"Verbing weirds language"

[BobRodes]

As the great Sam Waterston said through Calvin: "verbing weirds language." I hate "verbing"! (Am I the only one?) The example that comes to mind is "actionable", and even worse "actioning". Anyone else hate these, and have particular ones?

 

[SantaMufasa]

"Verbing weirds language"...The example that comes to mind is "actionable", and even worse "actioning".

Bob, the word actionable is not a verb or verbal form...it is an adjective. And since you didn't use actioning in a sentence, I presume that the form you used here is a gerund...again, not a verb, per se, but a verbal noun.


So, to this point, I haven't seen, what I would call, good examples of your assertion that "Verbing weirds language". What are some other, better examples that can prime the pump for this thread?

In English, I believe that most nouns have a verb-form counterpart. So do you have an issue with all verbs that have a noun counterpart, or just some of them? If so, which ones?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm or risk. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”

 

[sleipnir214]

BobRhodes
While I agree with Santa that "actionable" is an adjective, I'll agree with you that "actioning" is egregious use of gerund forms. I think the correct form is either "acting" or actually "action", depending on usage, and that "actioning" is just piling on redundant suffixes.

Heck, I can't even figure out what "actioning" means, which makes it pretty worthless as a neologism.


Want to ask the best questions? Read Eric S. Raymond's essay "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way". TANSTAAFL!

 

[BobRodes]

Apologies for my haste. First, Sam Waterston is an actor on "Law and Order", Bill Watterson is the writer of Calvin and Hobbes. Second, actionable is indeed an adjective. I guess we could call that "adjectiving" and I could cheerfully hate it just as much. The term "verbing" as Calvin used it means to use a noun in a verbal context.

A clearer example of "verbing" is "please action the following items by Friday." meaning "please act on the following items by Friday." This would give rise to the gerund "actioning" and the adjective "actionable." Fruit of the poisoned tree, so to speak. This word is popular in business emails. It seems rather pompous to me, with a flavor of attempting to evince an aura of competence.

As Calvin said, and as far as I'm concerned, it weirds language, except when Shakespeare does it ("I'll unhair thy head" was given as an example in my further reading) or when it was already in place before I was born.

To see the comic strip:

http://bp2.blogger.com/_I0JyZiMKuh0/R0SsGMbc7qI/AAAAAAAAAEM/wadQnwbHbJ4/s1600-h/verbing-sm-01.jpg

 

[KenCunningham]

I am of the same view with 'tasking'. No, you're not 'tasking' me with this, you're giving me a job to do!

I want to be good, is that not enough?

 

[sha76]

Hmmmm

except when Shakespeare does it... or when it was already in place before I was born.

It's a personal question, but just how old are you to be needing an "or" in that sentence?

"Your rock is eroding wrong." -Dogbert

 

[AnotherHiggins]

I hear ya, Bob, but I think 'actionable' is a bad example. I've known that word for many years now because it is a common legal term.

actionable
One entry found.

Main Entry:
ac·tion·able Listen to the pronunciation of actionable
Pronunciation:[ignore]
\?ak-sh(?-)n?-b?l\ [/ignore]
Function:
adjective
Date:
[highlight]1591[/highlight]

1 : subject to or affording ground for an action or suit at law 2 : capable of being acted on <actionable information>

I was going to assume that 1591 satisfies your 'already in place before I was born' condition until I noticed sha76's observation.

Calvin: I like to verb words.
Hobbes: What?
Calvin: I take nouns and adjectives and use them as verbs. Remember when "access" was a thing? Now, it's something you do. It got verbed. Verbing weirds language.
Hobbes: Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding.

I can't find the full dialog or a transcript, but also:

Bucky B. Katt: You can wordify anything if you just verb it.

....

You can food anything if you just eat it

[tt][blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.

 

[BobRodes]

Yes, "I'm going to task you with the requirement of doing blah. May I expect you to action that by the end of the week?" is just the sort of thing I'm talking about.

I'll change my criteria: anything by Shakespeare, or anything that was in common usage before I was born.

 

[GSCaupling]

I just saw a news interview with Gen. Honore about the situation in Iraq. He said we need to resource the Iraqis with the right equipment to protect themselves.

Gen. Honore was the guy all over television doing interviews after Hurricane Katrina. During the interviews he would say "over" after each comment he made. Saying "over" might be necessary on a military radio, but it looks silly in a TV interview.

GS

[small][navy]**********************^*********************
I always know where people are going to sit. I'm chairvoyant.[/navy][/small]

 

[LeeMcCauslin]

I am of the same view with 'tasking'. No, you're not 'tasking' me with this, you're giving me a job to do!

While I agree completely that it sucks to get added work I will confess it sounds cool as heck when they are "Tasking keyhole satellite" on Alias or in spy movies.

I'm glad I'm not the one it was tasked at. ;-)

"Dyin'? Boy, He can have this little life any time He wants to. Do Ya hear that? Are ya hearin' it? Come on. You're welcome to it, Ol' Timer. Let me know You're up there. Come on. Love me, hate me, kill me, anything. Just let me know it... I'm just standin' in the rain talkin' to myself."

 

[BobRodes]

Then there's the pro football "we have to figure out a way to defense that play." I guess I'm coming to the conclusion that it sounds worst when there's a perfectly good verb already in place. In that situation it sounds to me as if someone is trying to make whatever they're talking about sound more abstruse than it actually is.

 

[SantaMufasa]

Bob,

American Football is notorious for "originalizing" new verbs or verbal phrases. In addition to having to "figure out way to defense that play," the quarterback, on the otherhand, might step up to the line and "audible-ize" a new play.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm or risk. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”

 

[sleipnir214]

Okay, here's one I came across last night and thought I would present to the colloquium:

Someone's Facebook entry reads

"<Soandso> [red]favorited[/red] 5 videos on YouTube."

I have no real problem going between nouns and verbs. But when did we start turning adjectives into verbs?


Want to ask the best questions? Read Eric S. Raymond's essay "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way". TANSTAAFL!

 

[guitarzan]

slepnir214:
I would argue that in that context, "favorite" is a noun, not an adjective.

 

[BobRodes]

Here's one I just found in a job spec:

"This role is less about concepting and more about reading a technical document and translating..."

 

[Welshbird]

We seem to do this all the time in my team. I just heard someone say

Did you F10 that?

Boo!

Fee

"The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea." Isak Dinesen