It's only a word

[waimarie]

This is one for the English grammar nuts. A couple of threads earlier 'FINA' asked a question about a wedding 'invite'. Is this correct? Isn't the word 'invite' a verb - 'to invite' so shouldn't it perhaps be 'wedding invitation' rather 'wedding invite? Just thort I'd arst.

[heathfield]

You are perfectly correct.

[Quizmonster]

Actually, 'invite' may be used as a noun or a verb and has been for centuries. Here's a quote from 1659...

"Bishop Cranmer gives him an earnest invite to England."

Used in such a way, it is considered colloquial but that does not, of course, make it "wrong". It's how people speak...simple as that.

[Quizmonster]

Click here for an online dictionary's entry about the word. See under 'n' for 'noun' and the description 'Informal'...ie colloquial.

[Xollob]

While the noun 'invite' is clearly not new, I think this is part of a more general trend towards nominalisation. The (mainly American) computer literature I have to deal with on an almost daily basis is crawling with examples such as "To perform an uninstall..." or "Use this command after an abort...". It's enough to make a language lover's toes curl, but there's probably not a lot we can do about it.

[jno]

Shakespeare was a great one for using words as different parts of speech; and he's hailed as a linguistic innovator. I don't see why we shouldn't emulate him when we feel like it. I can't think of a better word than 'an uninstall' in a sentence like 'the uninstall went wrong' (I can think of other ways of putting it but not necessarily better ones). Some neologisms sound ugly to my ears; if they do the same to everyone, they probably won't catch on... I'd like to think.

[Quizmonster]

Actually, X, 'an abort' has been in noun-form use for about as long as 'an invite' has. I can't imagine, you'd want to see: "Use this command after an abortion"!

[arwenant]

it is exactly the same with the words quote and quotation

you don't say: i have a quote from Shakespeare

you say: i have a quotation from Shakespeare my english teacher is always telling the class this.

[robbo82]

arwenant, your English teacher isn't called Mr Pallot by any chance is he? Mine was and he was always going on about 'quote/quotation'.

[Quizmonster]

Arwenant and Robbo, I obviously don't know where these English teachers of yours were taught themselves, but 'quote' has been extensively used as a noun for well over a century! It is, therefore, perfectly acceptable to refer to "a quote from Shakespeare" in an informal/colloquial setting, just as you can say 'an invite' or 'an abort'.

[Kay]

QM, Thanks for explaining things to waimarie. I have used "Invite" for several years, more than likely picked up from others or tv. waimarie it was just one tiny word,if you need to do corrrection's have a go at the members who write in text afterall their keyboards are'nt mobile phones are they and I find it most annoying but then again I AM one of the "Old Biddie's" as these younger members call us:-))

[Kay]

waimarie. What's " Just thort I'd arst"?

[Xollob]

QM - no, I wouldn't like to see "use this command after an abortion", but would prefer "after an abnormal termination". Maybe as an Englishman who's gone sausage side I'm doubly sensitive about the word "abort": it's an ugly verb in English, and in German it's a somewhat archaic word for "toilet".

[waimarie]

Sorry if I rattled your chain FINA, My question was not meant to be belittling, pedantic or not picking and I think the comments from everybody here has entered into the spirit of my question. It just struck me as odd when I saw it written down, it was a spur of the moment thing. Anyway, my thanks to everybody (as usual) for their thoughtful comments. By the way FINA, the 'just thort I'd arst' was my heavy handed attempt at humour. I won't try that one again!!!

[Quizmonster]

X, my 'abortion' comment was intended as a joke. Having said that, I think your alternative - 'an abnormal termination' - is an over-elaborate phrase, especially in the supposedly dynamic, thrusting world of computing lingo. Wouldn't 'failure' or 'stoppage' - perhaps preceded by 'program' - do? (I believe we're now permanently saddled with 'program' instead of 'programme'.)

[jno]

QM I prefer program - saves keystrokes, thus allowing my pedantry to be transmitted more quickly. After all, telegramme and radiogramme never quite made the grade, yet who thinks the shorter versions look odd?

[Quizmonster]

As Toed says, J...

"Program and programme have become established as the standard North American and British spellings respectively, with the exception that program is used everywhere in connection with computing."

Since computing - as presently understood - is a much more recent creation than I am, I'd have stuck with 'mme', had I had any choice in the matter! However, that is an area our cousins across the Pond seem to have monopolised. Cheers