Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Stroup
Because prestidigitation has a more specific meaning than "magic." And that is how the disease creeps into academic discussion. When focused on minutae, the fine gradations of meaning become important. But over time it becomes a habit that is hard to break and there is a certain pleasantness to creating a vocabulary that is only understood by those in the know.
|
But would you not agree that overuse, and especially misuse of such words serve only to dilute the public's understanding of the specific nature of the word?
I wish I could remember where I read it... I recall reading a whole thing on the tendency toward using industry-specific jargon as a way to identify oneself as part of an "elite".