Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Semantics

By mutual agreement, we have banned the use of the phrase "well actually" in my work group. Anyone who uses it is subject to gentle ribbing as a way of reminder of this rule.

Why? Because we're nerds. Any one of us can nitpick at the simplest of statements because spoken language (particularly English) is fraught with ambiguity. The point of the rule is to remind ourselves that we are all doing our best to express our thoughts and ideas and it is up to the hearer to do their best to understand correctly what is meant, if not always in the best of wording.

This rules is our way of trying to rise above the petty and trivial, and to do better with the social graces. I can heartily recommend it.

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