Quizzes & Puzzles24 mins ago
Why Do We Have To Have New Words When The Old Ones Are Fine?
48 Answers
During the pandemic, we keep hearing of a 'Road Map' to return to normal life. We used to say 'strategy' or 'plan'. Why the change? What's wrong with the old words?
Schools used to have a 'Curriculum' but they now talk about 'Learning Journeys'. Everything seems to be 'journey' now. I've heard people talk about their 'illness journey'. No doubt they need a road map for all these journeys.
I can't see anything wrong with 'Personnel' but despise its replacement - 'Human Resources'. I suppose it's honest in admitting that's the only way employers think of their employees. The sweeper is the same thing as the broom to them.
For a few months now, people no longer say 'thank you for contacting us'. Instead it's 'Thank you for reaching out to us'. 'Reaching out'? It sounds like a toddler wanting to be picked up.
I can understand why some words have changed. Feminists didn't like 'Manpower' etc. - anything that seemed to exclude women, but I don't understand why perfectly good words are so regularly replaced with new words or new expressions that suddenly leap out at us and demand that we adapt. (OK, I admit it! I'm grumpy!)
Schools used to have a 'Curriculum' but they now talk about 'Learning Journeys'. Everything seems to be 'journey' now. I've heard people talk about their 'illness journey'. No doubt they need a road map for all these journeys.
I can't see anything wrong with 'Personnel' but despise its replacement - 'Human Resources'. I suppose it's honest in admitting that's the only way employers think of their employees. The sweeper is the same thing as the broom to them.
For a few months now, people no longer say 'thank you for contacting us'. Instead it's 'Thank you for reaching out to us'. 'Reaching out'? It sounds like a toddler wanting to be picked up.
I can understand why some words have changed. Feminists didn't like 'Manpower' etc. - anything that seemed to exclude women, but I don't understand why perfectly good words are so regularly replaced with new words or new expressions that suddenly leap out at us and demand that we adapt. (OK, I admit it! I'm grumpy!)
Answers
My children had a book split into 3s, heads, bodies and legs, they could make different funny people, an old man in a tutu wearing waders etc. We developed that into a conference- speak book, three sections to make meaningless sentences and the aim was to use as many of these trite sentences. Much more fun than the crossword sitting at the back! My road map is in...
09:47 Fri 22nd May 2020
So (see what I did there), terms like roadmaps, milestones, challenges (for problems), journey, development (for training)and going forwards were compulsory in HR and other business meetings when I worked 15-20 years ago (HR replaced Personnel there in 1985), and the politicians/commentators talked about Road Maps after the Iraq war, so I don't notice it- apart from 'ramped up' which seems to be everywhere. Language always has changed and always will.
Coleridge was happy with the way language was changing in the 19th century when he wrote
"I regret to see that vile and barbarous vocable talented stealing out of the newspapers into the leading reviews and most respectable publications of the day."
Imagine if we still wrote and spoke like that.
Coleridge was happy with the way language was changing in the 19th century when he wrote
"I regret to see that vile and barbarous vocable talented stealing out of the newspapers into the leading reviews and most respectable publications of the day."
Imagine if we still wrote and spoke like that.
it's the ever evolving right on management BS speak, we used to play this in meetings:
https:/ /www.bu zzwordb ingogam e.com/c ards/** */
https:/
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