Precision in communications. It’s my motto. I often harp on incorrect, poor or lazy word choices by educated people who should have a much better command of the English language than they demonstrate.
Recently, I wrote a post about how ton, a unit of weight or volume, is often used as a quantity. I’ve heard it used in this manner countless times by major network news anchors. That’s inexcusable.
You may argue that it’s petty. I disagree. Misuse of a unit of weight, volume or measurement in another context can lead to embarrassing errors in a best case scenario, and perhaps life threatening mistakes in a worst case scenario. Considering that we live in an increasingly multicultural society, we invite misinterpretation by those who aren’t as familiar with the English language and by those who simply aren’t astute or paying close attention.
The following example may be petty, I admit. You often hear people describe solving a problem or facing a challenging circumstance as hard. My immediate thought is that difficult is a much more appropriate adjective. Hard is perfectly acceptable, I acknowledge, but considering that the adjective has over 40 meanings whereas difficult has only seven, I submit that you minimize the potential for misunderstanding by choosing the latter word.
And that is my point: it is imperative that we communicate with precision and clarity at all times. Selecting the most accurate words ensures or vastly improves the likelihood that your audience will understand you completely. Their reaction will be exactly as you expected and there are no unintended consequences.
I will expound on this topic in future posts and introduce examples of how miscommunications had disastrous repercussions. You are welcome to share your examples in the Comments box below.
No comments:
Post a Comment