GalacticCactus Forum

Forums => English & Linguistics => Topic started by: Jonathon on August 21, 2006, 12:54:20 PM

Title: Language Log
Post by: Jonathon on August 21, 2006, 12:54:20 PM

This post (http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003483.html) really made my day. One of my coworkers used "verbiage" as a transitive verb this morning. >.<  

Title: Language Log
Post by: Porter on August 21, 2006, 12:58:16 PM

As in "He really verbiaged that document"?

Title: Language Log
Post by: Jonathon on August 21, 2006, 01:00:29 PM

More like, "If you need me to, I can verbiage it for you."

Title: Language Log
Post by: Porter on August 21, 2006, 01:00:59 PM

:lol:

I'll be he can.

Title: Language Log
Post by: pooka on August 21, 2006, 03:12:24 PM

Did he mean jargonize or something?

Title: Language Log
Post by: Jonathon on August 21, 2006, 03:15:37 PM

Well, it was a she, and I think she meant something more like "write something." Though "jargonize" was probably more realistic. This same coworker has talked about utilizing staplers.

Title: Language Log
Post by: rivka on August 22, 2006, 01:25:25 PM

Someone should utilize a stapler on whatever part of her anatomy she uses to verbiage.

Title: Language Log
Post by: Porter on August 22, 2006, 01:33:56 PM

I doubt she uses anything to verbage.  I'll be she utilizes it.

Title: Language Log
Post by: rivka on August 22, 2006, 03:59:51 PM

Good point.

Title: Language Log
Post by: pooka on August 23, 2006, 05:27:48 AM

I can't say I've never used "utilize" where I could have utilized "use".  I could maybe see "verbiaged" in a regulatory context, like when marketing materials have to be made FDA compliant.

Title: Language Log
Post by: Jonathon on September 01, 2006, 12:37:32 PM

Geoffrey Pullum was on NPR's Here and Now talking about Language Log and some of the popular topics they discuss there. Here's a link to a streaming RealAudio file.

Edit: Okay, so apparently UBB code doesn't like non-http links. Go to the post (http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003529.html) and follow one of the links from there.