Is It A Word?
So, Donna mentioned to me this morning that she had told a friend last night that she and I were doing something “dedicatedly.” She then began to doubt if it was actually a word. Well, hon, according to Webster, it’s the adverb form of dedicated:
Main Entry: ded·i·cat·ed
Function: adjective
1 : devoted to a cause, ideal, or purpose : ZEALOUS (a dedicated scholar)
2 : given over to a particular purpose (a dedicated process control computer)
- ded·i·cat·ed·ly adverb
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July 28th, 2005 in
Blatherings
Just because it’s a word doesn’t mean its a good idea to use it.
Dictionaries track common usage, especially Webster’s. Even the OED is becoming more loose about the usages it allows. However, I still avoid using the word “impact” to mean “effect” or “affect”, even though both say it’s okey-dokey. It’s style guides that try to keep proper usage alive - dictionaries just take pictures of the body after we’ve killed it.
Well, I didn’t necessarily say it was a good word. Just that it is a word.
As for the usage of “impact,” I guess that would depend on the impact I want the sentence to have. I would say that “impact” suggests a greater degree of “affect” or “effect.”
Regarding style guides, they are updated to reflect current trends as well. That is the nature of language, like it or not. Just like everything else, it evolves (or devolves, depending upon how you see things).
“eats, shoots, and leaves”
words and meanings, as is punctuation, are in constant flux
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I realize that language evolves. I don’t, however, subscribe to the increased “jargonization” of the language (which is itself jargon). In the example I gave, “impact” is a good word for an extreme effect, or actual violent collision. However, when one completely replaces the words “effect” and “affect” with “impact”, “impactful”, and the various other lazy derivatives, then I believe that your real ability to communicate what you actually mean suffers. It’s like always listening to music turned up to 11 - there’s no subtlety of expression, since everything is geared to maximize “impact.”
Then again, I have always been a bit of a language snob. Obfuscation and cliche’ have never been favored devices of mine. I think it’s a reaction to the high jargon quotient inherent in my occupation. As an R&D type person, I have to tread in both marketingspeak and techspeak, both with high buzzword potential. As a result, when people flavor their everyday English with jargon constructs in order to sound more important or more “hip to the lingo”, it just grates. But that’s just my personal reaction.
I dunno. As a word, I kinda like it.