We seldom say "limosine," we say "limo." We seldom say "automobile" but "car" (which is not short for "automobile," of course, but short for "carriage." "Telephone" is almost a lost word---it's simply "phone." We Americans are addicted to diminuitives. We can't even say "Astros" as in "Houston Astros"---even that is chopped to "Stros." And so it goes with so many words. We've become monosyllabic. Our sentences, as in this blog, are short and choppy. Most Americans cannot grasp American and British writings of the early 20th century because such writings contain so many complex sentences and properly spelled words. So why oh why in the world don't we follow the same need or practice for one of the most overly used words in contemporary culture: "relationship"? In entertainment or educational reports, it's "relationship this" and "relationship that." I'm awaiting the day when someone---e.g., Oprah---will reduce the word to one syllable. "Today's topic is 'ships." Or "Today we'll talk about your tion ['shun']." Or "Today let's discuss re." Why not? Let's be consistent. That will be the day I watch the entire Oprah program.
-Old Doc
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2 comments:
You probably don't know this, but the vast and terrifying world of online fan fiction uses "ship" as a short-hand for relationships. Writers who are known for supporting one particular pairing or another are "shippers."
Told you it was frightening.
Addendum: wikipedia to the rescue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shippers
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