http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Diction A listing of the most recently indexed works about Diction in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Diction http://tc.eserver.org/35743.html http://tc.eserver.org/35743.html I was disappointed yesterday when, while cruising Facebook, I noticed a national pharmacy company’s request for me to “fan” them. I simply cannot agree to become a fan of a company that thinks turning nouns into verbs is hip and thereby will increase its customer base. If they had instead asked me to “become a fan”, I may have indeed considered it. http://tc.eserver.org/35327.html http://tc.eserver.org/35327.html It is clear that the term blacklist, and the newer term whitelist, and yes, graylist, are not racist in origin. Nor are they used today with any connotation about race. But these terms are culture-bound and might present globalization issues. That is, the colors black and white are not globally perceived as negative and positive, respectively. In some cultures, the meaning is the opposite. http://tc.eserver.org/35222.html http://tc.eserver.org/35222.html One of the difficult concepts to understand in the English language is perhaps the manner in which articles are used in a sentence. Over the course of one's life history, every student of English has had to face this nightmare at one point of time or another. The verbs are all in place and you know the nouns, the pronouns are fairly obvious, and the prepositions can eventually be worked out, but what comes before the word year and what comes before SMS is tricky. http://tc.eserver.org/34408.html http://tc.eserver.org/34408.html To better manage interactions with such large datasets, we’ve incorporated the concept of views, in the same way that Microsoft Outlook and SQL Builder use them. However, my initial usability testing has found that the concept of views is escaping most people, and I think it often boils down to the term itself. Even if I show users what the software does—and they pretty much always like it when they see it—they still often cannot get over the initial hurdle of the naming convention. http://tc.eserver.org/34113.html http://tc.eserver.org/34113.html Organize your writing so that it becomes very clear what kind of cause-and-effect relationship exists between different elements of your argument. http://tc.eserver.org/34037.html http://tc.eserver.org/34037.html As a technical writer you’ve heard this piece of sage writing advice a thousand times: you should stay away from jargon and write as you speak. It’s basic. Strunk & White said so, didn’t they? It’s true. But is this rule true ALL the time, unconditionally? No, I’m afraid it is not. Life has its exceptions. And so does this “rule.” http://tc.eserver.org/33718.html http://tc.eserver.org/33718.html Some basic terms and acronyms useful to the technical writer operating in Australia. http://tc.eserver.org/33598.html http://tc.eserver.org/33598.html We see it everywhere: our schools, our places of business, even in notes stuck on our refrigerator. Yes, my friends, I’m talking about apostrophe abuse. The Obama administration, faced with two wars and an economy teetering on the edge of disaster, is unlikely to make this a priority. So it’s our duty as professional communicators to stamp it out. http://tc.eserver.org/31667.html http://tc.eserver.org/31667.html Technical communicators employ a wide range of strategies to make scientific and technical information accessible to as wide an audience as possible. This glossary introduces some of these strategies by defining some terms commonly used to discuss them. The aim of the glossary is to help students in technical and professional communication successfully enter this rapidly expanding profession. http://tc.eserver.org/30838.html http://tc.eserver.org/30838.html Vocabulary Profilers break texts down by word frequencies in the language at large. Most of the English web Vocabprofilers on this site are based on Laufer and Nation's Lexical Frequency Profiler, and divide the words of texts into first and second thousand levels, academic words, and the remainder or 'offlist.' http://tc.eserver.org/30358.html http://tc.eserver.org/30358.html When is a noun not a noun? When it's been verbed. A lot of verbing is going on, as you've probably noticed. In fact, it's happening so frequently that I think we'd better come up with a name for the part of speech produced by verbing a noun. http://tc.eserver.org/30311.html http://tc.eserver.org/30311.html Sexist language consists of various words and terms that foster stereotypes of social roles based on gender. Professional writers must keep abreast of significant changes in our language, and the issue of sexism is an integral change. Sexist language has become offensive. Sexist language is confusing. http://tc.eserver.org/29897.html http://tc.eserver.org/29897.html This paper presents a study of the effect of informative, intriguing, and generic hyperlink wording on Web browsing behavior. The study was administered via the Web using a modified naturally occurring informational Web site. Link wording was varied in both the navigation menu and links embedded in the text. Data about participants' browsing behavior were logged with PHP scripts, and demographics, perceptions, and comprehension were measured through a post-browsing survey. Data from the study are being analyzed and will be presented at the conference. http://tc.eserver.org/29794.html http://tc.eserver.org/29794.html When it comes to relative pronouns, incomplete knowledge may lead to frustration and confusion. The pronouns that, which, who, and what serve as relative pronouns when they introduce a relative (or subordinate) clause. http://tc.eserver.org/28541.html http://tc.eserver.org/28541.html A comprehensive online reference resource, with a dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia and word/phrase translation service. http://tc.eserver.org/27330.html http://tc.eserver.org/27330.html Beware of adverbs. They can dilute the meaning of the verb or repeat it. http://tc.eserver.org/27333.html http://tc.eserver.org/27333.html Play with words, even in serious stories. Choose words the average writer avoids but the average reader understands. http://tc.eserver.org/27336.html http://tc.eserver.org/27336.html Prefer the simple to the technical: shorter words and paragraphs at the points of greatest complexity. http://tc.eserver.org/27335.html http://tc.eserver.org/27335.html Seek original images. Make word lists, free-associate, be surprised by language. Reject cliches and 'first-level creativity.' http://tc.eserver.org/27329.html http://tc.eserver.org/27329.html Use verbs in their strongest form, the simple present or past. Strong verbs create action, save words, and reveal the players. http://tc.eserver.org/25797.html http://tc.eserver.org/25797.html Confusing Words is a collection of words that are troublesome to readers and writers. Words are grouped according to the way they are most often confused or misused. http://tc.eserver.org/24140.html http://tc.eserver.org/24140.html Writing is a subject that doesn't crop up too often at conferences. Why not? ecause writing is not one of the sexy things that happens online. Programming is sexy. Online design is sexy. The technology behind e-mail and e-commerce is sexy. http://tc.eserver.org/24052.html http://tc.eserver.org/24052.html How can a homograph be the same as a heterograph? And how can heterograph, which comes from roots meaning 'different writing,' be applied to a word that differs in every way except the way it is written? http://tc.eserver.org/24034.html http://tc.eserver.org/24034.html Writing a good description is fun, but it's delicate work. We recognize vivid writing when we come across it, and we know the bad stuff, too -- it makes us squirm instinctively. Here are some types of descriptions the world can do without. http://tc.eserver.org/24017.html http://tc.eserver.org/24017.html The debate over The New Fowler's Modern English Usage has the potential to become more interesting because there are personalities involved. http://tc.eserver.org/23961.html http://tc.eserver.org/23961.html This database was compiled over the years in response to diverse and wide-ranging demands of United Nations language staff for terminology and nomenclature. It is being put on the Internet to facilitate the efforts of people around the world who participate in the work of the United Nations but do not have access to the Secretariat's intranet. http://tc.eserver.org/18241.html http://tc.eserver.org/18241.html The dictionaries that appear on Dictionary.com include: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition; Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary; The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing; Jargon File 4.2.0; CIA World Factbook (1995); Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary; Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary; U.S. Gazetteer; U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, through our site you can access definitions from: Acronym Finder; On-line Medical Dictionary; CancerWEB. http://tc.eserver.org/14176.html http://tc.eserver.org/14176.html Uitleg van relevante termen over het communicatiebeleid rondom webprojecten, het ontwikkelen van een functioneel ontwerp en het inrichten van het content management. http://tc.eserver.org/13706.html http://tc.eserver.org/13706.html A collection of dictionaries online. http://tc.eserver.org/11841.html http://tc.eserver.org/11841.html A search engine and dictionary for computer and Internet technology. http://tc.eserver.org/10659.html http://tc.eserver.org/10659.html The Acronym Finder is a world wide web searchable database of more than 193,000 abbreviations and acronyms about computers, technology, telecommunications, and military acronyms and abbreviations. http://tc.eserver.org/10625.html http://tc.eserver.org/10625.html This book is designed to inform you about current problems in English usage so you can make intelligent decisions when communicating. When confronted with a choice about a usage, you may ask yourself a number of questions: Has this usage been criticized for some reason in the past? If so, are these criticisms substantial? What are the linguistic and social issues involved? Have people frequently applied this usage in the past, and for how long? What do well-respected writers think of the usage today? You will find answers to these and many other questions in this book. http://tc.eserver.org/10648.html http://tc.eserver.org/10648.html The Merriam-Webster language online site offers an up-to-date dictionary and thesaurus.