.. I suppose this comes under the general heading of,
Word usage that makes my skin crawl .. I read the following in news.com.au of 20/07/10 ..
Quote:
Mystery as bank boss and $3.1m vanish
"It is the bank's priority to gain a full understanding of what might have occurred and we will ensure - if our customers have been impacted - we will quickly take appropriate action," Ms Treacy said.
"No customer will suffer a financial loss as a result of any inappropriate or criminal activity and the bank will meet with impacted customers as soon as possible."
.. has the bank opened a medical practice ?? .. or are they practising dentistry ?? ..
Quote:
impacted adj a (of a tooth) wedged between another tooth and the jaw. b (of a fractured bone) with the parts crushed together. c (of faeces) lodged in the intestine.
.. ok ok so yes I do know that there is a verb
to impact which has as its past participle
impacted .. BUT WHY !!! .. why use this ugly word when there are nice words that have a nicer feel about them ..
Quote:
"It is the bank's priority to gain a full understanding of what might have occurred and we will ensure - if our customers have been effected - we will quickly take appropriate action," Ms Treacy said.
"No customer will suffer a financial loss as a result of any inappropriate or criminal activity and the bank will meet with any customers who have been effected as soon as possible."
.. my
Fowler's is a 3rd Ed so it is from 1996 but it is prophetic that the following observations were made with reagard to this word ..
Quote:
"Their verdicts were uncompromising: 'an ugly verb from a noun'; 'another barbarism';'this is bureaucratese and ought to be rejected'. ........ It therefore seems advisable to refrain from using the verb in ordinary non-scientific, non-medical contexts - at least for the present. {{sigh!!}} It is very likely that it will pass into uncontested standard use as time goes on. At present it has something of the air of a guest who has turned up at a party uninvited." {{YES!!}}
.. it STILL won't get an invite to any party I am throwing ..
.. but then sometimes people accidently use it in the exact opposite way ..
Quote:
ABC News Thu Jun 17, 2010 - Perth Gun attack impacted me: police sergeant
"Obviously the injury needed me to be in hospital for a short period and also on light duties and since I've been back to work it has impacted me when dealing with other people," he said.
.. funny .. I would've thought that having a gun pointed at you would have the absolute opposite effect and far from being impacted the officer would feel a tad loose ..
.. but all is not totally lost as some reporters do show that they are not comfortable with the word by placing it in quotation marks ..
Quote:
TNW Apple July 7th, 2010
Earlier today Clayton Morris, the Fox News anchor, brought news direct from Apple that only 400 accounts were ‘impacted” by the iTunes hacking saga that we first reported on Saturday.
.. ok so I realise that I am fighting a lost battle but don't say I didn't warn you !!! ..
WoZ getting off soapbox
