Verbing Weirds Language*

With my fondness for words, I enjoyed this post on Dangerous Intersection about the use of 'text' as a verb.

I concur with the author: it seems incorrect, but it's the way people refer to the concept of sending text messages on their phones, so I use it.

Language changes, that's all. Sometimes I like new words/usages, sometimes I hate them (oh how I hate them), but if that's the way people are conveying information, I can only argue with them so far.

'Text' as a verb is actually not one of the ones I especially hate, but 'video' is. "I'll video that event for you," makes me blanch in horror. There's no particular logic to this contradiction, that's just how the words strike me.

The post also talks about how Twitter has tried to define using its service as "tweeting," only to find that many people say "twittering" instead. You can't always (or even usually) establish linguistic usage intentionally.

I myself prefer "twittering," not only because it derives more naturally from the name of the site, but because it sounds more like something I'd want to do.

Tweeting seems a little monotone to me, like belting out a single note over and over (maybe from a boiling teakettle?), while twittering suggests varying notes of discourse, like a bunch of birds sitting in a tree and vocalizing up and down the scale.

I am obviously reading into this my own prior associations with both words. Which is naturally the correct one.

Twitter with me, people! And text me if you want, but please don't video it.

*Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes