In a similar vein, I've noticed that while most of us refer to computer
programs as having "functions," computer support personnel refer to them
as possessing "functionalities" (I've also noticed that they become very
confused when English faculty ask them about this while they're trying
to explain a new software system...). It may have begun as a kind of
marketing fluffspeak, but it appears to have become completely general
in the field. I dread encountering something like
"functionalizationismiticities."

Bill Spruiell
Dept. of English
Central Michigan University

-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kischner, Michael
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 12:45 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Non-political message on an interesting new verb

 

According to the May 17 New York Times, Tom DeLay said the Columbine
shootings some years ago happened "because our school systems teach our
children that they are nothing but glorified apes who have evolutionized
out of some primordial mud."

I think we're going to see an interesting split develop, with "evolve"
being the neutral verb and "evolutionize" being the denigratingverb for
the same process.

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