Babble On: Words

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Words

When did people start saying "governance" instead of "government"? I keep seeing and hearing it and wonder.

11 comments:

the dogs' mother said...: I think it's a fad of sorts. Remember when Bush picked Cheney as his VP and all of a sudden everyone was using the word 'gravitas'.; April 5, 2009 at 6:47 PM
Miss Ginger Grant said...: I don't know why people "utilize" that word... or why they "use" it, for that matter!
My boss is one of those people that learns a word and overuses it. The latest is "transitioning". I'm like: "She's not "transitioning", she got axed! Pink slipped! Canned! Whatever"! Fired people don't transition- drag queens transition!; April 5, 2009 at 7:41 PM
Joy said...: Pseu: Neither! If you mean "lah-bore-ah-tory" the way it was said in those scary movies, no. I don't say it that English way, either. I say "labratory" which is Southern for laboratory.

Miss Ginger: Excellent point about "transitioning" which it isn't. It also bothers me when nouns are used as verbs like that and "impacted" and others I can't think of right now.

FP: Yes, you're right, it's another word fad.; April 5, 2009 at 10:39 PM
#Debi said...: I pronounce it "lab"...

Efforting...

I am efforting my eyes open at this point...; April 6, 2009 at 5:00 AM
Bob said...: The phrase I hate is "going forward."

Do you mean "from now on"?
If so say, from now on.

Going forward I feel like I could cut a pretentious bitch!; April 6, 2009 at 6:46 AM
Aled said...: Joy, I still think that my aim in life to teach Americans to speak English was in vain..... :-); April 6, 2009 at 8:12 AM
Dan said...: I must not be paying attention because I havnt heard it being used.; April 6, 2009 at 10:11 AM
the dogs' mother said...: That dredged up a really old memory from grade school. In Canada the bathrooms were called 'the lav'. Is there such a word as lavatory? Must be because spell check didn't fuss about it. Will go explore this further.; April 6, 2009 at 8:30 PM
the dogs' mother said...: lavatory - a room with conveniences for washing and usually with one or more toilets. Etymology:
Middle English lavatorie, from Medieval Latin lavatorium, from Latin lavare to wash

I loves the internets!; April 6, 2009 at 8:33 PM
Anonymous said...: After a Faulkner novel, it's a wonder anyone cares. He did that all on a typewriter...can you imagine? Editors and authors in those days truly had the great love/hate relationships.
Then again, Joseph Conrad, Polish and gaining fame in the English tongue. Did he even have a typewriter. Who read all that stuff and edited?
and what about all of us who taught the language for years...with the same errors over and over and over and over and over...and over...and over...
Why do we still care?
just wonderin'
Charlie; April 6, 2009 at 9:09 PM
Joy said...: I remember hearing people call them lavatories.; April 6, 2009 at 10:56 PM

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