Language

  

We all talk and write, but our different approaches to language, from weird misspellings to verbal idiosyncrasies, make the topic so interesting!

Reading too much into webserver file names

Posted on Jul 22, 2010 in Language, Web Dev | 0 comments

Reading too much into webserver file names

Here's my observation: On Apache/Linux-based web servers, the file within each directory that is looked for is called index.html. On the IIS/Windows platform, the file is called default.html. Index. Default. Each carries a certain connotation... does that connotation imply anything about the platform on which these files exist? Or am I just reading far too much into something completely innocuous?

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Expanding the lexicon: automagically and ginormous

Posted on Apr 12, 2010 in Language | 1 comment

Expanding the lexicon: automagically and ginormous

It's time to accept two new members into the family of words in the English language: "automagically" and "ginormous." Even if you don't like them or use them yourself, there seems to be plenty of evidence that these neologisms have become mainstream.

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Web talk: then vs. now

Posted on Apr 5, 2010 in Language, Misc., Web Dev | 0 comments

The language of the web, like the web itself, is constantly changing. I'm not talking about HTML5, PHP, or other development languages; I mean how we as a culture actually refer to using the web. Since its "birth" there's been a noticeable shift in how people speak and write about the internet. It's an interesting study and while I don't claim to know all about it, I have collected some examples.

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Discreet vs. discrete

Posted on Feb 23, 2010 in Language | 3 comments

Discreet vs. discrete

Tiger Woods wishes his adultery had been kept more discrete. Or is it discreet? He's probably too busy apologizing to care about the difference between these particularly tricky homophones, but the rest of us should care. Learn which spelling goes with which meaning, and a couple mnemonics to keep them straight.

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Apostrophes have no place in plural acronyms

Posted on Feb 9, 2010 in Language | 5 comments

Apostrophes have no place in plural acronyms

Apostrophes, for being such tiny little punctuation marks, sure can cause some big problems. Mastering their proper use with plural and possessive nouns can be tricky for some, but one use shouldn't be confusing: apostrophes have no place in plural acronyms like "FAQs" or numeric constructions like "the 1980s."

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Utilize vs. use

Posted on Nov 9, 2009 in Language | 1 comment

Language is a beautiful and varied concept, with room enough for all manner of style, voice, and of course, word choice. As one who often edits the writing of others (or wishes he’d had the opportunity to do so), I’ve encountered some word choices that seem to persist despite simpler, more direct options. One of these is the word “utilize,” which in the vast majority of...

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