General > General Technical Chat

No, you didn’t “reach out”, you CONTACTED them

<< < (9/26) > >>

Simon:

--- Quote from: eti on September 19, 2021, 10:09:39 am ---

It’s a very sad state of affairs. This is all prophecied in the Bible, it’s no surprise to those who believe in Christ Jesus.

I watched this earlier - I had to to inform myself. I love my American cousins but am blessed not to be subjected to this nonsense:

https://youtu.be/t8WllTJ8YGk

--- End quote ---

I'm not quite sure how it was predicted in the bible. It seems to bang on about terrible things to come with nothing specific, it's all down to interpretation. Depending on your outlook things are either getting bad or worse and you can then apply the narrative you prefer.

Simon:

--- Quote from: Ed.Kloonk on September 19, 2021, 10:34:09 am ---As far back as the '60s.

Reach out. (I'll be there).



--- End quote ---

Slightly different context to business emails.

xrunner:

--- Quote from: eti on September 18, 2021, 03:17:36 am ---What’s with this modern idiocy of having to force every simple, everyday action to make it sound like you’ve just graduated from some Dilbert school of business?

You didn’t “reach out” to them, nor did they “reach out” to you - you phoned/emailed/wrote to them. It shows how easily people are swept up by the waves of language and carried along by them. I despise these corporate bollocks phrases, because it’s abundantly clear that the motive behind using them is an act of vanity, and trying to “fit in” with the other lot.

--- End quote ---

Language is full of useless sayings. For example, I'm a ham. When the other person gets tired if talking to you - maybe he/she is bored, has something to do, etc., they say

"Well I'm going to let you go now ..."

Huh? How can they let me go? I didn't say I wanted to go anywhere, and they have no right to control when I go anywhere. But they say "I'm going to let you go". What they should say is "I'm going to let myself go, because it's me that wants to go.

 :P

Then when people call you they say "How are you today?" They do not want to know how you are, they just want to get the conversation started. Just tell them you feel terrible. They will not want to deal with that conversation.

dave j:

--- Quote from: Cerebus on September 19, 2021, 12:31:19 am ---
--- Quote from: TimFox on September 18, 2021, 07:15:53 pm ---In English, “contact” can be a noun or a verb:  check any dictionary.

--- End quote ---

"Any" dictionary?


--- Quote from: Dr Samuel Johnson's Dictionary, First Folio ---CO'NTACT.
n.s. [contactus, Latin.]

Touch; close union; juncture of one body to another.


--- End quote ---


No verb.  :)

Actually I suspect the "verbing" of contact is relatively recent in general usage, probably some time during the 20th century. Maybe earlier in American usage  - if ever there was a country that loved to turn nouns into verbs it's North America. I'd need a few generations of paper dictionaries to prove when it became accepted.  To my ear the formulation "get in touch with" or "get in contact with" is natural sounding, contact as a verb less so. For what it's worth Strunk and White still condemn using contact as a verb, and I suspect it would cause Fowler apoplexy.
--- End quote ---

The full Oxford English Dictionary has that particular usage of contact as being a US colloquialism from the 1920s.

--- Quote ---3. trans. To get into contact or in touch with (a person). orig. U.S. colloq.
1927 Spectator 6 Aug. 212/2 Dreiser should not be allowed to corrupt his language by writing ‘anything that Clyde had personally contacted here’.
1929 L. F. Carr America Challenged 61 Mr. Dickey contacted every family in three representative agricultural counties.
1935 A. P. Herbert What a Word! 100 A charming lady in the publicity business shocked me when we parted by saying ‘It has been such fun contacting you.’
1936 Wodehouse Laughing Gas ix. 95 The prospect whom I was planning to contact, as they call it in America, was leaning back in the arm-chair.
1938 Manch. Guardian Weekly 19 Aug. 148/1 Will you please retain your ticket until you have contacted Mr. —.
1940 Times Weekly 27 Nov. 1/4 (Advt.), Factory representatives in most parts of world. Contact your local trader.
1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 85/1 See that everyone in the household knows how to contact the nearest Fire Service, by telephone if possible.
--- End quote ---

English, like all languages, is ultimately defined by usage not diktat. If the Académie Française can't stop Anglicisms from being adopted into French, Strunk and White have no chance stopping Americans from verbing nouns.

TimFox:
In 2027 (just five years from now), we can celebrate the useful neologism where the verb form of "contact" was added to the language, thanks to Americans.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page

There was an error while thanking
Thanking...
Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod