveyors are the "casual Fridays" of the engineering world, and who doesn't think engineering can use more of that?). But if that is the purpose, why such a goofy name? (The term "Civil" engineer comes from "civilian," meaning non-military. It was bland from the cradle, but I will resist with all my energy any attempts to rename it Physical and Natural Environment Technician.)
With the well-intentioned but misguided replacement of both words, I think the result is the same. If we did this for every hoary old less-than-encyclopedic name, what we'd end up with wouldn't be English at all, but a homogenous goo. At that point, let's just get it over with and start speaking (shudder) Esperanza.
How about you? Do you have any similar sanitizing pet peeves? Do you know of a newer term that's an actual improvement over the old? Or maybe you think I'm full of pre-processed bovine waste product? Let me know.
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I think the English language is full of precision. Words are like tools. You can use "modern" tools (vanilla or otherwise), but the precision of the old is very valuable, and I wouldn't want to lose that.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and Bear hugs!
Bears Noting
Thanks! Yes, precision and imprecision definitely co-exist in the English language. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteMy dad was an auto mechanic--one of the honest ones according to one of his customers I once met. So I too see this profession as honorable and worthy of respect. If a group (say of engineers), collectively prefers a particular name, I'd support them. If outsiders force a name on a group (for whatever reason), I'm less supportive. So resist away.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I believe language is alive and dynamic and needs to change to remain vibrant and relevant. It says much about a culture to see how word usage and names have changed over time.
I enjoyed you post. Fellow A to Z'er
Jagoda
Thanks, Jagoda. That's a good point. I don't want language to remain static and do enjoy a lot of new word usages (if "boss" hadn't acquired a new meaning, how could I channel my inner '60s dude while describing a restored musclecar, for example?). As long as those changes don't have the effect of sucking the life out of language.
DeleteDear Jerry, like you, I love language and the images they evoke. I love to research etymology, and I was one of those kids who took learning the Greek and Latin roots to heart back in eighth grade.
ReplyDeleteOne of my pet peeves is changing words or terms and deciding that the old terms are now "bad" or obsolete. To me, it's the equivalent of erasing history. Here's an example: I just finished a book by Canadian author Lawrence Hill. In Canada and the UK, the book was published under its original title, "The Book of Negroes". The title reflects an actual document that the British used in the late 1700s when they repatriated hundreds of former African slaves to Africa. In order to be on the ship to go to Sierra Leone, your name had to be in this book. In the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, the book was published under a different title: "Someone Knows My Name." I asked the author the reason for this, and his answer was that American booksellers told his publisher they wouldn't be able to sell the book as originally named because these days "Negro" is considered a pejorative term.
Well, from my point of view, back in the 40s and 50s, that word was definitely a step up from the previous names given to black people. It's a word that I don't want erased from our collective memory.
Of course, an author writes because she or he has something to say, and they want their work to be read (and sold). I get that. But, I have to say, I was a bit saddened by the whole situation.
Okie dokie, Jerry. Soapbox exchange day for us. ;-) xoA
Annis, that is a powerful example. In that case, like many others, the intentions are good, but isn't it dangerous to erase the uglier sides of history? Tomorrow, my wife and I are taking my daughter to see "42." It's probably hard for her twelve-year-old mind to even conceive of the Jim Crow era and of what Jackie Robinson faced. I've told her about it at length, but by her seeing it well-acted out on the big screen and living color, it won't be as abstract. Some of it may be hard to watch, but she's old enough to face it and it will make her a better person. I know "Negro" is considered pejorative, but it's more complicated than that. In-between its most well-meaning most pejorative senses, there's a whole spectrum of shades of meaning, isn't there? I see it used, for example, by black comedians to gently poke fun of prejudices and attitudes, and that seems like a good thing.
DeleteAnyway, I'm rambling. Thanks so much for sharing that and your thoughts on it. Soapbox preachers, unite!
Sorry, I meant "In between its most well-meaning AND its most pejorative senses."
DeleteJerry ~ I agree, there are always shades and nuances. Also things that are acceptable or permissible in some instances but not in others. It keeps on on her toes.
DeleteAnd may I say what a good dad you must be. xoA
I must say, the only gripe I have with the sanitation of language is this- when new words or phrases are created/used there exists a chance that the original meaning can get lost in the shuffle. Regardless of motive, the title of housewife was swapped for domestic engineer. It loses something in translation. Try selling a TV show called Desperate Domestic Engineers of Bakersfield. That's just an example and also my ante.
ReplyDeleteHey, Chief. Also a good example. Maybe people wanted to ditch the '50s connotations? "Stay-at-home Mom" seems like a decent enough term, though it's a bit clunky. But yeah, domestic engineer? Why does everyone want to append "engineer" to everything, anyway (e.g. "sanitation engineer")?
DeleteJer, thanks for the comment on my blog post "Mechanic or Technician." Linking up your place of residence, Bakersfield, and putting that into context of your post, I'll say that much of the modern music is similarly cleaned up and manufactured. I also host a radio show up here in Marin Co. called "Bakersfield & Beyond" and we focus on the gritty Bakersfield tunes that came out of the honky tonks as opposed to the orchestrated, manufactured music that comes out of Nashville. There's good and bad from both places, but I thought it was interesting that we have the Bakersfield connection.
ReplyDeleteMike
You are speaking my language, now. I love the Bakersfield Sound for sure. My grandparents came out from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, but I didn't appreciate their music until they were gone. I wish they were around for me to listen with them. I'm more rock and roll, but when I listen to country I prefer the old stuff, where my wife prefers the likes of Kenny Chesney. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteBeing in the Bay Area I wonder if you're familiar with Rivendell Bicycle Works. You seem to have some things in common with their way of thinking. I'm one of those weirdos that think bicycles peaked in the '80s and still love my '88 Bridgestone RB-2.
Thanks for stopping by, great to hear from you. I'll be checking out your site more.
I just realized that first I asked you about a competitor, then said I prefer old bikes, to someone in the business of new bikes. No, I don't feel dumb or anything...
DeleteI fully agree with your thoughts. Although this might be a bit off topic, I am frustrated with the terrible use of the English language by many people today. Texted has resulted in abbreviated words in many places, including posts by college students in discussion forums. I don't understand why butchering the language due to laziness is acceptable. Maybe I'm just old fashioned.
ReplyDeleteJoan
Hey, Joan. What bugs me about what you're talking about is that few of the butchers understand just what it is they're butchering or why. I think some G.K. Chesterton applies here - "Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up."
ReplyDeleteI meant 'texting'. Sorry about the mistake when we're talking about butchering the language. I fully agree with what you said. Most people don't even know any better, and I think that is inexcusable.
DeleteI don't suppose there is much that can be done to sanitize "pre-processed bovine waste product," but the use of "pre-" drives me wild. Pre-owned automobiles instead of used cars. Pre-processed bowine waste product instead of BS. Logically, it makes no sense; but, the use of "pre-" in such cases is legitimized in Websters. Among other things, such usage strikes me as an example of the inflation that influences every corner of our existence. My soapbox. You hit a nerve, Jerry. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWell, in fairness, the PPBWP was in jest. Pre-owned is a good example. Used carries with it too many connotations of smarmy guys in polyester suits trying to foist lemons on to unsuspecting buyers. It's hard to imagine the polished, restrained voice-over announcers waxing rhapsodic about used Mercedes and Lexuses (Lexii?)
ReplyDelete