‘Alighting’ – A word that has no meaning in the common vernacular, yet is still used in transit safety signs. Your
Challenge: find someone who knows what the term means when not given the transit context.
So, I subscribe to the school of thought that believes that the “internet” should remain an uncapitalized noun. As I wrote this post on my iPhone, it’s repeatedly trying to correct my supposed misspelling. And therein lies an incredible example of the control of language through the control of communication medium. Autocorrect is a necessary component of the writing process on these devices. By correcting the term – or even by making it an opt-out process – it has exercised a certain level of control over this communication. And by exercising that control in such a large number of communication points, it’s influencing language on the whole.
When language has the ability to be manipulated, thought can be too.
What subtle aspects of control might exist by excluding a competitor from a dictionary? Do they have an obligation to ensure Bing is capitalized?
Language is a numbers game and always has been. Our language’s evolution has been dictated by the majority, and that growth method is the driver for the numerous dialects we see today. ‘Email’ became the standard spelling not because of a prescribed dictionary, but through its majority use online (or, on-line…?)
It’s ironic* really.
*I don’t think it’s ironic. I just use that in reference to the tired internet discussions about its misuse. In common language, it really has come to be used as a stand in for “interesting coincidence” and that will become its future definition. Well, until our autocorrect features correct our word usage as well…
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