Quote:
Originally Posted by Good Old Neon
Would it also be beneficial to differentiate between eating with a fork vs. a spoon – how about chopsticks, what should we call that? Spooning? Forking? Chopsticking? How about driving a car vs. a truck? Should one be called caring while the other trucking? What if I’m watching a movie on a monitor vs. a television, shall we invent another word to differentiate the two? Hey, I’m monitoring District 9 tonight, do you want to stop by and join me? Should we invent a new word for sleeping in relation to whether it is on a bed or a couch? Would it be beneficial to come up with a new word for playing tennis depending upon whether it is played on clay or grass? How about the act of writing, would it be beneficial to distinguish between using a typewriter or a computer or a pen? If I told you that I’m writing a book, would it be beneficial if I were to tell you by what method?
And what of the the act of writing, would it be beneficial to distinguish between using a typewriter or a computer or a pen? If I told you that I’m writing a book, would it be beneficial if I were to tell you by what method? You might ask how, on a computer or a typewriter, and that’s a valid question, but if we’re going to arbitrarily invent a new word to differentiate between reading on a display vs. paper, shouldn’t we also then invent a new word to differentiate between writing using a typewriter or a computer or a pen?
At the moment, I’m reading Jonathan Lethem’s Chronic City, what difference does it make with respect to paper or e-reader? Does it add to or subtract from the experience of reading Chronic City? If so, how? What is more important, the fact that I’m reading it, or what I’m reading it on?
To the contrary, I think it would less beneficial, as everyone is familiar with the act and definition of reading, why muddy the water with a new word, when a perfectly acceptable one already exists?
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Good Old Neon, well said. I agree with 99 percent of what you wrote. Thanks for the good, and thoughtful, comment! -- danny