minstrel: Re: minstrel-digest V1 #632

[Charles Hill]

Good Morrow unto the faire gentry,

I agree(right on), language is, after all, one of the most important 
tools of man. We should becareful to useing words around new commers. 

Blessings From Taran of Raccoon Hill
m.k.a. Charles Hill
taranhill at hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/broadway/alley/4451/


>From: Heather Senkler <wl835 at victoria.tc.ca>
>To: minstrel at rt.com
>Subject: minstrel: Re: minstrel-digest V1 #632
>Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 10:44:13 -0800 (PST)
>
>
>> That is really an official decision aimed at official publications.
>> Instead of mundane name use Legal Name.  Instead of mundane item use
>> Modern Item.  Authenticity Maven is another no no, as well as 
referring
>> to `period', instead say `our period of study'... etc.   I don't know
>> about the offical BoD decision, but that is the publication 
tendencies
>> now in the SCA.
>> Astridhr
>
>	I can see how some people may see this as being overly picky, but 
>I can see where the BOD is going with this. Language is a very powerful
>thing.
>	I am sure that few people consider "freaking the mundanes" to be 
>much more than heading to a restaurant after dance practice or popping 
>into a Safeway on the way to an event. However, the confrontational 
turn 
>of phrase can suggest to others to perhaps do something,... foolish.
>
>	In my own Kingdom our Chatelaine is pushing for a better choice of 
>vocabulary within the office. By saying "fully armoured combatant" 
instead
>of "heavy" we are giving a more accurate picture of what we are doing.
>"Light" means nothing to a newcomer, but "javlineer" or "slingman" give 
a
>better picture. "Newbie" is a term of affection but may be miscontrued 
by
>someone who is very new to the Society.
>	In any job, hobby, or field of study there is jargon - language
>that is specific and unique to that group. Jargon can convey consice 
and
>useful information to someone within that group, but to anyone else it 
may
>seem confusing, inaccurate, or even derrogative.
>	In another hobby group I might have said "Oh shoot! The sweeper
>is out of place, he's about to lose his check!" That will probably mean
>nothing to many people. It could be misconstrued or misinterpreted by
>someone who does not now what the context is. What I mean is that the 
last
>player back before the goalkeeper in a soccer game is not staying in 
the
>right place and the opponent he is supposed to cover is in a better 
place
>to get around him and score a goal.
>
>	As much as I may have problems with the use of regular modern
>English from time to time, we in the SCA must all be aware of the 
language
>we use around people who are not part of the SCA. When you are in garb, 
or
>even just talking about the SCA you are on display, on camera, however 
you
>want to put it. At that moment you are the only spokesman for this club
>and you cannot be flippant or purposely misrepresent this group. You 
would
>be doing all of us a disfavour and may spread more prejudice against 
us.
>
>	Okay, okay, so I meay sound picky, but please remember the power
>of language, and of a poor first impression.
>
>
>		Ciao,
>				Ekatarina
>
>
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Blessings From Taran of Raccoon Hill
m.k.a. Charles Hill
taranhill at hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/broadway/alley/4451/

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