Re: Jargon... LO3347

Tobin Quereau (quereau@austin.cc.tx.us)
Sat, 21 Oct 1995 12:47:11 -0500 (CDT)

Replying to LO3333 --

Interestingly enough, Deb, the four words of Shakespeare (see below)
suggest to me (out of their original context, of course) that if it is a
"tide" we are talking about, the one thing we know is that it _will_ come
again, though possibly at somewhat different levels depending on the
contributing factors.

I think rather than "jargon", this is an example of metaphor and imagery
which, while having the possibility of increasing the rate of
understanding immensely, also have the added benefit (or difficulty for
some people) of enriching our communication and conveying more than is
intended. I kind of like that sort of thing myself.... (And if anyone
knows where Shakespeare placed that phrasing, I'd like to see the entire
context of the passage!)

On Fri, 20 Oct 1995, Debbie Gunther wrote:

> Replying to LO3229 --
>
> This thread reminds me of the topic of a past popular book, "Cultural
> Literacy." The author's premise, if I recall it correctly, was that
> jargon was inclusionary rather than exclusionary. For the educated, it
> formed a shorthand which allowed people to communicate complicated ideas
> with the speed of thought rather than the speed of words. The example
> given was one I hadn't heard, but have often since thought of... "There
> comes a tide..." (Shakespeare), which, in 4 simple words, conveys the
> thought that certain opportunities arise only once, and once missed,
> cannot be ever recaptured.
>
> Deb Gunther
> Debbie Gunther <gungazo@execpc.com>

--
Tobin Quereau <quereau@austin.cc.tx.us>