Confusing by design.I've I've Contraction of I have. I've I have I've have been an IABC IABC International Association of Business Communicators IABC Indo-Americans for Better Community member for several years. While I do find the occasional article of interest in Communication World, I have some problems with the publication that I felt I should share with you. First, although the magazine has greatly improved its layout over time, I still find it somewhat chaotic and difficult to read. I'm looking now at the November-December 2004 issue. It took me a few seconds to determine it was the November-December 2004 issue, as that information is in tiny point size, pale green on a green cover. Inside, one of the biggest impediments IMPEDIMENTS, contracts. Legal objections to the making of a contract. Impediments which relate to the person are those of minority, want of reason, coverture, and the like; they are sometimes called disabilities. Vide Incapacity. 2. to easy navigation is the overuse overuse Health care The common use of a particular intervention even when the benefits of the intervention don't justify the potential harm or cost–eg, prescribing antibiotics for a probable viral URI. Cf Misuse, Underuse. of text blocks of different types. For example, on pages 30-31, there are two graphs, a table, a two-column text block and two ads. It is not immediately clear which items are ads and which are part of the article. The graphs on both pages contain numbers in little yellow boxes. No legend. What do the numbers mean? They must be important--they're in yellow boxes. One has to go to the table on page 30 and then make a leap of logic to find out. Ah, they are percentages of correlation, and they are connected with "Alignment"--no, wait, that's an ad for Sinickas Communication. See the problem? Let's move on. One of the sections in CW is "Wood on Words." The author is a very knowledgeable person, but his writing style is difficult, which surprises me given his obvious love of English. As an example: second column, second full paragraph. It begins "Caption, My Caption!" It's supposed to be a humorous paraphrasing of "Captain, My Captain!" and connects to the particular nautical nau·ti·cal adj. Of, relating to, or characteristic of ships, shipping, sailors, or navigation on a body of water. [From Latin nauticus, from Greek nautikos, from word that is the subject of the error being described. The thing is, there is no way you could know that without reading the full paragraph. As with much of Wood's writing, I found myself stumbling stumbling an abnormal gait in which the animal does not fully extend the limb, the plantar surface is not properly placed with respect to the ground surface at the time of impact so that the limb is likely to collapse and the animal to fall. about trying to figure out how the pieces fit together, and doing a lousy lous·y adj. lous·i·er, lous·i·est 1. Infested with lice. 2. Extremely contemptible; nasty: a lousy trick. 3. job of it, instead of thinking, "This is interesting. I want to read more." Third paragraph from last, same column. The topic refers to an article that appeared in an Indianapolis newspaper. Following an explanation of the linguistic error, Wood comments, "I thought every Hoosier knew that." Maybe, but not every reader knows what a Hoosier is, anymore than Wood is likely to know what "bluenoser" or "Haligonian" refer to. The point being that CW is an international publication, and so its writing should reflect the knowledge and assumptions its audience is likely to have. Ian Monteith mon·teith n. A large punch bowl having a notched rim on which cups can be hung. [Possibly after Monteith (Monteigh), an eccentric 17th-century Scotsman who wore a cloak scalloped at the hem.] Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada CW has updated its look; see "From the Editor" on page 3. |
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