Don't get me started on semantics.  Just so I don't offend
you I'll use kerfing for my argument, since I haven't seen Howard
around lately. 
I know kerfing should be a verb, but I really don't care much. It's been
misused long enough by so many folks in our trade that I think it fair to
argue that we have beaten correct english in to submission. Words like
this creep in from a few factory workers out of convenience, spread to
other shops through distributors, employees, designers, and become
fairly common. Next thing you know some guitar maker writes a book or
company starts selling guitar parts to the general public, and what to you
think they call it? They call it kerfing, just like they've always heard. At
that point it's all over. Next thing you know, a new word is born. Born out
of ignorance and bastardization, yes, but born none the less.
No, it hasn't made it in to the OED yet, but I don't think it's a high
priority. Neither has lutherie/luthiery, but we won't go there. If it were a
new computer term that had come to common usage in a similar fashion
it would certainly be in, or at least on it's way by now. Volute follows the
same rules in my book, though not really as heinous a violation of our
rules of english as kerfing had to go through. They're all trade-specific
terms, so they're meaning to the general public should have little bearing
in my opinion. If our terms were held to that criteria we'd be really
screwed. Nuts, bridges, heels, saddles, - saddle is one that would even
confuse the heck out of a violin maker if they didn't know guitars.
Volute, kerfing. As long as you know exactly what I mean when I say it,
it's all fine with me.
Years back I had a serious head injury and lost a part of the Broca's area
of my brain. I lost the ability to speak or communicate in all but the most
basic means, though I feel very fortunate to have been able to recover as
quickly as I did, and spent some time basically relearning english. It may
sound arrogant, but having experienced this I feel I have earned the right
to claim a certain appreciation of language and it's functions that few can
realize. I certainly appreciate the elegance and power that good
intentional usage of language and vocabulary can contain. These words in
particular just don't offend me though.
Volute
Volute
|
[/QUOTE]
